Gaming Keyboard G510 Review

The Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510 is fun to play with. Like the Cooler Master's mouse that I reviewed earlier in the year it has a very sleek and 'cool' design that is eye catching. Standard features include:

• Dynamic color adjustment of key backlighting
• A slew of extra macro keys
• A volume wheel and controls
• Programmable (software included)
• LED Screen
• Windows key lock
• Wrist rest
• USB
• Green

It's important to keep in mind that to use this keyboard to the full extent you have to have a bit of knowledge with macros and modifier keys (alt+key, ctrl+key, ctrl+alt+key, etc). The software is confusing once you start to dig into it. The most popular features such as back lighting and key assignments are straight forward but anything beyond that requires you to spend some time with it. It also requires updates to the software after you download and install it. Shouldn't we just download the latest release in the first place? Logitech...

My favorite feature by far is the LED screen. It is very usable rather than a gimmick. There are custom modules for all of the popular video games and several downloadable modules for use with it. Let's not forget to mention you can write your own. After using the LCD screen on here I feel like I'm missing something if it's not there.

The macro recorder seemed a bit buggy and difficult to get just right. At one point I thought I had it doing exactly what I wanted but when I tried to execute the macro it just simply did not have the intended effect. So instead of turning all of my shiny new keys into complex macros that may or not function exactly how I wanted I just set them all up with their modifiers. The 18 keys on the side are each set with complex modifiers that allow me to bind them in-game. In World of Warcraft it worked great, in any FPS it was terrible. Most fast paced video games don't expect you to be using a lot of modifiers that may not be recognized/saveable.

My biggest complaint by far is the volume control wheel at the top left. The buttons and the wheel all function flawlessly. The actual problem comes into play when you notice that your volume keeps reseting to default. I play with my Windows volume maxed out (100/100) and then I adjust my actual speaker volume dial as needed. This ensures that I'm not missing sounds/noises/voiceovers in my videogames because of Windows. It is rather frustrating to notice halfway through a Call of Duty match that you haven't heard a call out in a while.

The windows key lock was completely worthless for me as I use the windows key a LOT (Try using Windows Key + TAB if you run Vista or 7). Both in and out of game I find myself using the shortcuts enough to completely ignore this feature.
One of the nice things was profile switching on the fly using the M1,M2 and M3 buttons above the macro keys. I would setup colors, macros and custom functions for each profile. M1=MMO, M2=FPS, M3=Standard. This was actually a very welcome feature as I use the keyboard differently for each game type and I assume others do as well.


Conclussion:
If you see this go on sale and you want something that looks really nice then by all means grab it. I would strongly recommend to purchase it for specific features rather than just because it's a gaming keyboard. If you don't need macro keys and you could care less about an LCD screen then go get a different keyboard for your "Ohhhhh"s and "Ahhhhh"s.

I'm considering nominating this for the turd in a box award.

EDIT: I would like to add that I returned this keyboard under warranty and Logitech's return procedures are like most, horrendous. I think it took something like 2-3 weeks to get the replacement. They also temporarily charge a credit card until you return the old one. If I remember correctly shipping and handling had to paid too.

The Future Hangs Within a Balance

I am taking strong consideration of turning this into a non-hobby blog and building ShaggyDad.com into something completely different.

HAMP (Home Affordable Modification Program)

I purchased my home in 2008. I slapped a fat down payment on the loan and got a decent interest rate. My interest rate was locked at %6.125. I was told this is a good rate. Now 2 years down the road I hear about the H.A.M.P. (Home Affordable Modification Program).

After a lot of research it appears as if this is a great program but that my lender (Chase) doesn't play by the rules. There are class action lawsuits springing up everywhere and if you do a Google on the issue you see that 1,000s of Chase customers are extremely pissed.

Now here's the deal. If I can get approved for this then I'll be saving $300 a month because my interest will drop down to 2%. Motherfucking Chase seems to have a problem with approving people though. Also, if they do get approved it seems as if Chase is really shitting on them by reporting late or incomplete payments on their credit statements. I really could use that $300 a month so I'm still considering the application. I have digital access to most of the paperwork required and I don't see any reason not to apply for it other than the risk to my credit during the 'trial' phase.

The caveats of any investment have to be head spinning or nobody would agree to their ludicrous terms and conditions.

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo stock was at a low a while back. I sent an e-mail out to several people saying they should buy it. Nintendo is always the first to come out with the creative use of technology. They were the first to really pull off using motion controllers. Before that we have had several motion controllers but none that were embraced by the mainstream the way the Wii was. They are now the first to integrate genuine 3D images without glasses.

When the Nintendo Wii was released it was difficult to find. The price was a very gentle $300 for a new console with games and a controller. The controller was motion controlled too, you can't beat that! Analysts said that the unit was sorely under priced and could have sold competitively with a much higher price tag. Now it seems as if they're attempting to better price their next release to market conditions.

I'm not sure why, but nothing about that looks fun.

It has more than investors excited... it has the whole gaming industry buzzing. The possibilities of this are astounding. Think about your XBOX displaying your Heads Up Display (HUD: ammo, health, mana, etc) as a 3D holographic display while you play on a absolutely clutter free 3D enabled LCD screen. Or solving a holographic rubic cube on your Playstation with a movement controller and 3D image interaction as in you actually touch the hologram to make it move. Nintendo just crossed a boundary that gamers and science fiction alike have been dreaming of for a long time.

It's one of the most exciting times I've ever seen in the gaming industry. We're right on the verge of this awesome trifecta of 3D (genuine 3D) high resolution graphics, motion controlled gameplay and years of experience in game production. Remember how during the renaissance there was also an explosion of art. Well be prepared because we're in the beginning of a new renaissance and our art isn't on a canvas anymore. It's now on digitally downloaded videogames and 3D theaters with high resolution screens that wrap around your vision. Exciting time indeed.

How to Avoid AFK in WoW

There are several ways to avoid going away from keyboard. The most popular is to get a macro that does a lot of movement, but macros are limited and only run for so long. One way is to use the built in windows ease of access controls. You can set ease of access up to remember keystrokes and then execute them. If done right you can have windows keep you from going AFK indefinitely. There are add-ons from curse that will help you with this as well (UPDATE: The add-ons are no longer available. )

There aren't a lot of reasons to avoid AFK unless you're worried about mana biscuits disappearing. This used to be helpful in battlegrounds to farm honor but now you get reported by other players for being AFK before the round ends which means you never receive honor. A lot of people use that search to arrive here, I figured giving them what they're looking for would be nice.

So here's the gist for Vista and above. Click start and type in 'Ease'. The first result should be Ease of Access. Click that. From there you're on your own (I know, I'm helpful.).

Back from Vacation

It's good to be home. Vacations can seem like a lot of work just in and of themselves. Luckily I did everything right and had an awesome time. I climbed well above the timber line in a 2 door Cavalier. I must say that I'm impressed with how my little 4 banger climbed the mountain.

On the way up there we met up with a band in Chama Pass. While on the search for magic mushrooms our newfound guide invited us for a ride on the magic schoolbus  as their band sought out a new venue even higher in the mountains. I met the original family from Lonesome Dove and also snagged a glass for Kips Taco Shop winter closing in Creed (another historical landmark). Here's a picture of the view on the way to Creed:

I took this picture from a dangerous ledge. Tourist like stupidity: ACTIVATE!

After waking up very drunkenly I snagged some home made biscuits and gravy and then saw a dairy on the way to Del Norte. I stopped and bought several shares of a cow. Then I milked 'my' cow and took raw milk home. If you've never had raw milk I must say: YOU'RE MISSING OUT.

We also went fly fishing and hiking. All in all it was an excellent trip that started out the way it ended: just right. Of course no trip is complete without a little mishap. I dusted my brake pads while coming down Wolf Creek Pass and lost a protective undercarriage shield and wire runner after turning into an embankment. On the way back the entire vehicle shook to high heaven but we luckily hit a tire shop RIGHT before the blowout. Then as we leave Santa Rosa to head back to Texas my navigator (see: retarded hamster) manages to direct me down the wrong highway and we hit 'Amarillo by Morning'...

With all of that said and done it was still an excellent trip filled with good memories and even better buds. Cheers to a great vacation!

Vacation

I'm sure you've noticed a complete lack of posts from the blog. It's because I'm on vacation. Hiking, fishing, music, drinking, smoking and best of all: no work. Hopefully I'll have something posted soon but I wouldn't really count on it. The only people looking at the site are searching for turd in a box anyways. I'm not exactly sure why the photo is so insanely popular but it is.

On a most humorous note Google seems to think my site content is about turds in boxes. Ahhh, the internet!

TURD IN A BOX AWARD!

Hardware Review: Ultra 20/24 Pin Power Supply Tester

When you pay $14 for something you should expect to get exactly what you paid for. A $14 Turd in a Box. I had high hopes and low expectations for this Power Supply Tester. I've been waiting to give out this award ever since I made it up 5 minutes ago. The Infamous Turd in a Box Award. This prestigious reward only goes to products whose designers seemed committed to poor product quality assurance (including hazards).

Not all turds are built equally.

The first thing you notice is that the unit is very small (which is good). It has connections for almost any power supply voltage you could ever need (more than I had). The ports are easy to understand the LEDs were very responsive. Ok, this is where I put an end to the pillow talk and tell you how it sucks worse than blogs with higher traffic than mine.

The unit is very flimsy. The plastic used to create the shell/casing of the innards is extremely thin and prone to flexing unintentionally. While trying to simply plug a PSU cable into the unit it would flex and all LEDs would turn on. If you don't notice that your slight grip on the unit to stabilize it while plugging in was lighting up the LEDs for a false positive then you would assume you have a perfectly good power supply. This completely defeats the point of a power supply testing unit.

Also after extensive testing I never could get my 5v line to light up. I tried several power supplies that were tested good (within a machine) and the unit actually FAILED them!!! Avoid this unit like the plague.

CM Storm Sentinel Advance Review

Time for another hardware review as it seems to generate more traffic than anything else on the site. Today I'll be looking at the Cooler Master Storm Sentinel Advance 5600 DPI Twin Laser Engine Pro Gaming Mouse. This little bad boy is a treat to review because of it's very 'cool' design meant for showing off.

Here are the major selling points:

• Superior Gaming Grade Precision Twin laser engine to ensure extreme stability and ultra precise tracking performance.
• Onboard Sentinel-X 64Kb Safeguards your mouse settings and store up to 5 different game profiles.
• Octoshade LED Tech Enable yourself to quickly recognize your active profile
• OLED Profile Management Allows gamers to switch DPI and profiles on the fly with instant visual feedbacks.
• Tag Your Own Gaming Clan Logo Upload your own clan logo and display it in all its glory on the OLED profile management screen.

Unmentioned features are 8 buttons, full macro support, robust configuration software, interchangable weight system, several lighting features (some dynamic). Personally I have all LEDs set to display red. When I click the mouse buttons the front (outward facing) LEDs flash white.

The mouse glides across any surface with ease. The mouse wheel is stiff which I like because it makes precision easier. The weights while useful for some is eyecandy for me. I like my mouse weightless. The LED screen which shows your clan tag is a bit too small to really get much out of it. The design fits in your hand very easily and doesn't cause cramps after a full day of merciless slaughter... I mean playing games. The only complaint I have is that the bumper pads on the bottom that make it slide smoother are very large and collect dirt in a manner that is hard to remove. This is unavoidable regardless of what model you choose. The max DPI is 5600 and I rarely use it. I'm pretty happy at 3600 with minor tweaks in-game. The switching on the fly works well for both DPI and profiles. The lasers are ultra responsive and work on any surface including my clothed belly and my hairy leg.

I have never owned a mouse that I liked as much as this one. It has a perfect blend of functionality and aesthetics. Cooler Master has pleased me yet again with another excellent product.

Hyper 212+ Hardware Review

Before I purchase anything on the internet I like to read a ton of reviews first. Hopefully the other unsung heroes of internet consumerism shop the same way. If so then maybe this review will help you in your decision to purchase Cooler Master's Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler.

This unit is a boss hog compared to the stock cooling that came with my Intel Core i7 920. At first I was reaching the point of no return in temperatures. My chip should have fried but it was made of strong stuff. I like the Cooler Master brand a lot but it's not why I purchased this CPU cooler. I wanted to get something on my processor that was going to be air cooled and light on my budget. This thing is $29.99 from TigerDirect.com. Considering that it lowered my CPU temperature from high 60's Celcius to high 50's (and after HOURS of high end play low 60's) Celcius that is a damn good deal.

You're basically paying $3 per Celcius which is almost a dollar per Fahrenheit. Ok, so maybe I don't know my conversions but I do know that it's probably the most bang for your buck and especially at such a low cost. There are sites that allow you to map out cost per cooling and if I remember correctly this one was leading the pack by a long shot.

I am putting this unit in a HAF932 case so it has a leg up in air flow over the competition already. I mounted it to the ASUS P6T Deluxe (v2) motherboard. The processor it was cooling was a Intel Core i7 920. It has dedicated heat pipes and plenty of fins for heat dissipation. The thing is definitely massive ( 120 x 79.7 x 158.5 mm ) and it supports more than 1 fan if you want to set up a push/pull. I personally passed on the push pull because it meant I would have to remove my Northbridge fan/heatsink.

Assembly was very involved and I would not recommend purchasing this aftermarket if you have no clue at all how to install a processor or processor heatsink. Thank god that there was a rear access port on the HAF932 case for installing aftermarket CPU Coolers. I complained about not having a motherboard tray but the only time I needed one was during the initial setup and installation. After that the only time it would have been nice is when I installed this unit. Because the rear access was there I found myself cursing CoolerMaster a whole hell of a lot less than I normally would have. You may not have gotten that HAF case perfect but you got damn near.

I really can't blow the whistle loud enough in trying to get your attention turned to this Hyper 212. It lowered my CPU temp more than MOST water cooling alternatives. This 29$ piece of hardware out performed $200 coolers. That's something worth bringing to light.

Rolling Paper Reviews

I love some rolling papers. I especially love over-sized high quality pure hemp rolling papers.

Hempire 1.5 inch Cigarette Paper

Hempire 1.5" (also available in 1.0, 1.25, 1.5 and king size) Pure Hemp Cigarette Paper. I love these delicious little papers. I was thinking about the most important points of a rolling paper and I decided that they are: Taste, durability and, freshness (includes gum quality).

I must say that I was skeptical of the taste at first because it was made of pure hemp. I can only describe my experience as surprisingly smooth. There was no harshness or overwhelming paper taste that comes with other brands like ZigZag.

I rolled several cigarettes and noticed that the durability was definitely high. I have a pack of Bugler rolling papers that I use when I run out of the better name brands. The Hempires make Buglers look like fragile china dishware being spun on a stick being balanced on the nose of a professional athlete. Only one time did the paper rip while rolling and that's because I was purposely pushing the limits to see just HOW durable they really were. The size of the paper makes durability a lot more important than standard 1.0 or 1.25 papers. You can roll a fattie as thick as your thumb if you so desire.

The freshness is questionable thing to rate. I must say that I can accurately judge this one for several reasons. First off, I've had the pack of papers for several months. Also, I know that they were on the store shelf for several months (I asked). Father time must be some sort of pussy because the gum was still fresh and sticky while the paper was still highly malleable. Usually time treats paper poorly and makes it stiff, easier to rip, harder to fold and less likely to have good 'sticky' gum. That was not the case with the Hempire brand. Apparently hemp paper holds up pretty well.

It should also be mentioned that the papers were left in my wallet for about a week. This usually seems to thin the papers up and make them slightly more transparent. This never happened with the hempires. The box still worked well even though I had flattened it with the fattest part of my ass.

HAF 932 Hardware Review

I purchased this case because the temperature within my original case was extremely high.

This is a FULL tower (meaning it's very large) with all the space you could ever need. The cable management, when done correctly, looks absolutely flawless. Although it should be mentioned that the case did not come with the cable management grommet/s.

You can put your power supply on the top or the bottom. If you put it on the top you will have to remove the exhaust fan. The bottom PSU position sports a riser grate which looks perfect for a big filter too. Because of this you would ideally put your PSU on the bottom and water cooling on the top.

There is a small place on top to hold your small loose items (change, screws, etc). There's also a hole under the plastic flip within the tray that gives you direct access to a water cooling block/reservoir. You would have to have the block/reservoir in your top 5.25" drive bay. It's a nice feature but something I will probably never use.

The tool free drive bays are nice as well as stable. There are rubber pieces within them that reduce friction/vibrations. I use the bottom area of the drive bays to put any extra cable or peripherals that I don't want to be seen. I would like it if the window was a little bit larger but once you start to light the system up with cathodes/LEDs you can see straight through the fan grating with ease.

The fans are very quiet and the construction seems very durable. I like the stylized look and I have dropped my max temperatures by 10 C. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. One of my biggest complaints was the total lack of a removable motherboard tray. For such a well designed case this should have been included. I do have to point out that there is a CPU cooling port on the motherboard tray for easily swapping out CPU cooling.

Conclusion: AWESOME CASE

Select Query Language

Because of my profession I know a bit about Linux (especially Red Hat/CentOS) and Oracle databases. When I script it usually looks like a twelve year old wrote it. I find it akin to an analogy I heard once. Life is like a box of crayons. Some people get 5 while others get 100. It's what you do with the crayons that's important. A person with 5 crayons can muster a complete piece of art that drops jaws while someone with 100 crayons struggles to color within the lines.

Well that's me when it comes to scripting. I only have 5 crayons but I'll use them in ways that most people didn't think possible. IF/THEN, you bet. That's my bread and butter. Redirecting to another file that get's a CAT and then GREPed because I can't figure out how to filter headers in my results. Hell yeah, it works!

Seriously though. I'm genuinely proud of myself. I wrote a script today that finds all partitions relative to dates within my database and then removes them. This sounds easy until you realize that our partition naming convention does not follow our adding/removing procedures. In other words we may have a partition named: Y2010_D264_S2 (Which stands for: Sept 22, 2010 for Site 2). Well the only way to drop said partitions is with a command like this:
exec PARTITION_UTILS.DROP_PARTITIONS(2,'2010264','2010264');

So when you start to script these types of things you first have to find them. (select partition_name, table_name from dba_tab_partitions order by 1;). The fucking partitions are named like this though:
Y2010_D264_S2 YOURTABLENAME

So it's kind of hard to automate the dropping of all data related partitions when you can't feed a wild card (think * or %) for anything you want. I'll be damned if this didn't just completely stump me... my solution? Funny you ask. My solution was to run that same select then redirect it to another file. Then I went ahead and did a CAT of that file while grepping for certain things and then redirected THOSE results to an SQL file that gets kicked off at the end.

I may not know formatting, I may not know programming, I may not even know how to configure TNS files. I can sure as fuck paint a pretty picture with 5 crayons though. Don't you think?

FILE 1:

> /home/mrnams/utils/partitioncat
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus username/password<<EOF > /home/mrnams/utils/partitioncat.mmb
@test.sql
EOF

cat /home/mrnams/utils/partitioncat.mmb | grep "ALTER" > droppartitions.sql

$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus username/password @droppartitions.sql  

FILE 2:
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus username/password<<EOF > /home/mrnams/utils/droppartitions.sql
set feedback off
set pagesize 0
SELECT 'ALTER TABLE ' || TABLE_NAME || ' DROP PARTITION ' || PARTITION_NAME || ';'
FROM DBA_TAB_PARTITIONS
WHERE TABLE_NAME IN (SELECT TABLE_NAME FROM NAMS_TABLES) AND
PARTITION_NAME != 'Y2000_D001_S2'
ORDER BY 1;   

Being Shaggy Dad

Ok, today is a strange post. You get to actually see through a tiny window into my life. When I was young (16 I think) I got into a really bad car accident and injured one of my 'friends'. This friend and I would hang out all day, smoke pot and play Grand Theft Auto III. After the accident he stopped answering the door. 2 years later I get a summons to court. Not the, "Yay, I get out of work!" kind mind you but the "Oh fuck, I'm getting sued!" kind. Yeah...

So the initial lawsuit was for something like 2 million dollars. We ended up settling at a fraction of the initial amount (somewhere around 200k). The insurance company took care of nearly all of the expenses and I was banned from touching so much as a hot-wheel for years. Life went on and I had nearly completely forgotten about the man that I'll lovingly dub: dumbfuck.

Here's a pic of dumbfuck from a few years ago

So dumbfuck ends up sending me a Facebook friend request. My word for word reply was a message with the title of "Are you stupid or just lonely?" and a message of "You tried to sue me for 2 million dollars. Why would I be your 'friend'?"... his reply was exactly what a wanted. A poorly worded and poorly planned flame letter. In it he pretty much cuts loose and in the process he makes himself look like a complete tool. My reply pretty much schools him in the art of diplomacy as I calmly touch on each point that he makes and I warp it to fit my own twisted desires of keyboard wars. I had won and the victory was clear. There was no rebuttal which could match my cold precise logic... well that's what I thought at least...

His reply... "Sorry man, I was just trying to bury the hatchet.". He then goes on to apologize and acknowledges that the things he said were inappropriate. He ends his retort (if I can even call it that) with a statement that his offer is open ended and that I can take him up on it at any time. Wow... I wasn't expecting that...

So now here I am being a dick and blogging about it. The thing is... I'm not really ready to forgive or forget. While forgiving him may be the only thing that sets myself free it certainly won't win any points of any kind with my family members who were put through a great deal because of the lawsuit. Dumbfuck really surprised me and it's hard not to like someone that admits when they're wrong. I can't forgive... I can't forget... but at least I can be a Facebook friend to the poor, lonely, over dramatic son of a bitch.

WoW, Marijuana and A.F.K. Defined

So today's post is dedicated to the three topics that have generated traffic through Google searches and related web pages. I will forever continue to post views on all topics but will concentrate on the most popular topics (Right now Marijuana and WoW are fighting for the top spot... just like in my life! Bad joke, whatever. )



World of Warcraft
Here is my main character for WOW. I've solved the issue I was having before with reputation. It turns out that vanilla characters can still cap their reputations a few different ways. I'm using the Argent Tournament's [Champion's Writ] to cap Orgrimmar and Undercity reputation/s. I'll be using regular daily quests to cap Darkspear and Silvermoon reputation/s. I'll use starter quests to cap Thunder Bluff reputation.

Now first off, I would love for there to be a little input into my character. Let me know what you think. This is my primary toon and will be the one closest to perfection at all times. I also play a druid/warrior/priest. On a side note I play WOW with several real life friends. When I played without any IRL (in real life for you non-gaming nerds) friends the game seemed much more hollow and empty. Now that I have over 5 friends playing with me it almost feels like hanging out. I highly recommend getting a real life friend involved in WOW.

Also, if your friend hasn't played before they (and you) get an awesome chance to take advantage of a killer promotion called Refer-A-Friend. Triple XP, exotic mounts and granting (free) levels are some nice perks included. I used it with a friend of mine and managed to get 3 toons to 60 before we got bored.
 

 Marijuana

As I've stated before, I like reefer. I usually purchase schwag on a regular basis and good buds on occasions. One day while looking at my finances I noticed that a decent portion of my overall bills was my 'recreational' bill. I lump all things recreational into it like concerts, drinking, weed, etc. That's when I started buying more than just a half ounce at a time. My bill went down substantially but I've noticed that although the price went down so did the quality. When you're buying 4 to 16 ounces at a time it really sucks to find out your shit is all moldy. This is what turned me off to purchasing in massive bulk and another reason I want it regulated.

See, when it's regulated you know it's not only crime/violence free but it's also safe and clean. Standards will begin to emerge and potency will begin to level out. I once purchased an entire pound (16 ounces) for $450.00 and it wasn't completely cured. After taking out a few ounces and throwing the remainder in a zip-loc I returned to find a funky smell when I revisited secret squirrel's stash. The green had turned slightly darker and the aroma was that of ammonia or some other stiff stinky chemical. Needless to say I had a lot of product that I did not enjoy getting rid of. In a regulated industry that wouldn't happen and there would have been no need for me to take the health risk of smoking some unknown stinky pot mold. Fuckers. Also, WOW+Marijuana = My evening. If you play WOW without marijuana then I am amazed.

If you're interested in supporting the initiative to legalize and hopefully one day decriminalize then visit this website: NORML
 

AFK - Stalwart
AFK is an acronym for Away From Keyboard. In definition it means that you are not present at a keyboard. What it means online is that you cannot immediately communicate. You're either looking at another program (known as "alt tabbing"), doing something else non-computer related or you just don't want to be bothered.

I've pasted the definition of stalwart below. A conclusion can be drawn from both the definition as well as context that the phrase is used in. Stalwart believers are those who are completely behind their belief. I mentioned my cousin being a Stalwart Believer and a few people Googled that to get here.

stal·wart/ˈstôlwərt/
Noun: A loyal, reliable, and hardworking supporter or participant in an organization or team: "the stalwarts of the Ladies' Auxiliary".

FREE ONLINE STORAGE & more WoW

If you've ever wanted free online storage then you need to look up Dropbox.com. With Dropbox.com you can upload your files (up to 2GB free) and then access them anywhere. Unlike Google docs or e-mail it can hold massive files and there is absolutely no restriction on the type of file.

Here's the best part about Dropbox.com though. They grant you more free space for each referral that you make. So please use this REFERRAL LINK from Dropbox.com to create your own account. When you do so I will earn 250gb of free storage for life. I think you also get to see my e-mail address. That one goes out to all the stalkers out there.

I also mentioned Warcraft in the title for two reasons. 1: Shameless stat whoring. 2: To bitch, piss and moan. If the people wish to hear about Warcraft, then that's something I can give them. I've been playing World of Warcraft as a Shaman since it was released. In the 'vanilla' days of WoW (pre-expansion/s) you would gain 'reputation' for all of your faction's reputations. I play as an Orc, so my main reputation would be Orgrimmar. After that it would be the other major cities.

Blizzard changed the experience and reputation gain from quests, mobs, dungeons, etc in vanilla WoW so that people could access the end game content without having to spend an incredible amount of time leveling (It's still hefty, hefty, hefty). Well those god damn ass hats made it so that any person that played from the beginning cannot 'cap' their reputations without putting in an incredible amount of work (yes, it turns from gaming into working at that point). When I sent them an e-mail the reply just had a link to the suggestion forums. Fucking smart ass. World of Warcraft: high failure rate birth control.

On a side note I just now uncovered this gem of a quote: "Defense Pieter De Crem is just the shit flavored icing on the cake of ass." Holy fuck I'm glad I'm not that guy.

Marijuana

Marijuana is another love that I share with untold millions (if not billions). I must applaud California voters and I pray that violence drops as tax yields from legal (at state level) medical marijuana dispensaries go up. I believe that prohibition of marijuana was an even greater failure than the prohibition of alcohol. At least with alcohol you were saving lives via less drunk driving. With marijuana prohibition you aren't saving lives, you're just making it more lucrative for violent criminals to take them.

Living in central Texas I see and hear a lot more about the problems caused by drug trafficking over the border between Mexico and the US. When major busts happen you see prices change. I remember reading about a 1,000 pound bust where people were killed (both lawmen and criminals) and then all of the sudden people were talking about paying triple prices for the same stuff. Suffice to say I would have never purchased that because it was obviously a blood drug at that point. Now if little Billy grows it then I might have to take a gander at his product. If Uncle Sam grew it I would be on it like red hairs on Sativa.

Seriously though! What's keeping us from decriminalizing it? My opinion is that the government likes the 30 trillion dollars that has been spent on the War on Drugs since inception and that they also enjoy the very steady income from courts, jails, probation and other legal fines that come with getting caught. What I fail to understand is why they are so hesitant to take that same 30 trillion dollars from 'drug users' (aka potheads).

 

The propaganda shoved in the faces of 1930's Americans was the basis for a strong stance against recreational marijuana use and I think we're still feeling the effects of it to this very day. The movie/picture show claims that using marijuana will make you go crazy, have sex with whores, kill people, etc. No, I'm fucking serious.

Fast forward 80 years later and people start to forget about the ill effects of marijuana use such as murderous rampages and brainwashing. Luckily, we're all still here. This article points out that the federal judge (Judge George H. Wu) that passed down a sentence of 1 year and 1 day (when he should have given 5 years) to a Canadian marijuana seed seller (Charles C. Lynch) felt that the current laws were treating him unfairly. He later claimed that marijuana should be reclassified. This is a federal fucking judge people. He sees firsthand the effects our laws have on the average citizen.

I would like to close by stating that if my daughter were caught using marijuana (Which I would NOT be happy about) I would MUCH prefer that all she got from it was a high rather than a sentence carrying: Fines, community service, jail time and possible prison time.

For the children!!!

World of Warcraft

I personally love World of Warcraft. I consider it an excellent time sink and any time I feel like my real world dollars ($15/mo) aren't amounting to anything I take a peek at what my account is worth on WoW account selling websites. Apparently, it's worth a lot.

This opens up a whole can of worms. Most people don't understand that they do NOT, wait let me re-emphasize do NOT own their WoW account. Nope, it's in the EULA (End User License Agreement) and ToS (Terms of Service) that you agree to upon installing the game and any major updates/expansions that come after the initial installation. What does this mean? That selling your account is illegal for starters. Also it means that if tomorrow Blizzard deletes my character that I've put over 1800 real life hours into then there's nothing that I can do. It was Blizzard's property in the first place and being such they have the right to do what they want with it. Which also means that by selling my account I am actually selling the property of Blizzard. Now you're starting to see why it's illegal I hope.

I don't advocate selling your account. Nor do I have a deep burning desire to sell mine. I'm just saying that the fact that I can sell my account makes me feel like I'm not wasting my time and money. Especially since an account like mine sells for far more than I've spent on it (even after character transfers).

This is my Orc Shaman: Ashenfury

World of Warcraft does so many things right and so many things wrong. I've always wished that Wintergrasp and related zones/objectives had to be physically rebuilt via quests. If you don't do the quests to rebuild the walls then you start the next round with damage to your keep. Wouldn't that solidify your feelings of ownership? I would defend a wall with more heated passion if I acquired the stones used to reconstruct it. That was one thing that Silk Road did right. When you took a keep with your guild it gave you good buffs, a steady income, and server wide recognition are just a few among many of the reasons to retain control of the keep. The only reason I want Wintergrasp is for Stone Keeper Shards.

Reviews?!

Samsung ToC 24" LCD HDTV
This bad boy is capable of the highest form of high definition available for nearly all media on the marketplace. It has a 5ms response time. It supports both HDMI and DVI inputs. This is nice because most graphic cards use DVI connectors while most Blu-Ray, Playstation, and other peripherals use HDMI. It also has a very elegant design that can be found on all Samsung Touch of Color sets along with their 'touch' power button.

The only real downside to this set is that the contrast ratio is 1000:1. Fortunately I have yet to notice any type of problems at all. I use the monitor for both PC Gaming (A LOT!) and TV/Movies. It seems to display blacks and brights without any issue at all. The color is spot on of course and there are several different presets straight out of the box.

I set a custom preset and could not be happier with it. I have never had to fiddle with the controls and the entire setup seems very intuitive. Un-boxing was trivial and the unit was powered on within minutes. The remote control that comes with it is pretty standard and works well.

My cousin is a stalwart believer in Samsung and has converted me to the evil that is foreign goods. Everything I purchase I attempt to make sure it was made in the US. I say attempt because sometimes it's either not worth it or you can't find it made in the US. The good news about this set? It was made right here in the continental United States in a factory operated by Americans. Ok, I don't feel so bad buying it now.

Model

Brand

SAMSUNG

Model

T240HD

Cabinet Color

Rose-Black

Display

Screen Size

24"

Widescreen

Yes

Recommended Resolution

1920 x 1200

Viewing Angle

160°(H) / 160°(V)

Pixel Pitch

0.27mm

Display Colors

16.7 Million

Brightness

300 cd/m2

Contrast Ratio

DC 10000:1(1000:1)

Response Time

5ms

Horizontal Refresh Rate

30~81kHz

Vertical Refresh Rate

56~75Hz

Panel

a-si TFT/TN

Display Type

WUXGA

Connectivity

Input Video Compatibility

Analog RGB, Digital

Connectors

D-sub, DVI-D, HDMI, Component, DTV Tuner, Optical SPDIF Out

D-Sub

1

DVI

1

HDMI

2

Google Sites

Ok, so I've started a website called Shaggy Dad. I registered the domain of ShaggyDad.com. I also registered a domain for the Blog as well. You may notice that you're now sitting at AwayFromKeyboard.org instead of a blogspot address. Yes, that's because I'm awesome. I must admit that the 'Google Sites' tools seem very limited. It works in somewhat the same manner as the blog control.

Everything is pretty much static and you can't get into the HTML of each page. You edit the HTML within the page but not the page or any static gadgets that they place. For instance I wanted to take the header and do some custom work to it. Instead of just having a feature that says edit source HTML you have to go into control for the header. Then you have the options of using pictures, colors, text, etc to personalize the header. While this is a very strong suite of tools for the average user it is lacking for a super user.

I'm not saying that I'm hot shit by any means. I'm somewhere between lukewarm and spicy. I don't know the advanced php/html tricks but I teach myself as a desire or need for said tricks arises. I taught myself GIMP when I decided to make my own custom BIOS image from scratch. I also taught myself html/php when I started making my own website several years ago.

While I love to toot my horn the point of the above statements is not to point out my strengths but rather to point out the weakness of Google Sites tools. I should be able to do anything I want to my web page. Including fuck it up into something that won't work. That's how we learn. While you're making it easy for a soccer mom to create a web page you're limiting Shaggy Dad from doing everything that he wants. Maybe I haven't spent enough time with the tools yet.

Turd in a Box

So it's that time of year again. I must admit that I deeply enjoy both winter and the holiday season. I live in central Texas. It gets hot, very hot. So the winter is a respite from the glaring heat of any other season. Also, football is coming into full swing. Of course the Dallas Cowboys aren't doing phenomenal but at least we get to enjoy big HDTV sales until the Super Bowl is over.

I would really enjoy having a 50 something inch flat panel LCD HDTV (1080p of course). Internet ready with 3D capability would be nice. Especially if it had at least 2 HDMI (prefer 3-4) and a DVI port. The contrast ratio would have to be healthy and the refresh time would have to be equal to or better than 5ms/120hz.

If you can't tell I would absolutely adore any hardware manufacturer that wanted to send me a test model to Blog about. It's hard to write negative reviews on free models. Turd in a box? Was it free? Yeah?! Then I have to say it was a most excellent turd. I wouldn't be biased, I would definitely report the facts. It's still just a turd. So if one of you 16 people who have viewed the blog work at Samsung and you're in charge of marketing your Touch of Color series then you know exactly who to send your next demo piece to. Only a few days into the blog and I'm already shamelessly reaching out for free schwag. To redeem myself I've attached a photo with relative subject material.

American Investing

I consider myself a pretty dollar savy fellow. I am always seeking new avenues and opportunities to invest small amounts of money into. The problem is that I often desire to cash in my long term investment accounts. I see that it’s worth a few bucks and the consumer switch (I imagine one like an electric chair) slams down with the weight of being a hamburger loving American all of my life. I have yet to cash in on one of my accounts but I’ve come close.

You know things are tough when you start eyeing your 401k like a starved wolf in a chicken coop thinking to yourself “Just X more years and I can have the money…”. Whoever thought of 401k was a genius. He probably worked for the Federal Reserve and was tasked with how to screw the working man out of yet another small portion of his accumulated wealth. He was locked in a room for days until he came up with 401k. It was most ironic because the plan was for life to kill your ass before you could cash it. Pure genius…

On a side note if you get married and die
prematurely your widow/s (yes, ex-wives
have rights to what 401k was invested
while you were married.) get to cash
in on it. So I guess it isn't THAT evil.

Global Warming

Global Warming is a bad thing. With that being said I feel confident that I've informed my readers of the facts. Seriously though, who recycles? I don't know a single person that consistently recycles their trash. I think there are only 2 ways that we're realistically going to save our planet. The first and definitely least popular is with tough new laws put in place by top governments forcing their people and industries to recycle. The other and more favorable but less likely way is for new laws to pass that reward us for recycling.

On the first concept I could see the government adding heavy taxes to public trash disposal and adding non-optional recycle bins to dump locations. Also, there would be civil fines for not separating your trash properly. The later concept would be that you keep up with your glass, plastic and paper pounds per month (via the dumpsite) and are reimbursed via tax breaks. That really doesn't sound like a bad idea. Even if the re-imbursement was miniscule it would still be enough incentive to get me to do it. It goes without mentioning that the homeless would probably have our streets picked clean overnight. Just imagine, “Sir, can you spare some glass?” Why yes, yes I can. They’re practically begging you to throw empty beer bottles at them. Nobody loses, everybody wins.

Richard Garriot

So Richard Garriot won his lawsuit against NCSOFT today. Congratulations, Richard. Too bad EA holds the rights to the cash cow that you reaped your initial success off of (Ultima, for those of you wondering.). Tasty, succulent, un-humoginized frothy cash cow milk... I digress. I know everyone and their dog feels like Ultima 7 was the pinnacle of the series but I can't help but point out how much fun Ultima 8 was. I was introduced to Ultima Underworld, then Ultima 8. After that I played the rest of the franchise. In my opinion Ultima 8 captured the feel of the intellectual property much better than 7. It also seemed to be the slate used for Ultima Online as well.

How do you not love somebody that literally puts himself in his games. Have you ever played an Ultima Game? Lord British is Richard Garriot. Yes, in every game. He also makes (made?) regular appearances in his MMOs. Fuck him for banishing me to the Stygian Abyss in Ultima Underworld though. Fucker...

NPD

I was reading an article on Maximum PC about how the NPD is finally starting to look at digital download sales. This has a definite impact on any type of industry forecasting. Everyone and their retarded hamster uses the NPD numbers to say things like "PC Gaming's sales just don't seem as lucrative as console sales.", which we all know is worthy of flying ninja kicks to the face. Now that they're collecting the digital sales data and reporting more accurately they're showing that the greater evil of capitalism has been successfully posting comparable numbers in both the Console and PC arenas. This makes me happy.

The real question is why did it take so long for them to adapt to current market conditions and to finally begin the foray into recording digital goods/services being purchased?