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New Movie Etiquette

Last Saturday I enjoyed my first double showing in quiet possibly a decade. It was a man date with my close friend from out of town, and we thought, “Why not?” We both wanted to see Edge of Tomorrow and X-Men: Days of Future Past, so we struck a deal with the Mrs., headed out the door, and soon found ourselves in the comfy confines of reclining theater seats.

As we were waiting for the previews before X-Men, I was reminded by the AMC red circle minions to turn off or silence my phone. My friend and brother-in-films made sure to remind me to turn it off. It was at this point that I was a little taken aback. I never turn off my phone – I’ll silence it – but I never turn off my phone.

So I did. I turned it off. I wasn’t annoyed to the level of Zoolander, but it felt strange to have it off. Then I started to think about all other theater etiquette that I may or may not subscribe to. Here are my thoughts.  Continue reading “New Movie Etiquette”

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The Label ‘Gamer’ and What it Means During an Oil Change

Gamer. A term a lot of people don’t care to labeled with. Is he someone who plays Call of Duty into the twilight hours of the night? Is she the girl with the DS Lite on the airplane? Is it you with your Candy Crush Saga at the laundromat?

Yes. For heaven’s sake. Yes. You can’t get all philosophical and pull a Frasier and say, “I was just killing time while the whites dried…” If you’re gaming what you are is a gamer. Now, there is an exception to the rule. If you try a video game (and yes, all those Android and iOS games count – so don’t gingerly and quietly back out of this conversation) and don’t really get what all the fuss is about, so you stop playing and never think about it again, then you’re not a gamer. And that is 100% okay. Just like those of us who are gamers, it’s perfectly alright.

What’s not honkey dory though, other than me using the phrase honkey dory, is people who play Boggle on their Samsung Galaxy while I read Reddit while getting my oil changed, and then make a face when I tell my friend over the phone that I can’t wait to raid in World of Warcraft tonight.  Continue reading “The Label ‘Gamer’ and What it Means During an Oil Change”

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Warlords of Draenor Stat Update

Photo taken from blizzplanet.com

Blizzard has been busy testing out all the new stats and features for their upcoming expansion pack, and they just released details of their progress. Statistics play a huge roll in WoW, and the only thing possibly more fun than critting for a million plus may be making fun of dead people over vent. Ah, the good ol’ times…

I won’t get down and dirty because Blizzard already paraphrased enough. And we aren’t really a news site, at all really, but I like to pass along this info every now and then. There are a few highlights worth mentioning though! Continue reading “Warlords of Draenor Stat Update”

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Books We Like: Inside the Jihad, My Life With Al Qaeda

“Gentlemen, at this very moment, there are Al Qaeda forces that are training to kill you and your Marines.  They train high up in the oxygen-depleted mountains of Afghanistan, and if you think our training is hard, then try hauling a PKM (Soviet-style, medium machine gun) up to 12,000 feet, in bare feet over rocky terrain – oh, and at night without NVG’s.”

I can’t tell you how many times I heard that comment during my four years in the Marine Corps – which included a seven month hunting trip to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province – but it was a lot.  And it was motivating.  Little did I know however, was that this quote was actually legitimate; it’s not that I thought it wasn’t true, but you know how things can be exaggerated. I uncovered the truth just a few short weeks ago as I finished up maybe the most thrilling spy story I have ever read: Inside the Jihad – My Life with Al Qaeda, by Omar Nasiri. It is the jaw-dropping story of a former spy that infiltrated the most dangerous terrorist organization on the planet, and lived to tell about it.  And this is a post telling you to go get this book – as in right now.

Continue reading “Books We Like: Inside the Jihad, My Life With Al Qaeda”

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Why Nintendo is Struggling with the Average Gamer

Tough to write about Nintendo as a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that’s just what it seems to be.

Sure, we have Zelda, and Mario and Samus, but you know what we don’t have? A console worth buying.

Maybe Nintendo got too cute. Maybe they hit exactly where they aimed. Maybe they’re simply out of touch with the modern gamer.

And in order to make a come back, offense is necessary. Where’s Nintendo’s offense? We’re wondering the same thing. Continue reading “Why Nintendo is Struggling with the Average Gamer”

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The Martian Initial Thoughts: Hilarious, and a Mars-One Preview?

If you haven’t heard of “Mars One“, then let me bring you up to speed.  Eight short years from now, the first human – and private – mission to mars will commence, and those pioneers will not be coming back to Earth.  The Mars One mission is that of colonization: to “establish a human settlement on Mars.” (Source) Yeah, pretty incredible stuff, right?  Most folks’ first response when hearing about this plan – if they didn’t dismiss it entirely to begin with – is that no private company (let alone the US government) would be able to finance a perpetual colonization mission on Mars, and they pose a very valid point.  However, the billionaire founder of Mars One has proposed an absolutely ingenious solution to the money problem: first of course, he will get the mission started with his own checkbook, but what will blow you away is the second half of his plan – Mars One will be a 24/7 reality freaking television show.  No, I am not kidding.  Everyone on the planet will now be able to watch – and watch they will – the first humans travel to, land and colonize the red planet, and television networks will pay just about every dollar they can find in their couches to get airing rights.  You’re excited now, aren’t you?  So what does this have to do with Andy Weir’s latest sci-fi suspense/thriller, The Martian?  Everything.

Continue reading “The Martian Initial Thoughts: Hilarious, and a Mars-One Preview?”

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The Greatest Book About A Dragon You Probably Haven’t Read

His name is Temeraire. And he’s hell-bent on saving his rider from Napoleon’s vast army.

Now you may be thinking that this book was published in 2006 – so why are we reading about this eight years later. My response would be: would you never watch The Matrix just because you didn’t see it right when it came out? No, you’d watch it. You’d watch it.

Continue reading “The Greatest Book About A Dragon You Probably Haven’t Read”

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Before Game of Thrones Was Cool, It Was Shannara

Before Game of Thrones Was Cool It Was Shannara!

Although this Marine’s biological clock will strike 31 years of age next month, I am still a science fiction enthusiast and will be until the day I die.  Outside of the awesomeness that was Star Wars growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s (VHS!), my first jump into the fantasy side of the sci-fi realm (I consider them together) was Terry Brooks’ Shannara book series.  Although Mr. Brooks (not the evil Kevin Costner Mr. Brooks) first began with the epic Sword of Shannara in 1977, I jumped into the land of Shannara with the last, and in my opinion best book of his four-title “Heritage of Shannara” mini-series, The Talismans of Shannara, which was released in 1993.  While I couldn’t give you a stronger, more enthusiastic endorsement or recommendation to pick up the Shannara series (you will not be able to put them down), I just find it hilarious that everyone and their mothers are now obsessed with Game of Thrones. Am I alone on this, or does anyone else just feel like it’s just the new hip thing to watch and talk about at work on Monday mornings? Hit the link below for more soapbox thoughts.

Continue reading “Before Game of Thrones Was Cool, It Was Shannara”