Donation Result and Weird Dream

Final result was AUS$135 donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Brilliant!

Last night I had a cool dream where I was doing parkour through the world of Minecraft. It combined two awesome things, and reached a level of epicness so extreme, I wish I had never woke up!

Just wanted to share that experience with you all.

-Gray

"QUAKE for the QUAKE" Charity Drive

This Sunday I'm donating $5 to the Japanese Red Cross, for every player that joins my server and beats me in a duel. Since 90% of Australia can beat me, I should reach my target of $75 within a couple of hours!

Seems like a nice way to combine my love of Quake with some charity. And maybe even inspire some other Quake players to donate a bit (I'll be spamming chat binds profusely throughout the day ;)  ).

Further info is right here and I'll report back after the event.

-Gray
("Gray_Oz" in QuakeLive)

1 sentence update

So I snorkel once a fortnight at best these days, play QuakeLive too much, my fish is doing great with lots of care from me, and I'm going to quit sugar starting .... from now.

The Night Before (QuakeLive - Not Snorkeling Related)

Tomorrow is the big tournament -- the fortnightly "4 Seasons Gaming Fortnightly Duel Competition", which runs fortnightly, every two weeks and also bi-weekly on the second Sunday of each fortnight (4SG Tournament).

First prize - a mouse pad. So much more than a medium to slide your mouse over, this pad represents the pinnacle of  QuakeLive achievement. It is a trophy, to hold aloft; a symbol which announces to the world: "I won an arbitrary competition in a free-to-play online FPS game". Something I can pull out of the closet at Christmas time, in years to come when my kids are grown up. Something that says to them, "Yes, Dad was once something special -- he out-fragged ChaCha".

Of course, to be the best, you have to put in the effort. Much like Mr. Rocky Balboa in his feature-film documentarys, I have spent the last few days in a sort of "training montage". Fragging some bots while listening to motivational music. Twisting my mouse hand around in circles for hours on end, to build up the ligaments. Setting up a desk fan to cool my 5 year old laptop as it struggles to put out 30 FPS on Toxicity. Abstaining from sexual activity (which has been easy, since I'm single).

I've even had disembodied voices running through my head, saying mysterious things like ...

"Ping is all in your mind"
"Don't aim at the target, let the target aim at you"
"The lightning shaft is just an extension of your body"

I've learned to run rings around bots -- I regularly hit double-digit scores against Lucy on Aerowalk.

When I retire for the night, I spend my dreams strafe-jumping through endless corridors whilst hitting snap-rails to the left and right, a distant voice calling out "Impressive!" and "Two frags in two seconds!". I wake up sweating, my right index finger twitching involuntarily.

My play has reached new heights. I regularly find myself watching myself, while myself plays. Against myself. Usually, I beat myself.

I don't "collect" the Red Armour - I embrace it. I don't time items, I become the items. When I'm not in-game, I'm watching YouTube clips of Pro games, reading forums for tips or info, or cleaning my mouse pad with a cotton-bud -- anything to give me the edge over the competition.

So as I sit tonight with tense shoulders, a spinning head, and a churning stomach, I can tell you this my friends -- Gray_Oz is ready to bring his A-Game tomorrow. Because QuakeLive isn't about ping, LG hit percentage, or plasma spamming -- it's about attitude.

And just like Charlie Sheen, up here in my head, I'm already winning ...

[ Gray_Oz on QuakeLive ]

Review of "Battle for LA"

Don't read this and then get upset about the spoilers. This post contains spoilers.
 
Let me keep this brief since it's late. This movie was one cliche after another. If you cross "Aliens" with "Saving Private Ryan", add a touch of "Independence Day" -- you've got Battle for LA.

Although mildly entertaining when taken for what it is (a fluffly popcorn film), this film is almost a parody of the genre.

When a civilian does something heroic, make sure you cue the overly-dramatic string music - check.
After killing an alien, shout out an insult at it's dead body - check.
Make an early reference to an "alien command & control centre"; guess where the climax of the film will be? ...
Despite being in a war zone and having an RPG explode in the SAME ROOM, you can jump back up and fight and communicate with your squad mates - check.
The end scene where they go back in after 24 hours of battle, refusing to stop and eat breakfast -- I'm sure I've seen this exact scene in another film.
Hokey dialogue, including saying to a young boy, "You're the bravest little Marine I've ever known" - check.

And why did they count down to the bombs dropping, using the wall clock that was in the wrecked building they happened to be in at the time? To the second?! Why would that wall clock be synchronized to atomic or military time? It doesn't make sense. Use your damn wristwatches, if anything.

Incidentally the gratuitous product placement of G-Shock "Mudman" wristwatches was the only plausible and sensible part of the entire film.

Just my opinions anyway.

-Gray