I love Venn Diagrams.

Obama picked a great time to open up more off-shore drilling!

42,000 gallons of oil spilling into the ocean every day, right off the coast of Lousiana, and the Coast Guard doesn't consider it a 'very serious spill'? Give me a break. It's going to take more than a month to seal the well. FORTY TWO THOUSAND GALLONS A DAY. FOR A MONTH.

Here's what it looks like right now:


President Obama mentioned opening up more U.S. areas for off-shore drilling during his campaign, but I thought it was more of a ploy to pick up any right-leaning undecideds. Now it looks like a play for votes in this fall's elections, especially since his approval rating has dropped dramatically after the fight for his health care bill.

After these recent events, I hope this rating drops dramatically too. However, the media is doing plenty to hide the story.

Let's play a game! It's called 'Find the Oil Spill Coverage in the 'Liberal' Media!'







I get that the Goldman Sachs executive hearing in the Senate is important, but this oil spill is just a few days away from hitting our shore. Then let's see if the media stops playing 'Where's Waldo' with it.

The Worst Song Ever Written

I dare you to make it all the way through this.



Wow. That hurt, didn't it? It's like hearing a church sermon from someone with cerebral palsy.

Can you find a song worse than this? If so, paste the link in the comments section. But know that it'll have to top lyrics like these:

"Fucking rainbows after it rains
there's enough miracles here to blow your brains
I fed a fish to a pelican at Frisco bay
It tried to eat my cell phone, he ran away"

"Water, fire, air and dirt
Fucking magnets, how do they work?
And I don't wanna talk to a scientist
Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed"

"Magic everywhere in this bitch"

Wow, that's DEEP.



EDIT: Saturday Night Live made fun of this video last night! See it here.

Two Things to Note:

1. TheMiles has recently launched a video game blog, called 'TL;DR'. That stands for 'too long, didn't read', which is a joke about people who are too lazy to read a long post. It's a good site, and he references our blog there too, so go support the scene!

2. Even though it's not out until May 4th, the Deftones have released a second single off of their new album. It's the title track, called 'Diamond Eyes'. It's a great song, and even better than the first single (posted earlier here).

Deftones - Diamond Eyes (Official)

Deftones | MySpace Music Videos

Why I've Stopped Playing Call of Duty

I've given up on Call of Duty. I haven't played competitive multiplayer in almost two months. But why the drastic change? I've been very vocal in the past of my support of the series (and of the developer, Infinity Ward). I put about 15 days into the multiplayer in Modern Warfare 1. I even picked Modern Warfare 2 as the top game of 2009. But sadly, the honeymoon is over. Here's why:

1. The multiplayer in MW2 is broken. The more people play a game online, the more issues and glitches that will come up. Modern Warfare 2 is one of the best selling video games of all time, and consistently at the top of the 'most played' list on Xbox Live every week. Combine this with the lack of a public beta, and you're in for a glitch-laden experience. Infinity Ward did a public beta for Modern Warfare 1, and it not only helped them work out a lot of glitches and exploits, but it was also a good PR move. It got the word out on the changes to the game, and people loved it. But for MW2, they said they didn't need to do a public beta. From a PR perspective, they were right. However, from a testing perspective, they couldn't have been more wrong. At or around launch, there were problems with the Model 1887 shotgun, javelin suicide bombers, 10th Prestige hacks, care package speed runs, infinite emergency airdrops, etc. While these have all been patched, there is still a myriad of issues. I could make a lengthy post for these glitches, but let's just say there are still a LOT.

2. Their downloadable content is uninspired and overpriced. In Modern Warfare 1, they released a downloadable map pack for ten dollars. It had four new maps. Now, they've released five maps for fifteen bucks, and two of these are copy/paste jobs from Modern Warfare 1 (Crash, Overgrown). The worst part? Activision marketed this as 'A Cure for Mapathy'. It's as if they said, 'Are you tired of playing the same old maps in MW2? Then you should pay more to download two maps that you just spent the last two years playing!' It's a slap in the face to fans of the series.

3. I've been playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 instead. I NEVER thought this game would be as good as it is. I liked the earlier Battlefield games, but I wasn't expecting this. The graphics aren't as sharp or 'crisp' as Modern Warfare 2, but the maps are enormous, and I'll gladly take that trade-off. To show just how large they are, take a look at this:



There are also a lot of features that make the gameplay deeper. There are tons of vehicles, including a pilotable UAV. If you play as a medic, you can actually defibrilate recently-killed teammates and bring them back to life. You can 'spot' enemies for your teammates to track them for a few seconds. The developers allow online stat tracking, and it's insanely deep. And the best thing of all? There are no game-changing glitches. The M60 is overpowered, but it's not a deal-breaker by any stretch. If you get in a good group of people, you can play for hours and not notice the time flying by.

Call of Duty used to be that way. I'm rooting for them to make a comeback with the next one, but with all of the changes going on right now at Infinity Ward, I'm not counting on it.

So, what have you been playing lately?

The Secret Life of No Not The Bees!

I made this tonight. If you've seen the remake of The Wicker Man, you might appreciate it.

Destination Playstation

I'm back, from a long week in Scottsdale, AZ, for a trade show (Destination Playstation). Had 15 meetings with accounts, and am exhausted. Slept 12 hours last night, and still feel like I could do 12 more. But it was great to also see so many industry friends, and even got to make a few new ones. Also got to try the new Playstation Move (like the Wii, but better!), and Gran Turismo 5 and MLB 10: The Show were both playable in 3D (which was really impressive, and has me considering picking up one of those TVs at some point in the future (they hit this summer sometime)). And, I also got to see The Brian Setzer Orchestra, who was the featured entertainment on Wednesday night. I saw him in 1997 in Greeley, and he put on a hell of a show. The ticket was only a buck (with UNC student ID). Then I saw him this week, for free, and even though he's now in his 50's, he still destroyed live. Got to shake his hand at the end of the set, and I feel like I should've slipped him the ten dollar bill I had in my wallet. Seeing him twice for only a dollar feels like I've ripped him off. Be sure to make a point of seeing him live if you never have. It doesn't matter what kind of music you like; you'll enjoy yourself at his show.

Hope you are all doing well...

Video of the Week -- The Greatest Thing You Will Ever See

You think I'm joking? Just watch.



See? I told you.

Video of the Week -- Aries Spears

Loving his Arnold impersonation:



Thanks to Cijoy for sending.

Video of the Week -- OMG, NEW DEFTONES TRACK

No intro needed. Enjoy.

I learned everything I needed to know about sales from 'Step Brothers'

Earnin' and burnin'. Snappin' necks, and cashin' checks.

Modern Warfare 2 -- Spec Ops mode

I finally got all 69 stars in Modern Warfare 2's 'Special Ops' mode, after many frustrating hours of attempts. Two missions kept pissing me off. Then I found this video for one of them (Terminal):



It totally worked! After about seven or eight tries, I nailed it no problem. I was trying to use a riot shield and 'turtle' up in a corner whenever I was about to die. As it turns out, that was the wrong approach.

Now about that other mission, Wetwork:



Looks easy, doesn't it? He completes it twice in under five minutes. Yet, it took about five hours for me to replicate. Five painfully frustrating hours. Shotgunning guys on the first staircase NEVER worked out that easily, because the accuracy on it is terrible, and usually they just fall to the ground in 'last stand' and fire a pistol at you (and block the staircase, since you can only step over dead bodies). If your timing and placement with flashbangs is off by half a second, or if your aim with the AT4 launcher is off by a foot, you'll get killed and have to start over. But, when I finally finished the mission, I stood up, and said, 'IT IS ACCOMPLISHED!'

Nice.

see more Hacked IRL - Truth in Sarcasm

Check out hackedirl.com . Giving me some ideas for local billboards.

Need another reason to hate Tim Tebow?

Bible-thumping Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother are starring in a commercial during next weekend's Super Bowl. It's funded by Focus on the Family, and is about how Tim's mother was told by her ob-gyn that she needed to abort him, or else she may die from complications. But she didn't, and now aren't we all better off, blah blah blah.

It's bad enough that we're all going to see religious propaganda during the most-watched sporting event in the nation. Even worse is that it's not entirely true. Tebow's mother was on a mission trip in the Philippines in 1987 when this happened. Abortion has been illegal in the Philippines under any circumstance since 1930. Any doctor found guilty of performing the service can be sentenced to six years in jail. So yeah, there's that.

A coalition of womens' rights groups are protesting CBS, and Gloria Allred has recently joined them. Also, CBS recently rejected a Super Bowl ad for a closeted gay men's dating website. Let's all hope that the Chenbot will threaten her aging billionaire husband with a pussy boycott.

Video of the Week -- DayJobOrchestra

DayJobOrchestra is a group of guys on YouTube who do lip-synched dubs over TV shows and press conferences. Here are a couple of my favorites (from Star Trek: The Next Generation):

Finally, something we can ALL agree on:

I'm a Uniter, not a Divider.

Video of the Week -- Rock Out With Your Cock Out

First, there was Grindcore Baby. Now, behold the Death Metal Rooster:

Global Warming? Not where I live.

One aspect of living in Nebraska that I've had to learn to live with is the abundance of people who lack critical thinking skills. You may argue that stupid people exist in every place, and it is absolutely true that I haven't found a place on earth yet without them. Places like Nebraska seem to exist simply to give stupid people a place where they can be "out" and free to express their stupidity. It's like San Francisco for morons.

The current best example that I can give you is the prevalence of comments related to lack of global warming during our incredibly cold weather that we've been having since the beginning of December. Without a doubt, this has been a winter for the ages. Omaha received over 2 feet of snow in December, which I believe is a record. The temperature here has not been above freezing since December 30th, when the high temp was a balmy 33 degrees. Last Friday, our high temperature was around 0 degrees. The HIGH temperature.

This cold hellish existence has sparked the usual stream of comments that because it is cold on the one place that I happen to be on Earth during the winter, global warming must be another one of Al Gore's inventions. Much more intelligent responses to this kind of thinking have been published other places, but the point that I would like to make is that if you think that cold weather in the winter disproves global warming, you invalidated your ability to join in this discussion.

Why is this evidence that you are an idiot? First of all, there is very little scientific controversy about whether or not global warming is actually occurring. The controversy is whether or not human actions have caused warming and if anything can be done at this point to reverse the trend. Most importantly, the Earth is a big fucking place. Past experience tells us that January is the coldest time of the year in this part of the country. A snow storm in January in Omaha is hardly even remarkable. And despite what you might think, the weather in Omaha is not representative of what's going on across the entire planet.

One of the biggest travesties about global warming is that it's a scientific issue that has become political, primarily because of Al Gore's involvement since serving as Clinton's Vice President. People who can read will tell you that Gore's interest in global warming did not pop up over night because he was bored after he "lost" the 2000 Presidential Election. Gore wrote Earth in the Balance, long before anyone uttered the words "An inconvenient truth". Gore has been the greatest advocate for increasing public awareness of global warming, but his political background has created resistance from conservatives who criticize him for thinking he invented the Internet.

The discussion of what causes global warming and how it can be changed is ongoing and controversial. Intelligent people do not agree on these issues. One thing they can all agree on is that if you believe that cold weather in Omaha negates global warming, you should probably keep digging those ditches for a living.

Donkeys choke again

I originally picked the Donks to go 4-12. They ended up going 8-8, which was actually worse. This last loss, an embarrassing defeat to the Chiefs, kept them out of the playoffs for a fourth straight year. Josh McDaniels showed his immaturity once again (in benching Marshall and demoting Scheffler), and unlike his alienation of Cutler, this time it worked against him. I'm almost considering pulling a 'Cowboylaw' and ditching my favorite NFL team for a worse one.




CLEVELAND ROCKS!

Lord Bling's favorite movies of 2009 (and of the past decade)

I originally wanted to make a 'Top Ten' film list for 2009, similar to my video game and album lists, but there's still so much that was released in 2009 that I haven't seen (Up in the Air, The Road, Crazy Heart, etc.). So, I'll just talk briefly about ten films I liked last year (in alphabetical order).

500 Days of Summer -- A brilliant directorial debut. It didn't quite connect with me as strongly as it did with some other people, but it's still a very good film. The 'Expectations vs. Reality' split-screen scene is simple, yet genius. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance almost makes up for his appearance in the horrific G.I. Joe!

Avatar -- I had no expectations for this film, and was pleasantly surprised. The script is so-so, and the last hour goes through the motions, but it's an 'event' movie that deserves the title. Also, see it in 3-D. It adds a great level of depth to the visuals.

District 9 -- Another great directorial debut. If Neill Blomkamp can keep making films like this, that Halo movie should just stay in Development Hell.

The Hangover -- Not quite as funny as all your friends told you, but still a very good comedy. Break-out performances from all three leads. My only concern is that most of the laughs come from the 'discovery' of what happened that fateful night. I'm not sure if it will be as funny on a second viewing, but I plan on finding out soon.

The Hurt Locker -- Jeremy Renner will get an Oscar nod for his work here, and deservedly so. I'm not as 'in love' with this film as some critics are: Anthony Mackie's performance was very one-note, and the sniper scene in the second act was tense, but felt false. However, it's a strong film, and definitely worth your time. It's also good to see Kathryn Bigelow make a comeback, as she's been due ever since the great Strange Days in 1995.

Inglourious Basterds -- Quentin Tarantino is still the best American director working today. Some felt it's too talky, but I disagree. The most dialogue-heavy scenes (opening, basement bar) are crackling with tension. Also, the Academy should just hand Christoph Waltz the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor right now. He completely steals the film.

Moon -- My favorite science fiction movies focus on ideas more than effects, and this is no exception. It's truly 'old-school' sci-fi, filmed on a tiny budget, and is all the stronger for it.

Up -- Pixar continues its mastery of the 'family' genre by making films that are aimed almost squarely at adults. Monsters Inc. is still my favorite of theirs, but this one may end up a close second. The opening 15 minutes contains what may be one of the greatest montages ever (yes, even beating out the one from Team America).

Watchmen -- Those who liked it and those who didn't can both agree on one thing: This is as good as a film version of the influential graphic novel could ever be. Jackie Earle Haley is flawless as Rorshach. Over $100 million domestic box office, and yet it's considered a 'flop'. Sad.

Zombieland -- THE best cameo of the year, without question (I won't say who it is, as to not spoil it). Woody Harrelson pulls off both funny and intimidating, and does it convincingly. However, anyone who tells you that this is better than Shaun of the Dead is as brain-dead as a zombie from either film.

BONUS LIST! Of the films I saw in the past decade, here are my ten favorite (as of today ... subject to change!):

1. Oldboy
2. Memento
3. Mulholland Drive
4. Bus 174
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Wonder Boys
7. The Grey Zone
8. The Fog of War
9. Gangs of New York
10. Audition