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
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
"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)
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)
Monday, March 21, 2011
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.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Night Before (QuakeLive - Not Snorkeling Related)
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
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
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Off-Topic: Going Blindfolded this Sunday
I'm going to wear a blindfold for 3 hours this Sunday. There are 3 reasons for this:
A) I just rewatched The Book of Eli. Not a very good movie. But it made me think about being blind.
B) It's like fight training with one arm behind your back -- just forcing the brain to expand, to use other senses, to adapt.
C) It is literally the most exciting thing I can think of doing on my free day. Yes, it's true.
If you haven't seen this short video, check it out now. It's the lady with no arms, who has a pilots license. Now, if she can brush her teeth, using her feet, I'm sure I can shuffle around home for a couple of hours without sight.
In fact, if my hunch is correct (and they rarely are), my brain will actually experience more growth during those 3 hours, than during 6 months of normal life! By removing the primary sense (sight), I hope to force the brain to adapt it's neural pathways, building new connections between synapses and other awkwardly-spelled parts, enhancing my other senses and ultimately making me a more efficient animal.
Anticipated Problems:
* Using the toilet. How to aim? Should I pee sitting down just to avoid any accidents?
* Making a cup of tea.
* Boredom. I can't leave the house -- well maybe sit in the garden I suppose, listening to birds, and trying to interact with them using a complex series of shrill sounds from my nasal passages. But that's not going to be as fun as playing Star Trek Bridge Commander, is it?
But such is the price of scientific experiments. I'll post again on Sunday after I have removed the blindfold.
-Gray
A) I just rewatched The Book of Eli. Not a very good movie. But it made me think about being blind.
B) It's like fight training with one arm behind your back -- just forcing the brain to expand, to use other senses, to adapt.
C) It is literally the most exciting thing I can think of doing on my free day. Yes, it's true.
If you haven't seen this short video, check it out now. It's the lady with no arms, who has a pilots license. Now, if she can brush her teeth, using her feet, I'm sure I can shuffle around home for a couple of hours without sight.
In fact, if my hunch is correct (and they rarely are), my brain will actually experience more growth during those 3 hours, than during 6 months of normal life! By removing the primary sense (sight), I hope to force the brain to adapt it's neural pathways, building new connections between synapses and other awkwardly-spelled parts, enhancing my other senses and ultimately making me a more efficient animal.
Anticipated Problems:
* Using the toilet. How to aim? Should I pee sitting down just to avoid any accidents?
* Making a cup of tea.
* Boredom. I can't leave the house -- well maybe sit in the garden I suppose, listening to birds, and trying to interact with them using a complex series of shrill sounds from my nasal passages. But that's not going to be as fun as playing Star Trek Bridge Commander, is it?
But such is the price of scientific experiments. I'll post again on Sunday after I have removed the blindfold.
-Gray
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Dolphins, ghosts and facehuggers - wow!
Greetings fellow snorkellers!
First post on my new (2nd hand) laptop. With barely enough horsepower to run Windows XP, and less RAM than most desktop calculators, it is still serving me well by letting me do the most essential computing tasks -- post to my blog, check Facebook, watch stupid but entertaining YouTube clips (Bert & Ernie try gangsta rap ) and most importantly -- play Minecraft.
Anyway, back to the snorkelling! I went with my sister this morning. Today was overcast, cool, and with a brisk easterly wind. I wasn't expecting a very good snorkel ... But the ocean has a way of surprising us.
Before even getting into the water, we saw a dolphin(s) splashing around out past the reef. As I observed it, I realized that dolphins are clearly not as intelligent as people think. While his family are probably in the Pacific somewhere getting chased down by Japenese whaling ships, and being served in sushi bars, this little guy was spending his time splashing around the West Australian coast. Completely unproductive, failing to provide for his/her offspring, and generally making a pain of himself. Why do dolphins seem to have so much free time on their hands? It's strange.
After hitting the water we headed straight out to the depths, leaving the kiddies and the breast-stroking grannies behind. The first thing I noticed was the water became about 5 degrees warmer. Also, it was clearer -- much clearer. There were fish everywhere. I mean, it was getting to the point where we couldn't swim for all the fish. Slightly annoying to be honest. I can't see why fish have so many babies -- from what I've seen this morning, the oceans are already overcrowded.
Aside from all the time-wasting dolphins and annoying fish, we did see a couple of other fascinating things today. The first was some bubbles, rising from the rocks about 15 feet below us. I thought it was a diver, and even thought I saw his air tank retreat under a rock. But no diver surfaced. Passing the spot again later, I noticed that the bubbles had decreased to a sporadic trickle. My theory here is that what we saw was some type of ghost -- a diver who had died, some years ago, and was now haunting the depths with his ghostly bubbles. It's the most plausible theory I can come up with. Unless dolphins release bubbles when they are underwater? If anybody has further info / suggestions, please leave a comment, because I'm scratching my head on this one people.
Also, there was jellyfish. They were swarming with obvious intelligence, gradually surrounding the high-energy source of protein that foolishly swam amongst them (that would be us). Why can't we invent some type of "pesticide" to spray into the ocean, that will eradicate this dangerous pest once and for all? There is simply no need to have them, floating about and stinging people.
Finally, on the way back in I came across a patch of clear sand, which was home to several dozen "sacks". They were about 5 inches long, attached to the sand by a small black spot, and waving freely in the current. I dived under to check them out closely, and saw that they were pulsing with life. Anybody who has seen the movie Alien, or it's superior sequel Aliens, will know what I'm talking about. It looked exactly like the eggs that facehuggers emerge from. Scary stuff, and again, amazing that I can snorkel the exact same beach 25 times, and still be finding new lifeforms and new civilizations, boldly going where no man has -- oh never mind.
Blog posts may be few and far between -- my waking hours are now divided between work and Minecraft, which is the single most addictive(*) and compelling game I've ever played. I think it just taps into the primitive part of our brains that says "hunt, gather and build". It's silly how fast this game eats up the hours.
Cheers all and stay safe out there!
-Gray
* - I maintain that the word "addicting" can't be used in this sentence. If you are one of those people who use "addicting", please slap yourself in the face for me. Thankyou.
First post on my new (2nd hand) laptop. With barely enough horsepower to run Windows XP, and less RAM than most desktop calculators, it is still serving me well by letting me do the most essential computing tasks -- post to my blog, check Facebook, watch stupid but entertaining YouTube clips (Bert & Ernie try gangsta rap ) and most importantly -- play Minecraft.
Anyway, back to the snorkelling! I went with my sister this morning. Today was overcast, cool, and with a brisk easterly wind. I wasn't expecting a very good snorkel ... But the ocean has a way of surprising us.
Before even getting into the water, we saw a dolphin(s) splashing around out past the reef. As I observed it, I realized that dolphins are clearly not as intelligent as people think. While his family are probably in the Pacific somewhere getting chased down by Japenese whaling ships, and being served in sushi bars, this little guy was spending his time splashing around the West Australian coast. Completely unproductive, failing to provide for his/her offspring, and generally making a pain of himself. Why do dolphins seem to have so much free time on their hands? It's strange.
After hitting the water we headed straight out to the depths, leaving the kiddies and the breast-stroking grannies behind. The first thing I noticed was the water became about 5 degrees warmer. Also, it was clearer -- much clearer. There were fish everywhere. I mean, it was getting to the point where we couldn't swim for all the fish. Slightly annoying to be honest. I can't see why fish have so many babies -- from what I've seen this morning, the oceans are already overcrowded.
Aside from all the time-wasting dolphins and annoying fish, we did see a couple of other fascinating things today. The first was some bubbles, rising from the rocks about 15 feet below us. I thought it was a diver, and even thought I saw his air tank retreat under a rock. But no diver surfaced. Passing the spot again later, I noticed that the bubbles had decreased to a sporadic trickle. My theory here is that what we saw was some type of ghost -- a diver who had died, some years ago, and was now haunting the depths with his ghostly bubbles. It's the most plausible theory I can come up with. Unless dolphins release bubbles when they are underwater? If anybody has further info / suggestions, please leave a comment, because I'm scratching my head on this one people.
Also, there was jellyfish. They were swarming with obvious intelligence, gradually surrounding the high-energy source of protein that foolishly swam amongst them (that would be us). Why can't we invent some type of "pesticide" to spray into the ocean, that will eradicate this dangerous pest once and for all? There is simply no need to have them, floating about and stinging people.
Finally, on the way back in I came across a patch of clear sand, which was home to several dozen "sacks". They were about 5 inches long, attached to the sand by a small black spot, and waving freely in the current. I dived under to check them out closely, and saw that they were pulsing with life. Anybody who has seen the movie Alien, or it's superior sequel Aliens, will know what I'm talking about. It looked exactly like the eggs that facehuggers emerge from. Scary stuff, and again, amazing that I can snorkel the exact same beach 25 times, and still be finding new lifeforms and new civilizations, boldly going where no man has -- oh never mind.
Blog posts may be few and far between -- my waking hours are now divided between work and Minecraft, which is the single most addictive(*) and compelling game I've ever played. I think it just taps into the primitive part of our brains that says "hunt, gather and build". It's silly how fast this game eats up the hours.
Cheers all and stay safe out there!
-Gray
* - I maintain that the word "addicting" can't be used in this sentence. If you are one of those people who use "addicting", please slap yourself in the face for me. Thankyou.
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