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Malik (11/24/08)

Since I feel like I'm always repeating myself on Mondays, let's do it again in short format...

Blah blah Seahawks blah blah crap! Blah blah, why do they do this to me?! Blah.

Actually, a little more depth is good. So, to repeat myself in a better way;

The Seahawks did make a good effort. It was a close game. I mean 17 to 20 is a respectable score...even if it was a loss that came down to so many repeated factors. On one hand, the offensive line cannot protect Hasselbeck to save his life. You could see a pass play in the works by one simple visual reference; Hasselbeck looked scared because he knew a passing play meant he would feel the pain of a sack or a barely-not-late hit.

The only good part of the O-line was the lack of Wahle to overturn any good plays (like the 40 yard run by Morris). However, losing one bad player doesn't make up for allowing the same sloppiness from other players.

The defense, once again, quit in the later part of the game. The only new part is that they quit in the middle of the third quarter instead of the start of the fourth. Still, they couldn't stop a 7 minutes drive that the Redskins used to kill any chance for the Seahawks to tie up the game in the fourth.

The season is over. There's no mistaking it. Now comes the question of if Holmgren will do the right thing and step back. He's still the coach, but maybe it's time for More to be allowed to make the calls since he can get in some practice now for his role next year as head coach.

Maybe Mora would also know how to control the clock some. As a hint, if ten seconds are left on the play clock, it's too late to call a timeout to stop the clock. Wait for the next down to use a timeout.

The only good use of a timeout that Holmgren used was challenging an out of bounds call in the third quarter. I think it was Santana Moss who was running on the side line and stepped on the line three steps before being ruled out of bounds. Too bad, despite how obvious his foot was being, the play stood as called and cost the Seahawks a precious timeout.

Anyway, I'll keep watching, especially for the stinker that will be the Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys. However, all emotional investment in the Seahawks has to stop, for me, for this season. It's too painful to keep getting excited only the fall flat on my face in the fourth quarter.

Malik

Malik (11/25/08)

Not much for me to talk about today. Tomorrow there will be plenty of new Rock Band DLC and such to talk about, but today is a bit limited.

So, I'll just hit two little things. On one hand there's news of the Fable 2 DLC that will be coming out in December. Basically, I have to say I'm more impressed with Fable 2 now that we're seeing a whole new area to explore, with quests, after so little time of being out. Definitely an improvement over games like GTA4, which promised DLC for so long but took more than the promised time to deliver DLC to only deliver news of it.

The Fable 2 DLC for next month will include the Knothole Isle area. This is an area from the original Fable, but the region is being put into some danger and all that good stuff. On top of offering a new region with some new quests, there's also some bonus items being given (boots, gloves, and a weight loss potion). Hopefully this also means that Knothole will offer these same potions being sold and not just being a one shot weight loss fix like the apple pie from the pub games.

I just hope there's enough offered to make the $10 price tag seem worth it. Afterall, there's a lot of good uses for $10, like RB DLC. As long as there's a good few side quests to this area, I'll be happy.

On a different note, I have to get two complaints off my chest on Rock Band 2. The first I've seen for a long time and keep forgetting to complain about. A patch is needed to fix one of the special events that can come up in a Band World Tour set. I'm talking about the times you're asked to perform an encore song after your normal set. Why is this song almost always Any Way You Want It (Journey)? I love taking on the special events (more fans, more money, no overdrive, and all those good things), but I cannot take this one anymore. I've played this same damned song, as an encore, too many times to count. It's even worse if you have a random set or a set that includes this song and you take the encore...having to play that same damned song twice in a single set. I love some good old Journey, but sometimes enough is enough.

On that same note of unbalanced crap in RB2, I've started to play the vocal challenges recently. I figured I needed to add to my abilities on the mic, so this would be a good way to improve. That was all well and good, but my complaint is in the legendary set. Why is the Talky Challenge in the legendary tier? The only vocal challenge I can face on expert (followed by gold stars) and it's legendary? Something just seems wrong with that picture.

Ok...I'm tired and out of things to complain about, so I'll wrap this up.

Malik

Malik (11/26/08)

I downloaded the Killers and Soundgarden tracks last night. It is the last time I go with my happy-go-lucky ways. I used to always check videos of how much I enjoyed the songs on expert guitar, but that changed with recent offerings (Dead Kennedys and Foo Fighters, in particular). Now I'll go back to checking videos online since Jesus Christ Pose is an awful song for Rock Band. It's fast, but very uninspired. It's harder than it looks, and is...quite simply it is not fun. It's an awful exercise in strumming quickly. Bass is the same. This is not the Soundgarden we expect from Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, or even Pretty Noose (which is fun).

Beyond Pretty Noose being fun, I say the same can be said for The Killers new DLC. All three songs offer something fun on most parts. I don't know the drum line, but the bass, guitar, and vocals all seem like a blast. I only focused on expert guitar, but I had fun. The only partial exception is that Mr. Brightside is a wrist killer on guitar. Every note is a unique single color note that will jump across the frets like nothing. It's painful...but fun if you enjoy The Killers.

Also, the DLC announcement came early this week (that whole short work week thing is probably at play on this). I would comment but...well...I don't even know where to begin. I guess a good variety of genres is good...in theory. However, the addition of Nickelodeon crap is not making me feel good about Harmonix.   They may be owned in part or in a deal with Viacom (MTV), but it doesn't mean sacrificed quality should ensue to please they corporate masters...at least not to a point of including, in a T rated game, music aimed towards people under the T range.

On a different note, I finally heard back from the Washington State Attorney General Office about my Comcast issue and how Comcast pulled some bullshit bait-and-switch on me. Apparently, all Comcast had to do to end the case, as it stood, was simply repeat my complaint ("From our records, we see that...insert what I complained about...and we will strive for better customer support in the future"). That, apparently, is enough to drop the matter. No apology, no fine (for an illegal sales maneuver), no...nothing.

So, my natural thought is two-fold. First off, I'm not dropping this matter and I'm calling out the AGO (Attorney General's Office) on dropping this so quickly. I, to paraphrase Fight Club, am not a special snowflake. If this happened to me, then it's bound to have not been an isolated incident with such a large company. The difference with my case is that I don't take this bullshit lying down. I complain, unlike a lot of people who would even go so far as to take the lack of accommodation made by Comcast. I don't take this shit lying down since I don't want to face higher prices for a lack of improved service. No one should, especially in the current nightmare we call the economy, but sadly some people are fine with a minor screw-job if it's easier than fixing a problem and preventing it in the future.

Secondly, I had to ask the AGO, just like I ask myself...what crimes are allowed with the line "opps! Our bad!"? What can be excused with this. If I promise to not take someone's property and then take it...but I return it later, can I be excused from litigation and penalty by saying "I strive for better customer service and will try to prevent these misunderstandings in the future"? I want to know how far this mulligan rule goes. "Officer, I strive for better service and will train my foot to not floor it in a 25 MPH zone in future driving incidents"...does that get me out of a traffic infraction? Viva lazy government. Too bad our Attorney General (Rob McKenna) just got re-elected a few weeks ago. I hate to think that my state, in all it's backwards budgeting, will allow whatever shit comes it's way just because it's easier than pressing the issue of illegal behavior. Afterall, if a fine was levied, at the very least, for this fraudulent sales tactic, then at least the state budget would get a little more money as we face a 5+ billion dollar deficit over the new couple of years.

I also love that Comcast couldn't even go to the simple step of apologizing to me. I may not forgive or forget them trying to screw me over, but it would at least be the bare minimum to look like they are trying to give a shit.

Malik

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