Posted on

The Easiest Way to Prepare Physically for Marine Corps Boot Camp

Marine Corps Pull-ups

You just got home from the Marine Corps recruiting office, and your ship date for boot camp is 100 days out – there’s only one problem.  You can only do 3 dead hang pull ups.  Or your body fat percentage is borderline unauthorized for your height.  Or you are barely clearing 24 minutes on your 3 mile run.  Can’t do 100 crunches?  You get the point.  Marine Corps recruits have a higher standard than the other service branches: they all understand that the title of Marine is earned, and never – and I mean never – given.  If you can’t perform the bare minimum physical fitness – or academic, character, etc – standards, then you’ll get rolled into the next class.  If you keep the poor performance going, then the Army would love to have you.  So what’s the easiest way then to prepare for three months of physical and mental hell?  The answer will surprise you.

Continue reading “The Easiest Way to Prepare Physically for Marine Corps Boot Camp”

Posted on

GameStop Ignores Reality, Plans for 300-400 More Stores

Has the retail onslaught that the likes of eBay and Amazon have brought forth over the last decade or so taught anything to the likes of big box retailers?  What about the fact that I can more easily, not to mention more conveniently purchase and download a new PS3 or PS4 game without even having to leave my fancy, fake-leather couch?  Market disruptions are nothing new, and new ideas and new technology has always forced agile businesses into pivots, whether they liked it or not.  Some companies however, still don’t seem to accept the reality of the market that is moving around them, and by some companies I mean GameStop.  Just recently – yesterday in fact – Paul Raines, GameStop’s Chief Executive Officer, announced “that the company plans that to open 300 to 400 retail locations which will have a focus outside of games”.  (SeekingAlpha, 28 March) Yeah, I’m scratching my head too – more brick and mortar overhead, and lots of it, but not to sell games.  Rather, these new store shelves will house smart phones and wearable technology products.  Still confused?  So am I.

Continue reading “GameStop Ignores Reality, Plans for 300-400 More Stores”

Posted on

Drone Videos: Meet the WildCat from Boston Dynamics

Now how cool is this beast?  Having worked with a few different drones from my recent time in the Marine Corps, I can definitely vouch for the huge value they bring to the battlefield; on that same token however, many of them also have significant shortfalls.  Although drones are making the biggest impact from the skies at this point, robots on the ground have been a huge help in the fight against IED’s (CIED).  Boston Dynamics has been at the forefront of ground-based robotics for the US military, and that four-legged gentleman who you see above is their latest and greatest creation: his name is WildCat, and you do not want to be in front of him when he starts a chargin’.  Check out the video, then hit the link below for our thoughts on if this guy is battlefield ready yet.

Continue reading “Drone Videos: Meet the WildCat from Boston Dynamics”

Posted on

Business of Gaming: Meet Andrew Wilson, New EA CEO

The chief executive office is a position that gets a lot of flak, especially from those who haven’t really ventured into, or truly understand how the world of business, or leadership for that matter, really works.  They either choose not to, or simply can’t comprehend just how much responsibility and pressure sits on the CEO’s shoulders, and how much like every other leadership position, the work day doesn’t end when you go home for dinner.  You live and breathe the position, and you are always under the gun – internally, and externally as well.  Earlier today, gaming giant Electronic Arts, known for some of the biggest gaming franchises known to man, and also known for being one of the “worst gaming companies” (just Google it; that’s a different post in itself), just internally promoted Andrew Wilson to the head seat, and carry the EA flag into the future, and to new heights.  So just who is this guy, and probably the biggest question most gamers have on their minds: how much does this dude make?  Hit the link below for our full unclassified report.

Continue reading “Business of Gaming: Meet Andrew Wilson, New EA CEO”

Posted on

Kid Avoids Banana Peels, Drives Grandma to Safety

Grandma Driving - SlightlyQualified.com

Yes, I said banana peels.  Just over three weeks ago, a 10-year old gamer from Colorado was riding with this grandmother when she unexpectedly experienced a heart attack behind the wheel.  With his 4-year old little brother in the back seat of Grandma’s Buick sedan, Gryffin Sanders grabbed the steering wheel and calmly steered the speeding vehicle off the highway and into safety.  What does he credit for his successful driving skills?  Mario Kart.  Chalk one up for the “I told you video games are useful!” crowd.  Full awesome story below.

Continue reading “Kid Avoids Banana Peels, Drives Grandma to Safety”

Posted on

Webmaster Reaction: 1Up.com Out of Lives

All good things must come to an end.  We heard it first from our parents, and we’ve likely all experienced it in one way or another through our personal and/or professional lives as we’ve grown up and experienced the real world.  Although my primary professional career currently resides in the oil and gas industry, with the previous five years consisting of a four year tour in the Marine Corps, and a quick 7-month stop in wind energy manufacturing, my side business is this: the web.  I started building and running websites in the mid-90’s as a freshman in high school, and have been obsessed ever since.  Outside of the Marine Corps, which I absolutely loved, but voluntarily walked away from, the web is my true passion.  It has never felt like work to me, and I see myself building websites and running web ventures until I’m buried six feet underground.  Late last night however, I stopped in at 1Up.com, which is one of the largest video game online publications around, only to notice that no new content had been posted since March.  Then I came across this bomb of a post: a “this is it/farewell to 1UP” letter from the now-former editor in chief, Jeremy Parish.  Seeing this news, even four months late (the closure announcement was published in late Feb), really hit home: not because I was a fan of 1UP per say, but because as an online business owner, I experienced that exact, painful process in the Summer of 2007.

Continue reading “Webmaster Reaction: 1Up.com Out of Lives”

Posted on

It’s Science: Majority of Gamers Could Be Women By End of 2013

British Gamer Girls - SlightlyQualified.com

With the American media dominated by CNN and Fox News, many of us turn to other country’s news outlets for a more objective approach to not only what goes on over in our hemisphere, but throughout the entire world.  So like many Yankees (or White Sox fans; no offense, New York), I have news sites like BBC in my regular web rotation; it is through their recent technology news archives that I come across this incredibly interesting news story: gaming experts in the UK are predicting that by the end of the 2013 calendar year, the majority of British gamers will be female.  Shocking?  Yeah, I would say so.  Hit the link below for the full report!

Continue reading “It’s Science: Majority of Gamers Could Be Women By End of 2013”

Posted on

Date Night: The Great Gatsby

Every now and then a movie comes along that we feel compelled to see. Not because we need to fill that gaping whole in our hearts (we have scotch and steak for that), but because we need to stay culturally relevant in discussions. Imagine subbing yourself out of a conversation with the belle of the ball or the handsome gentlemen, “Oh no, I didn’t see that…” And then the awkward icy air wafts up and slaps you in the face only the way Harvey Keitel in a suit could. Continue reading “Date Night: The Great Gatsby”

Posted on

Bar’s We Like: Murphy’s Bar and Grill, Honolulu, HI

Murphys Bar and Grill Honolulu HI - SlightlyQualified.com

When it comes to picking duty stations in the Marine Corps, it’s pretty much a crap shoot.  You list what your preferences are, but in the end it all comes down to what the Marine Corps needs, and not what you want.  Somehow, I was able to land Marine Corps Base Hawaii as my duty station, and during my time there, when not deployed, I discovered quite possibly the greatest Irish bar in America: Murphy’s Bar and Grill, located in the heart of Chinatown, in Honolulu.  What’s an Irish bar doing in Chinatown, you ask?  On Oahu, Chinatown is the hip place for 20 and 30-somethings to live and congregate; Waikiki is all tourists, so us “locals” or mainland transplants like to keep to our own, and that awesome secret is Chinatown.  Murphy’s sits on the south end of the electric district, and it has everything that Irishman in you desires: a great staff that will hook you up if you treat them well, a stellar array of rare, craft beers on draft, easily the best social atmosphere in Chinatown, and arguably most important, the best pint of Guinness on the island, if not America.  Yes, I just went that far.

Continue reading “Bar’s We Like: Murphy’s Bar and Grill, Honolulu, HI”

Posted on

Bars We Like: Stella’s Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI

Bars We Like: Stella's Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI

Although I only lived in Grand Rapids, MI, for about 8 months, Stella’s Lounge made quite the impression on my stomach and liver.  Located in the Heartside district of downtown Grand Rapids, Stella’s Lounge offers a huge variety of old school video arcade games, an awesome variety of local, Michigander-craft beers, and according to GQ Magazine’s July 2012 issue, “the best burger in the world“.  Stella’s for me originally was the local, convenient bar, as I lived literally across the street from the entrance on Commerce Ave; however, I probably didn’t go there for a good month or two after moving in because of another stellar, Grand Rapids craft beer bar called “HopCat”.  It was at that awesome bar that I realized that HopCat owner also owned Stella’s, so I figured enough was enough; let’s check this place out.  When I walked in on that Saturday afternoon last Summer, I was extremely surprised; hit the link for more on this awesome drink, eat, and playery!

Continue reading “Bars We Like: Stella’s Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI”