Computer news and reviews

Happy trails to you, Razorwire lowers the curtain and takes a final bow

i never thought i would post this about myself

Some of you may be looking at the calendar and thinking this is merely a ruse. It’s not. My time here at WarCry has come to an end. I heard that and no, I wasn’t fired. At least not this time. I’ve been with Themis and WarCry for almost 5 years now and that’s the longest I’ve ever worked for a company. I was hired on in 2003 and ended up being the Ad Sales Manager even though I had never done it before. I was such a noob the first deal I made was selling all available ad space on our Lineage 2 site to IGE. Yeah, I had no clue.

One thing about working here that I will miss is the fact that even though you may not be the right person for the job, the fact that you’ve been hired means that you’re the right person for the company as a whole. A position will be found, or in my case, created to make use of your talents and skills. At the time the idea for Razorwire was born, mine just happened to be the ability to be cynical, pessimistic, and indignant, all while gleefully enjoying the misfortunes of others. The difference between comedy and tragedy is if the bus hits someone other than me, it’s funny.

Schadenfreude be thy name.

Razorwire was supposed to be a blog that showcased not just the absurd and the asinine behavior and decisions made within the gaming industry but also the good and beneficial things that occurred. Not to further shake anyone’s faith in the system, but there was a hell of a lot more negative stories to write about. Maybe part of that was because this is still a young industry and we’re still making huge mistakes in order to gain wisdom. More likely it was because I’m a complete Richard who gazed too long into the abyss.

I know I stepped on a lot of toes and ruffled feathers on almost a daily basis. However, even though I sometimes got facts incorrect, I did my best to tell the truth. Truth being subjective, of course. I tried to find that truth and peel back layers of PR and Marketing candy-coating. I said the things that everyone was thinking. But where they were too polite to actually vocalize them, I felt almost obligated to point out that the Emperor was buck-naked.

It seemed that everyone was pulling me aside and telling me they loved what I was saying and agreed 100% with it, but yet, they would rarely say so in public. I was pretty underground, man. I was subversive. I was pretty much guaranteed to never really go mainstream or become a sensation. And I’m okay with that, since as soon as I did, I would probably end up writing about my own fallibility, since at my core, I’m a rager, not part of the machine.

With all of that in mind, if anyone I wrote about over the years feels truly wronged, I’m sorry. I can guarantee it won’t happen again, heh. I had a great deal of fun here and I will miss it.

So what’s next then? Well, I’m sure that some already know and for those that don’t, you’ll have to wait. I prefer to remain enigmatic for now, but suffice to say some blogger somewhere may get to rip me to shreds for a mis-step or poor choice of words.

Now for the actual goodbye part. It occurred to me that the absolute best farewell ever filmed might be more appropriate, but Rhett Butler doesn’t actually spark a lot of recognition with kids today. Raise your hands if you know who Roy Batty was. Yeah, I thought so. Well, I know you guys like the videos so here is a final one for you.

This is footage of a German Air Force Colonel who was retiring and making the final flight of his military career. As such, he felt it necessary to take all those risks and do all the things that would have gotten his flight status immediately revoked. I mean, it was his final flight, revoke it all they want, right? That’s exactly what happened. He landed, stepped out of his aircraft and in accordance with regulations they stripped his flight status.

Florida golf resorts

If WarCry had an Air Force, that would be me. But since we don’t have multi-million dollar fighter planes laying around, I’ll have to settle for doing something I could have never done if it wasn’t my final post.

This is a link to the most horrific thing I have ever seen on the internet. Click that at your own risk.

And if anyone was truly offended by that link, feel free to contact me directly at 1-248-434-5508.

Not everything is singing you know. The only important thing these days, is rhythm and melody.

Thanks for reading Razorwire. Good night.

-razor

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Happy trails to you, Razorwire lowers the curtain and takes a final bow

i never thought i would post this about myself

Some of you may be looking at the calendar and thinking this is merely a ruse. It’s not. My time here at WarCry has come to an end. I heard that and no, I wasn’t fired. At least not this time. I’ve been with Themis and WarCry for almost 5 years now and that’s the longest I’ve ever worked for a company. I was hired on in 2003 and ended up being the Ad Sales Manager even though I had never done it before. I was such a noob the first deal I made was selling all available ad space on our Lineage 2 site to IGE. Yeah, I had no clue.

One thing about working here that I will miss is the fact that even though you may not be the right person for the job, the fact that you’ve been hired means that you’re the right person for the company as a whole. A position will be found, or in my case, created to make use of your talents and skills. At the time the idea for Razorwire was born, mine just happened to be the ability to be cynical, pessimistic, and indignant, all while gleefully enjoying the misfortunes of others. The difference between comedy and tragedy is if the bus hits someone other than me, it’s funny.

Schadenfreude be thy name.

Razorwire was supposed to be a blog that showcased not just the absurd and the asinine behavior and decisions made within the gaming industry but also the good and beneficial things that occurred. Not to further shake anyone’s faith in the system, but there was a hell of a lot more negative stories to write about. Maybe part of that was because this is still a young industry and we’re still making huge mistakes in order to gain wisdom. More likely it was because I’m a complete Richard who gazed too long into the abyss.

I know I stepped on a lot of toes and ruffled feathers on almost a daily basis. However, even though I sometimes got facts incorrect, I did my best to tell the truth. Truth being subjective, of course. I tried to find that truth and peel back layers of PR and Marketing candy-coating. I said the things that everyone was thinking. But where they were too polite to actually vocalize them, I felt almost obligated to point out that the Emperor was buck-naked.

It seemed that everyone was pulling me aside and telling me they loved what I was saying and agreed 100% with it, but yet, they would rarely say so in public. I was pretty underground, man. I was subversive. I was pretty much guaranteed to never really go mainstream or become a sensation. And I’m okay with that, since as soon as I did, I would probably end up writing about my own fallibility, since at my core, I’m a rager, not part of the machine.

With all of that in mind, if anyone I wrote about over the years feels truly wronged, I’m sorry. I can guarantee it won’t happen again, heh. I had a great deal of fun here and I will miss it.

So what’s next then? Well, I’m sure that some already know and for those that don’t, you’ll have to wait. I prefer to remain enigmatic for now, but suffice to say some blogger somewhere may get to rip me to shreds for a mis-step or poor choice of words.

Now for the actual goodbye part. It occurred to me that the absolute best farewell ever filmed might be more appropriate, but Rhett Butler doesn’t actually spark a lot of recognition with kids today. Raise your hands if you know who Roy Batty was. Yeah, I thought so. Well, I know you guys like the videos so here is a final one for you.

This is footage of a German Air Force Colonel who was retiring and making the final flight of his military career. As such, he felt it necessary to take all those risks and do all the things that would have gotten his flight status immediately revoked. I mean, it was his final flight, revoke it all they want, right? That’s exactly what happened. He landed, stepped out of his aircraft and in accordance with regulations they stripped his flight status.

Florida golf resorts

If WarCry had an Air Force, that would be me. But since we don’t have multi-million dollar fighter planes laying around, I’ll have to settle for doing something I could have never done if it wasn’t my final post.

This is a link to the most horrific thing I have ever seen on the internet. Click that at your own risk.

And if anyone was truly offended by that link, feel free to contact me directly at 1-248-434-5508.

Not everything is singing you know. The only important thing these days, is rhythm and melody.

Thanks for reading Razorwire. Good night.

-razor

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The True Holiday Spirit

on npr’s annual tinsel tales today, i heard a modish day mary & joseph by scott simon. it was sage and heartwarming, of course, but it struck a deeper chord with me when i heard simon’s rendering of how “joseph” comes to understand what this little babe in arms, “jesus,” means:

“I think I finally understand,” he said. “Why we’re here. Why we’ve been given the gift of this child. “It doesn’t matter who the father is, does it? Every child born cries for our love and deserves our care. Every child who’s hungry in Sudan or Louisiana or Indonesia. Every little girl who’s abandoned by the roadside in China. Every little boy in Uganda who’s dragged into somebody’s army while he’s still not as tall as the gun they put in his arms. Every teenager who never seems to take off their ear buds. Every little boy and girl anywhere who’s threatened by a bomb, an epidemic, a bullet or a storm. I must love them as a father loves his child.”Mary and Joseph sat with their arms around each other and around their baby boy. … The star that had found them seemed to stay above them for a moment. While their child breathed softly and safely and peacefully in their arms, looking out at a world that seemed suddenly new.

For me, this says it all. I am not a religious person and I don’t believe in God. But what Joseph describes in the story is how many mothers and fathers begin to view the world after having a child. It is a humbling reminder that our children aren’t just ours. They belong to the world. They belong to all of us. Whatever our differences, political and idealogical, each of us should do our part to ensure that all children everywhere are warm and safe and peaceful.

Happy Holidays.

Listen to Modern Day Mary and Joseph on NPR.

Cross posted on Lawyer Mama.

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Watch Santa Claus Make his Deliveries

It’s Christmas Eve! Thanks to NORAD and Google you can watch Santa make his deliveries around the world. The best place to watch Santa is with Google Earth. If you haven’t already, download Google Earth, then simply download the official santa tracker

.

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You can get more information about the santa tracker from the Norad Santa site, and there you will also find a Google Maps version of the tracker, or a version for your phone. Also, that site provides information in several different languages. Last night Google provided some information on the history of the Google Earth santa tracker in this post.

Read about other Santa Google Earth content here. And, have a Merry Christmas!

Don’t forget that Google Earth Blog is the best place to learn about the amazing things you can do with Google Earth. Save Google Earth Blog in your bookmarks, or better yet, use the RSS feed.

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Bristol Palin: Levi Johnston’s Mother Sherry L. Johnston Arrested (Photos)

sherry l. johnston, time to come mother-in-law of bristol palin and spoil of palin’s baby daddy levi johnson, was arrested at her domicile in wasilla, alaska on thursday december 18. she was charged with 6 counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. sherry johnston, 42, was released on $5,000 bail. all charges are felonies. the arrest came after …

“Gothic Kittens” For Sale On Ebay: Pierced Kittens Removed From Woman’s Home (Video/Photos)

Massport

a maid from pennsylvania was attempting to hawk “gothic kittens” with ear, rear end and neck piercings on ebay. of course the spca wasn’t too happy to hear of this business venture and the woman is expected to be charged with rude cruelty. read more on the “gothic kittens” and see more pictures below. the trouble expected …
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(CNN) — Fourteen city workers and one retired city worker in the western Ohio town of Piqua claimed a $207 million 12-state lottery prize Wednesday.

After five years of buying Mega Millions Lottery tickets, a group of 15 people in Ohio finally hit the jackpot.

The workers posed for pictures behind an oversized replica of the check, smiled for photographers and described their plans, which range from buying a new truck to quitting a job and traveling.

As they had done twice a week for the past five years, the group pooled their money to buy Mega Millions Lottery tickets.

Last Friday, a ticket bought at a Kroger supermarket in Piqua changed their lives.

See what the winners have to say »

"I’m going to set my mom and dad up for life," said Loyal Davis, who bought the lottery ticket and then got the job of telling his co-workers they had won.

One of them was his father-in-law, Tom Hill.

"He goes, ‘You won’t believe it,’ " Davis recalled. " ‘Somebody hit the lottery at Kroger’s in Piqua.’ "

"You’re kidding," Davis said he responded.

Then Hill asked what he would do if he won. Davis took out the ticket.

"Here you go, Tom, you’re a millionaire," he recalled saying.

Hill erupted with excitement. His wife, Brenda, began crying.

Davis said he plans to continue working for the street department, where he has been employed for more than eight years.

"I love my job," he said.

Asked if he is worried that his sudden change in financial status could have a negative effect, he said, "I hope not."

"I’m always happy and positive, and I don’t want no negativity," he said. "I hope nothing negative comes out of this. I think I got a good head on my shoulders to hopefully not let that happen."

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But he does plan to make a few changes.

"The first thing I’m going to buy I’ve never had: a brand-new vehicle," Davis said.

Amos Steinbrunner, 30, who’s the youngest of the winners, said he had not yet figured out what to do with his winnings beyond helping his father retire.

"Right now, I’m in shock and surprised, and I don’t know what it really means to me right now," said Steinbrunner, who has been working at the job just two months and plans to marry in April. "I’m going to take it day by day and see how everything goes."

But the potential effect of the event was not lost on him.

"It can change all my family’s lives, and it means a lot," he said.

Cindy Hershberger said she plans to give some of her money to her mother, who is retired.

"It was wonderful to call and say, ‘Mom, I’m buying you a house,’ " she said. "It’s a great feeling to know that you can help people."

Now, at age 45, Cindy is planning to retire, too. The decision was not a difficult one, she said.

"I like my job, I really do. I love my job, but there are other things."

She said she will spend time with her children and mother, and will be doing volunteer work, traveling with her boyfriend "and just relaxing."

The winnings will not be divided evenly — one of the winners paid for two tickets.

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The tidak apa, ugly scene of Penang

i took the below photo around 9 am. earlier that morning, i already went not allowed on another trip. it was 6.20 am and rather dark. at that time, the expressway is still rather deserted. but this is not a small thoroughfare but the main jalan air itam, across the penang state … consanguineous posts: reciprocal posts brought to you by yet another related posts plugin.

The health coaching shortage

a conference dedicated to making others break down prednisone order Levaquin online their own walls — insurers, government, hospitals — may tease found that the key to progress lies in breaking down its own.

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Gene Chizik and Lane Kiffin: What is the Difference?

Lots of people who support the Lane Kiffin hire at Tennessee oppose the Gene Chizik hire at Auburn.

They include the estimable Lisa Horne, who supports the Kiffin hire but called the Chizik hire the most puzzling in the history of college football (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/92805-auburn-hires-gene-chizik-alabama-fans-fiddle-and-watch-the-fire#comment_435784). To them I say: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

I know that a primary cause of the frustration and disappointment with Auburn is that they did not hire Turner Gill, and as a result will leave Randy Shannon as the only black head coach at a BCS conference school.

(I address that thorny issue here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/92771-turner-gill-stay-in-buffalo-charlie-strong-go-to-the-nfl).

Excuse me, but didn’t Tennessee have the same responsibility to make every effort to hire a qualified black coach? The difference between Auburn and Tennessee is that Auburn did give two black coaches, Gill and Rodney Garner, a shot.

(Auburn also gave an opportunity to any number of qualified white coaches, like TCU’s Gary Patterson, who has strangely been turned down for jobs in favor of lesser candidates for years now. Patterson hasn’t had anywhere near the opportunities that his successor, Dennis Franchione, has wasted.)

Tennessee threw a pile of money at Kiffin and his suspect qualifications without making any real effort at interviewing or trying to identify more qualified black OR white candidates.

And yes, I did call Kiffin’s qualifications suspect. The guy spent two years as co-coordinator for USC and a year and a half as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

In his second year, when he didn’t have Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, etc. but still had a ton of five-star recruits on offense, he managed to lose two games to mediocre Pac-10 foes, including being held without a TD by 6-7 UCLA.

Now we are not supposed to hold his Raiders experience against him, as no one can possibly succeed with Al Davis, it is said.

Fine, except that Art Shell took the Raiders to the AFC title game. Jon Gruden took the Raiders to the playoffs twice. And Bill Callahan took them to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, who has ever done ANYTHING at Iowa State EVER?

Now Gene Chizik? He was coordinator of undefeated Auburn’s No. 2 ranked defense in 2004 and then went on to be the coordinator of a very opportunistic Texas defense the next year.

While that Texas defense was loaded, that Chizik defense for Auburn didn’t have that many big-time recruits or high draft picks. Also, Auburn’s defense had a reputation for underachieving before finally taking off under Chizik.

Nfl rulebook

Meanwhile, the Texas defense was long the weak link in Mack Brown’s program. Brown refused to fire his coordinator for years until it was clear that unless he made the change, he himself would be fired.

So Brown hired Greg Robinson, whose defense was not great, but good enough to get Texas into the first major bowl game of Mack Brown’s long career.

But Chizik in one year (it actually takes a couple of years to pick up Chizik’s complicated defense) gave Brown clearly his best defense since his days at North Carolina.

And yes, upon Chizik’s leaving, Texas’ defense went back to being its weak link, necessitating Brown’s hiring Will Muschamp, and Texas naming Muschamp “head coach in waiting” to prevent him from leaving as Chizik did.

So, we see tangible evidence that Gene Chizik’s coaching gave great benefit to Auburn and Texas, in both cases giving those programs part of the difference they needed to become champions.

(Although it is fair to point out that the development of Vince Young at Texas and the hiring of Al Borges at Auburn played other roles.)

Did Lane Kiffin provide a similar benefit to USC? Of course not.

Quite the contrary, the playcalling of Kiffin and Sarkisian and their frustrating inability to develop or properly use USC’s great skill talent on offense was the weak link that held the team back.

Again, not only did they actually lose two games in 2006, but it was only Reggie Bush’s singular effort that saved them against 8-4 Fresno State plus the combination of Bush and sheer luck to save them against a Notre Dame team that Ohio State rolled up 620 yards of offense on.

That was not all. USC needed a huge performance from LenDale White to overcome 6-5 Arizona State, and didn’t pull away from 3-8 Arizona until halfway through the fourth quarter.

In that game, Leinart actually had to resort to scrambling to beat Arizona’s well-conceived gameplan.

So all the people who are screaming “GENE CHIZIK IS NOT WHAT AUBURN NEEDS TO COMPETE WITH NICK SABAN”…well, what of Lane Kiffin? Excuse me, but Alabama plays Tennessee every year too.

As a matter of fact, Alabama co …

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Scientists find 2,000-year-old brain in Britain (AP)

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ap - british archaeologists enjoy unearthed an ancient skull carrying a startling amaze download sci-fi ? an unusually well-preserved brain. scientists said friday that the scores of gray matter was more than 2,000 years old ? the oldest ever discovered in britain. one polished unconnected with the find called it “a real freak of preservation.”
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(AP)
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Darpa, Drone-Maker to Brew Algae-Based Jet Fuel

Pentagon way-out research arm Darpa and Predator drone-maker General Atomics are teaming up to try to turn algae into jet fuel. The Defense Department announced the $20 million deal earlier in the week.

The idea is to “demonstrate and ultimately commercialize the affordable production” of an algae-based surrogate for JP-8 jet fuel by 2010. The work is going to be spread all over the country, from the Scripps Institutions of Oceanography near San Diego to Hawaii Bio Energy in Honolulu to the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental research Center. General Atomics also seems to have pulled down an extra $4 million in Congressional pork money to set up a plant-fuel research facility at Eastern Kentucky University.

It’s not Darpa’s only effort to come up with alternative fuels. The agency has given millions to a Brooklyn-based professor to look into turning trash into “bioplastics,” and then turning those plastics into fuel. Darpa has an program to make biofuels out of crops like corn, efficiently. And the agency recently kick-started a $4.5 million project to figure out how to transform coal into liquid fuel cheaply.

But the corn-based fuel drives up food prices, and “generates at best 30 percent more energy than is required to grow and process the corn ? hardly worth the trouble,” Evan Ratliff noted in WIRED magazine last year. Coal-to-fuel programs, at least existing ones, create more greenhouses gases than they save.

Which makes this Darpa-Predator-Scripps-and-company algae effort so important. Algae and other cellulosic ethanol sources aren’t food crops. And if this research pans out, Ratliff believes the cellulosic method could yield “roughly 80 percent more energy than is required to grow and convert it.” Algae-powered jets for everyone!

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