Amazon Buys World's Biggest Bag O' Crap
Granpop's Ottoman Returns!
Vacation Fun Fact
Back. Alive.
Blog inn
dive in movie in the pool is Harry Potter. InflatablE projEctor screen. Cool stuff. Need to see how late the tikki bar is open :)
Arrived
Vacation?
Wednesday's gonna suck. Kat gets a heart monitor strapped on. Worrysome but okay and we don't have to do anything. The real kicker is Elizabeth needing to testify by phone for baby court. Just lovely...
Father's Day
The Fam Departs
Didn't get picked on about anything. Probably because of all the whining I've done on the blog over the past couple weeks ;) Gotta remember that :) Hell, I'm pretty sure I did more work while they were here. Cooking a big dinner for 6 was dumb. I also ended up cleaning out a close full of everyone's old paperwork. Yeah, fun times. Happy I got to play a little Rock Band tho. Doesn't happen much anymore.
Liz seems to be spearheading the packing. Still a lot of stuff to do. Just to add insult to injury, it looks like I need to replace the toilet flapper today before we go to. Always something...
Not looking forward to dealing with BG in a hotel for nearly a week.
DDR the Wii
Grr. DCF
We are getting good at telling The Story at least. Elizabeth spins the main yarn. You can tell how pissed off she is at the time based on the details emphasized :) I usually try to interject extra factoids to make the story sound better or worse depending on how I think its going. I like to mess up dates too ;) The Story is sooo very confusing and none of these dumb bitches ever takes notes. LOL. Its not even the Guardians' job to know. They're just in it for the gossip.
Courtesy case workers, my ass.
Brandon admitted he doesn't read the blog anymore :) Justifies me to cut loose once in a while. I sure can't out loud anymore with a kid learning to talk!
F-Day
Everyone told me not to worry about everything and crap like that. I'm not sure if they understand that if I make 1 bad mistake that little girl could very well wind up an orphan. You tend to worry about every little thing when the stakes are that high. Don't even get me started on the Mrs.'s health.
Yeah, I'm gonna coddle my wife and "child". Deal with it ;)
Got some goooooood Rock Band in!
F-Day
E3 Sucks
3DS saves E3!
The 3DS will feature full compatability with the DSi, has a 3.25" top screen in 3d with no glasses, 2 outward cameras for taking pictures in 3d (!!!), and the ability to watch 3d movies, and the first game from N will be Kid Icaras (in 3d!) which looks like one heck of a cool 3rd person action adventure.
NJ Invasion
1) No phones during dinner! Any kind, any circumstances. It can wait. Eat!
2) Everyone plays! If the Guitar Hero/Rock Band set comes out (and it usually does), you are expected to at least try once. Yes, you will suck and people will laugh. It is called Fun. Play!
3) This is Our Home. We may not own the house or half the stuff in it, but for several years now we have made it our home. Respect!
That's it. These are old rules. Nothing special for you guys (ask The Kids!).
2 Faced Kitten!
Heard about this via MSNBC who were so kind and to run a story about a 2 faced kitten WITHOUT A PICTURE!!! At lease I found video out of the deal.
E3
Valve crazier by the second! or not?
Valve's Doug Lombardi has circulated an email amongst the press stating "Just a quick note to clarify the Monday Press Event at the Regal Theater is completely cancelled. Please do not head over there expecting to see us."
This is being taken by the press 2 ways:
The developer will still be present on the E3 show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but whether Portal 2 will now be making an appearance in any form is unknown. Given the way this is going, we may just need to wait a couple more days for the whole thing to be back on again.
and:
I think this is a case where Valve’s light-hearted and playful way of talking to the press backfired: they’re clearly not ready to show of Portal 2 but the fun way they indicated as much to the press raised expectation for so much more. The latest announcement is so subdued, its pretty clear they feel like the hype and rumor mill just got totally out of control. Sometimes it’s just best to say what you mean, I guess.
Funny! or not?
Free Bandwidth Monitor
http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/nsl.htm
Suckage
for those keeping score:
Dreamcast!
$10 Off at Think Geek
Think Geek are offering a $10 discount on all orders over $30. It’s a Fathers Day promotion but hey, who says you can’t buy something cool for yourself. When checking out use the code THXDAD, offer is valid until close of play 11/6/10 so get your orders in now: Think Geek.
Portal 2 delayed
VALVE ANNOUNCES MAKING GAMES IS HARD
June 9, 2010 -- Aperture Science, doing business as Aperture Laboratories LLC, in partnership with Valve today announced the successful completion of an ethics-review-panel-supervised release date restructuring process. Portal 2, the sequel to the ground-breaking title that earned over 30 Game of the Year awards despite missing its original ship date, is now targeted for a 2011 release.
Representatives from both companies acknowledged that public safety concerns factored into the decision. They went on to say that even though Portal 2 will arrive slightly later than planned, all life on earth won't instantaneously stop as every molecule in your body explodes at the speed of light, which is what would happen should a rip ever appear in the fabric of Valve Time.
"Also, the game will be even better," they added, missing an historic opportunity to create the first product delay press release to mention that a product is being delayed to make it worse.
To ask questions about how close we all came to dying, or to ask futile questions about the previously announced E3 ***PORTAL-2-THEMED-FOR-GOD'S SAKE*** surprise or, less futilely, to schedule an appointment to attend a Portal 2 screening at the Valve booth during E3, please contact Valve's delegate to the EU's Valve Time Studies Group, Doug Lombardi.
200 pics
Daily Foxconn
It is revoking the payout it had been offering to families of the deceased.
This year, there have been 12 attempted suicides and ten deaths at Foxconn's Shenzhen complex. Foxconn manufactures the Xbox 360, the PS3, the Wii, the iPhone and the iPad, among many other devices.
Until now, the Taiwanese based company has offered families of the deceased the equivalent of a decade's worth of pay (a little over US$16,000). This apparently was a motivating factor for some of the suicides. This will no longer be offered — which could be a good thing or a bad thing. The compensation was obliquely cited in a letter left by one of the jumpers.
Foxconn previously offered workers at its Shenzen factory the chance at a 66 percent raise or $292 a month. That 66 percent raise is performance based; however, all employees at the Shenzhen factory have been given raise from $130 a month to $175 a month.
Thus, the financial forecast has worsened for the company, and Foxconn is now looking into relocating manufacturing to a full automated plant in either Vietnam or Taiwan. (Because robots cannot kill themselves?) Also, more orders will shifted to the existing Vietnamese plant — a plant which has not been given dramatic raises in base salary.
Gwaaahh...phew
Kathernie Update via Elizabeth
Katherine's fasting bloodwork shows her thyroid as normal - only thing out of range on the blood work was her cholesterol - which is 223. Doctor will go over this at her June 16th appointment.
She will be having an echo cardiogram on Thursday at 1 PM - I will keep you posted on the results.
My day
Got a portable AC for the baby's room. Heavy bastard. Got to set that up tomorrow.
Orb is a great app, just not consistantly reliable. And that's on wifi! Hate to try most of this stuff on 3G. We need A LOT more bandwidth OTA. Come on WiMax/4G!
Scribblenauts!
Foxconn via Reuters
This is the most recent pay increase at a factory complex that has garnered internationally attention for its workers jumping to their death.
Foxconn manufactures the iPhone, the iPad, the Xbox 360, the Wii and the PS3.
In late March, Foxconn workers received a 20 percent pay increase. The company claimed that the raise was not in response to the recent suicides, but planned. That figure then increased to a 30 percent raise, bumping wages from the equivalent of US$130 to $175 a month. It was even rumored that Apple was chipping in.
Now, Foxconn is offering a performance-based 66 percent pay increase. Sixty-six percent!
In order to receive the $292 per month salary, the workers must pass a three month performance review. What exactly that review entails isn't yet known.
"This wage increase has been instituted to safeguard the dignity of workers, accelerate economic transformation, support Foxconn's long-term objective of continued evolution from a manufacturing leader to a technology leader, and to rally and sustain the best of our workforce," said Foxconn founder and Chairman Terry Gou in a statement, reports Reuters.
"We are working diligently to ensure that our workplace standards and remuneration not only continue to meet the rapidly changing needs of our employees, but that they are best in class."
Earlier this month, a Foxconn worker dropped dead after apparently completing a 34-hour factory shift. Foxconn has denied this claim, however. Apple exec Steve Jobs contends that Foxconn is "not a sweatshop".
Technology is so cool!
I mean, SERIOUSLY?! THIS IS POSSIBLE?! Live seals in California on my wrist? And I can do the same with thousands of places all over the world? Huh. Who'd a thunk it...
Maker Faire!
http://blog.makezine.com/podcast/
Orb again; Now with link to do stuff!
I may not be able to open everything up to the public, but feel free to play along with my media sharing adventures at:
http://mycast.orb.com/orb/html/public/media.html?l=ryte2byte
Let me know any results if you do please. The time you tried would be helpful too! Email me or post in the comments (same thing from where I'm sitting)
Orb
Sorry
Sorry 'bout that. How your speakers weren't up too loud. Gonna need to work on it before I get rid of it though.
Today's pic
Cheat Pic
This looked awesome!
When we last checked in with Blade Kitten, based on the comic book by Steve Stamatiadis of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger series, it was speeding towards a spring release on the PlayStation Network and looking quite promising, according to a hands-on report from our own Michael McWhertor.
Drama=Blog Fodder!
Definitely not gonna have the house perfect for Mom's visit :( Could've pushed harder, but feel I need to conserve a bit. I have to keep some reserve of strength ready for potential Bad Baby Days.
Free iPhone games
The OpenFeint free title today is Glow Jump (http://itunes.apple.com/app/glow-jump/id329034918?mt=8).
Great App a Day has the Battleship-like Sea Battle Classic (http://www.greatappaday.com/details/sea-battle-classic/).
Kyle's Quest 2 - dropped to FREE
http://appshopper.com/games/kyles-quest-2
as well as ...
Boowie! The strong warrior
http://appshopper.com/games/boowie-the-strong-warrior
Foxconn
I guess we all need to think about this next time we can't get the latest gadget because its sold out...
Free Realms Meets Star Wars In Clone Wars Adventures [Sony Online Entertainment]
Sony Online Entertainment draws back the curtain on Clone Wars Adventures, taking the successful formula established with its free-to-play, family-friendly MMO Free Realms to a galaxy far, far away. Check out the first trailer here!
Rumored in March and due out this fall, Clone Wars Adventures is a massively-multiplayer online Star Wars game for kids, families, and casual gamers. After achieving massive success with its first family-friendly MMO, Free Realms, SOE applies the same business model to the Star Wars universe.
Based on the popular cartoon, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the game will feature a wide variety of gameplay, including lightsaber duels, starfighter battles, tower defense, and droid programming puzzles. There's even a collectible card game built right in.
'Clone Wars Adventures is the ultimate destination for fans of The Clone Wars series and will bring the action and excitement of the show to players online so they can experience The Clone Wars universe firsthand' said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. 'We've worked with LucasArts and Lucasfilm to create a virtual world that is seamlessly integrated with the TV series and a true extension of the show. It's also just flat-out fun to play.'
The game will be completely free-to-play, with players able to spend SOE's Station Cash on special items and equipment. A subscription will also be available, giving players access to additional content for a small monthly fee.