tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.comments2024-03-09T03:49:50.699-05:00Your Critic is in Another CastleK. Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06554183349391372039noreply@blogger.comBlogger1255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-8053528244543597682023-04-10T03:31:36.621-04:002023-04-10T03:31:36.621-04:00It is fascinating to learn about the different son...It is fascinating to learn about the different songs and themes and how they tie into the game's significant conflicts and character arcs. Even better, the post is written with enthusiasm and joy for the subject matter, making it a pleasure to read. As a fan of the Dragon Age series, this post has made me appreciate the music even more.elevator requirements for commercial buildingshttps://tucsonelevatorrepair.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-70210110521828363462013-09-22T04:47:54.485-04:002013-09-22T04:47:54.485-04:00The baby and cat can't both fit in the crib at...The baby and cat can't both fit in the crib at the same time? :(Ronfarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-37419279246353231392013-09-14T02:50:42.743-04:002013-09-14T02:50:42.743-04:00Alexander the Great is a punk, but he's got no...Alexander the Great is a punk, but he's got nothing on Gandhi, who will shank you at whim for any reason at all.<br /><br />The cheat code of choice where I reside is "increase_sleep_length" ... naps long enough for you to get an hour and a half as well are rare and golden.Darth Thulhuhttp://boardgamegeek.com/user/Darth+Thulhunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-12727913314247960482013-09-11T06:38:45.205-04:002013-09-11T06:38:45.205-04:00Congratulations, and welcome to another M. Cox : )...Congratulations, and welcome to another M. Cox : )Darth Thulhuhttp://boardgamegeek.com/user/Darth+Thulhunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-65361042208257056642013-08-27T11:46:26.664-04:002013-08-27T11:46:26.664-04:00Congratulations! Take the time you need for your f...Congratulations! Take the time you need for your family! And take lots of pictures. You can never have too many.<br /><br />Also, try to remember to take time for you. It's great that you want to spend every waking moment with your little one, just don't lose yourself in the shuffle!supergg2knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-33116209557889838972013-08-06T08:09:41.260-04:002013-08-06T08:09:41.260-04:00Hi James, I appreciate your enthusiasm. :) One pie...Hi James, I appreciate your enthusiasm. :) One piece ended up not running, unfortunately.<br /><br /><br />As for the rest, consider me on a fairly lengthy but finite hiatus. The truth is, life away from writing caught up with me rather profoundly: we're expecting our first child literally any day now (I am 39 weeks along). That's rearranged my energy levels and my priorities for a bit but I'm really strongly hoping to be back to a regular, if light, writing schedule by the end of the year.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-50380861849889388242013-08-05T22:09:27.993-04:002013-08-05T22:09:27.993-04:00Hello. It is now July. I hope all is well; I ho...Hello. It is now July. I hope all is well; I hope you yourself are well. It may come upon you to note that it is considerably past June -- indeed, we have now passed so far from June that it is even August. As you suggested that you might have links that I or any other interested party, of which this commenter is certain there exists a considerable number, might follow so as to increase their experience of the joy and illumination that your writings upon the noble art of the Video Game may offer. <br /><br />Further, as we believe that we have explicated as briefly as possibly --for as we all know, brevity is a vital virtue in blog a commenter, even as it is in historians, were it the case that my observations, that is those comments regarding the lunar procession, been unimportant I should have summarily omitted them -- that the promised month of June has passed in good fashion, and July in a like manner, we find ourselves compelled to pose this question to your honorable self, with all humility due our own lowly station in comparison to your Ladyships exalted one: is their any place where we might find your writings?<br /><br />With most humble regards, James of A.James Anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-12039180622440497802013-06-17T19:40:14.933-04:002013-06-17T19:40:14.933-04:00I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think from a...I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think from a business/profit point of view, the game consoles are a sideline, to Microserf. The big money, for them, is business site licenses, which require very little upkeep or outlay. For instance, I work for a company with ~25,000 employees. Pretty much every one of us has a desktop (or laptop, or both) running WinXPpro (soon to be Win7) and the full Office Suite, including Outlook. The software is customized in house, but MS still gets those licensing fees, like clockwork. And we're just one company.efgoldmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-67781179735435556332013-06-08T12:34:25.391-04:002013-06-08T12:34:25.391-04:00Next month I attend a family reunion in the Badlan...Next month I attend a family reunion in the Badlands of South Dakota. I expect to experience these sorts of issues first-hand.DoctorJaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-23911503221432320592013-06-07T13:18:15.955-04:002013-06-07T13:18:15.955-04:00The wave of the future is going to crash on the ro...The wave of the future is going to crash on the rocks of the present repeatedly in the US, as long as we have to rely solely on ISPs for infrastructure - IIRC this has been the case with virtually every form of technology. Companies that own it will run it out only to places that maximize their investment, which kind of makes sense ... except that the government's approach seems to be "I don't know why we don't have better internet service, we've been giving the (major) ISPs money, wonder why they haven't been using it?" And [stuff] that big doesn't get done without heavy government involvement, not in a country this size.<br /><br /><br />If Microsoft weren't run by totally incompetent people, they (and Sony) would be working hand-in-hand with Google and others to spread high-speed internet to other areas of the country, particularly underserved areas ... and _then_ they'd roll out a console that requires a better, faster connection. (The always-on aspect is remarkably stupid, but that's a whole other rant.) <br /><br /><br />Instead, they're making the same mistake many others across entertainment industries are making. (Major US sports leagues, for example: still charging sky-high ticket prices and doing little or nothing to offer customized PPV packages, as though it were the '50s and people would still say "Guess the game's not on TV, let's head downtown and get tickets.") So many more choices for entertainment are available ... and until certain politicians and CEOs stop deliberately sabotaging the economy, money will be at a premium for a significant percentage of people. Assuming that people will continue to do what they've done in the past is a fool's errand. <br /><br /><br /><br />Even an average gamer might hesitate to drop $500-$1K on a new console with just a handful of games when they could spend the same money on 100 games on GOG or 10-20 games on their current console ... and given Microsoft's past with both hardware and DRM, who knows if you'd even get to play that handful of games? (If you live in an area where you can download them, that is.)zlionsfannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-41749927606011697362013-06-06T22:07:23.333-04:002013-06-06T22:07:23.333-04:00as matter of fact "tiny countries" are n...as matter of fact "tiny countries" are not struggle with internet connection as much as usa do. I'm from generic city in Ukraine with only 300k population and 16-32mb was standard for last 2-3years here. I'm as example siting on 54 in 8 out for last 4 years and this speed was always "nothing special" for that time.Staluxa Kovtunnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-82153646236526241052013-06-06T21:15:55.543-04:002013-06-06T21:15:55.543-04:00Sounds like we're not all that different with ...Sounds like we're not all that different with our mix diversity then. Per-capita you'll naturally hear the most complaints coming from people in Toronto and Vancouver (where there is also the most number of competitors buying off the same pipes), but that kind of congestion is geographically comparable to residents of San Francisco running out of empty wi-fi channels in dense areas. <br /><br />Considering Canada is roughly the population of California, with a whole lot more infrastructure (www.shawbusinesssolutions.ca/sbs/about/our_network_map.jsp), it's really not bad service wise at all, south of the 50th parallel. Having crown corporations and telecom co-operatives certainly helps to ensure rural accessibility. :)Seekulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-67511827379986722822013-06-06T20:51:35.886-04:002013-06-06T20:51:35.886-04:00My understanding, from all the Canadian and Austra...My understanding, from all the Canadian and Australian friends I know on Twitter, Facebook, and so on, is that data caps, and fairly low ones, are incredibly common with ISPs in both those nations. (As you indicate with your last line about Toronto.) Here in the US, it's completely mixed -- depends on which regional monopoly serves your portion of your state, and even then what a Time Warner customer experiences in North Carolina may not be the same as what a Time Warner customer experiences in New York.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-16543719814336138262013-06-06T20:47:55.174-04:002013-06-06T20:47:55.174-04:00Great perspective. Regrettably I'm missing you...Great perspective. Regrettably I'm missing your point with "how tricky heavy reliance on high-bandwidth internet connections can be in such tiny countries as Australia and Canada." I know there's sarcasm somewhere, but can't seem to parse it, and that's unusual for me!<br /><br /><br />For the non-satirical record, Canada has some of the oldest fiber-optic networks in the world, and my home city of 150k souls was fiber-lined in the 1980s thanks to Bell-Northern/Nortel (I have the newspaper articles for proof ;) <br /><br /><br />Right now the local phone company offers their highest speeds as 200+Mbps down and 30Mbps up, which is what I will rub in the face of our cable company which has been locked at 0.5Mbps upstream for about a decade now. Coax, man... :p Thankfully we are in a region thus far unencumbered by data caps, which can't be said for Toronto.Seekulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-90103202588501656702013-05-23T11:57:14.642-04:002013-05-23T11:57:14.642-04:00D'oh, no edit function. I meant to add to the ...D'oh, no edit function. I meant to add to the example that the XBox One AS PRESENTED this week will function like that. If Microsoft has anything more elaborate or integrated planned, then they haven't indicated as such. (Though it is well-sourced now that there's no cablecard functionality.)M Coxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-30581330608621469732013-05-23T11:54:48.308-04:002013-05-23T11:54:48.308-04:00No, there is no cablecard functionality on the Xbo...No, there is no cablecard functionality on the Xbox One. For starters, cablecards are only popularly used in the US, so it wouldn't work internationally. Microsoft skirted the issue by simply putting an HDMI input on the back that you route your cable box through. HDMI CEC codes lets the Xbox One pass commands (like changing channels) back through the line to the cable box... assuming that providers code their box to accept those signals.<br /><br /><br /><br />Also I understand it provides the guide as well as VOD, but the two are not connected. To use the example in the article, if I say "Xbox, show me Game of Thrones" to the Xbox One, it will just show it on the guide, or turn the channel if it's on right then. If I have the X1 cable box from Comcast, which also supports voice commands using an iOS app, I can say "Show me Game of Thrones", and it will display the next air date, any present recordings I have, and what episodes are available on VOD to watch right then. It's a far more intuitive experience than Microsoft is offering, and only requires the one box (the cable box), rather than two (the cable box + Xbox One)M Coxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-30062849665595031592013-05-23T11:12:38.579-04:002013-05-23T11:12:38.579-04:00I assumed there would be some sort of cable card, ...I assumed there would be some sort of cable card, as there is with the TiVo Premiere. No idea about other providers, but with Xfinity it provides the cable guide as well as VOD. (Though I agree that not having a DVR makes it useless as a TV-attached machine.)retconningnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-26436720729331694342013-05-23T10:44:51.010-04:002013-05-23T10:44:51.010-04:00Yeah, that's pretty much how I felt. I'll ...Yeah, that's pretty much how I felt. I'll save my gaming reaction for Kate's column, but I feel vindicated seeing an expert on the other part of the Minus One's features provide basically the same feedback. (It's somewhat ironic that Microsoft is releasing a backward-looking console with no backward compatibility, as we were so bluntly told recently ...)zlionsfannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-20842962726710329062013-05-22T23:11:31.551-04:002013-05-22T23:11:31.551-04:00Thanks for the insight into the TV side. I've ...Thanks for the insight into the TV side. I've read a great deal of harsh criticism on the videogame side of the console, but not much else on the TV side of the equation. The expert opinion on Microsoft's non-videogame focus is appreciated.Darth Thulhuhttp://boardgamegeek.com/user/Darth+Thulhunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-70887635843199095832013-04-29T14:53:07.031-04:002013-04-29T14:53:07.031-04:00Sorry that this is off topic, but since nothing ha...Sorry that this is off topic, but since nothing has been heard from you since February I wanted to see if you were still writing, if not here then perhaps some where else?James Anoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-83381869122403068702013-02-21T16:12:58.044-05:002013-02-21T16:12:58.044-05:00"The cops, it turns out, aren't always 10..."The cops, it turns out, aren't always 100% good."<br /><br />I don't interpret this statement as naive. I interpret it as a carefully-worded statement intended to avoid controversy. This was not a forum for progressive politics; it was a sales presentation. If anything, it may have been tinged with a little no-duh sarcasm, but I wasn't there, so I'm only speculating as to the possibility. I think it would be a little absurd to imagine that any presenter, regardless of gender or race, would have presented things differently, in this context. Whatever the opinion of the presenter, any presentation is going to be carefully vetted by dozens of marketing and management types before it makes it to the stage.<br /><br />This is not to say that your other points are invalid, but it is worth considering whether you could expect the content of the presentation to depend much (or at all) upon the identity of the presenter. It DOES say something, though, about the audience that the company is trying to reach.MrFellownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-1350101533838236902013-01-21T01:14:15.614-05:002013-01-21T01:14:15.614-05:00P2 and Bastion are two of the best games I've ...P2 and Bastion are two of the best games I've ever played. Still not sure if I'll try DA2.Redmond Jenningshttp://unwarr.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-69769229458535364692013-01-17T19:00:49.844-05:002013-01-17T19:00:49.844-05:00Nope! Kotaku and I parted ways amicably on Decembe...Nope! Kotaku and I parted ways amicably on December 1.K. Coxhttp://www.your-critic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-26640905321724954642013-01-16T16:41:34.432-05:002013-01-16T16:41:34.432-05:00What happened to Kotaku? Do you not post there an...What happened to Kotaku? Do you not post there anymore?Mateo Hutchinsuelahttp://www.facebook.com/mateo.hutchinsuelanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-886868484666652260.post-56416865293886787672013-01-12T15:31:11.092-05:002013-01-12T15:31:11.092-05:00That is AWFUL. Jeezus. I am so repulsed right no...That is AWFUL. Jeezus. I am so repulsed right now. Stay class, Fapcom. Devi Sagehttp://twitter.com/Deviijanoreply@blogger.com