Email Recap: July 8th

We're way past July 8th, but I'm recapping that day anyway. It was a good day in the ol' email chain... away we gooooooooo!

-We're engineers... and nerds:

Chuck:

I don’t like the way the new HEC-RAS does mixed flow conditions calculations, and the sediment transport utility is… obstinate. Hopefully when the regular release hits (I’ve got mine pre-ordered from the Corps) they’ll have fixed these issues.

Ryan:

The sediment transport utility just thought it was about time to find God and keep the b*stard count down. It was starting to rival Mr. Kemp.

Oh wait, I’m thinking of something else… carry on

You can pre-order design software?

-Barry needs an intervention:

Barry:

Maybe squeeze in a couple games of FIFA...

Chuck:

We need an exorcism.

The POWER of CHRIST COMPELS YOU!!!

Now, we wait until he spins his head 360 degrees and spits pea soup at us. If necessary, we wait until he gets older as an actor, makes bad career choices, and is ultimately still only known as the guy who spun his head around 360 degrees and spit pea soup when he was younger.

-I like Mechs (understatement):

Ryan:

I have no audio on my computer… but there is a video on IGN right now that says “Mechwarrior Project, potential additions to the franchise”

I’m trying to not get excited. I think I just peed a little.

Chuck:

Does your phone notify you anytime the words “Mech”, “Mechwarrior”, or “Battletech” get googled so many times in a day? Or is this part of your daily 2:40 p.m. search-for-mech-news routine?

The Answer is "no", but if anybody can hookup that app for a BlackBerry, I'd be all over it.

-And finally... Barry updates his XBL avatar:

Ryan:

Xbox.com suggests that Barry already played with the avatar editor today.

He’s got some bling.

Barry:

dolla dolla bill yall

Chuck:

C.R.E.A.M. grab the money. Dolla Dolla Bill, Yall!

There you go folks! Have a good one!

DJ Whoo Kid: An Interview

DJ Whoo Kid, one of the stars of 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand has agreed to give Inverted Y Axis and exclusive interview about his experiences during the creation of the game. We join him today at his estate...



IYA: Well DJ Whoo Kid, thanks for talking to us today.

DJ Whoo Kid: YEEEEEAAAHHHH!

IYA: So, where did you guys get the idea for the story in 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand?

DJWK: These buildings have been here for like, hundreds of years.

IYA: Really? This house actually looks quite new.

DJWK: I don't think they like us being here Fiddy!

IYA: Excuse me? We can leave if we need to...

DJWK: It's all clear fiddy!

IYA: So we can stay?

DJWK: YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!

IYA: Thanks, let's continue...

DJWK: Get that skrilla!

IYA: I don't even know what that means.

DJWK: That's Whoo Kid Power, baby! YEEEAAAAAHHHH!

IYA: Ok, I'm leaving.

DJWK: Die you muh-fuggin bitch! [draws gun]

[Interviewer runs out of room . Fiddy enters.]

Fiddy: Hey, Whoo Kid... was somebody just here?

DJWK: Let's get that shine Fiddy, YEEEEAAAAHHHH!

Fiddy: You're a fucking idiot...

In The Foreseeable Future...

Poops: Yes, I'd like to cancel my service.

Gamefly: Of course sir, but before you go, may we ask why?

Poops: You sent me Facebreaker, which I took as an act of war and aggression on my great nation.

Gamefly: But, it was in your queue...

Poops: That was a test.

Gamefly: If we offer you a free month, would you be willing to continue service with us?

Poops: I don't negotiate with terrorists.

Gamefly: What if we throw in some pudding?

Poops: Fuck...

Alls fair...

...in love and Uno.

It's interesting, in this day and age with high definition gaming consoles and plasma or LCD tvs, that three guys in three different cities have nothing better to do on a Friday night than to drink heavily and play Uno against and with each other over Xbox Live.

Make no mistake, this is not "Busch League" Uno, this is full contact no holds barred complete with racial slurs Uno. With our diverse group there is plenty to say. Myself being asian, for example, must laugh when Ryan says "Leave it up to Barry to have all the yellow cards..."

46" Samsumg 1080P LCD = $1500
Xbox 360 = $300
Uno 400 Microsoft points ~ $5
Guys Night In = Priceless

Must Be A Cubs Fan

Conan: My name is Conan... I have come from the land of Cimmeria in search of a mighty sorcerer who has stolen my armor and has plagued these lands with a black death. I will destroy all who stand in my way! DIE YOU CUR!!



Uecker: ......... what the hell is that guys problem?

I'm Not Really That Smart...

As Poops has mentioned before in this space, we're not JUST into gaming around here. We have hobbies outside of life here... and some of us even have real jobs! I like to do a little cycling and mountain biking. With that being said the MS 150 is just around the corner. It's a bike ride from Houston, TX to Austin, TX that takes place over 2 days and supports the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I will, against all better judgement, be participating in this absolutely insane endeavor. However, I do have to collect a few donations. So, if you're reading this, and you want to do something about Multiple Sclerosis, please take a moment to go here and make a donation. Thanks a ton!

-AirstrikeRhino

Oh... and if you get your ridiculous donation moniker (see the scrolling ticker on the left of the link above) on there before the 9th, Poops will be including you on a t-shirt that I will be sporting after the ride as I party it up in Austin.

Andrew Ryan Will Make Your Life Inconvenient

As I mentioned before, I've only recently started to really dive into Bioshock. Andrew Ryan talks a big game, but when he acts, he seems to only act to slow me and not actually kill me. Here's a list of other ways Andrew Ryan has slightly inconvenienced my life.

After threatening to remove all that was tender and gentle from my life, used last fabric softener sheet.

Mowed lawn, had to cancel appointment with lawn service.

Quoted entire most recent episode of The Office before I could watch it on DVR.

Unloaded dishwasher, rearranging dish layout in cabinets.

Fast forwarded all VHS cassettes in my movie cabinet to end (What a dumbass, I totally bought into HD DVD years ago).

Funded development of War World.

Deleted all of my Xbox Live Arcade games... except War World.

Hid keys (jokes on him, I don't have a job!)

Felt bad, showed me he had the keys in his pocket the whole time... then threw them in the backyard.

Ate dog's last rawhide bone.

What has Andrew Ryan done to make your world slightly inconvenient? In the comments!

I Guess I'll Give It A Look

Apparently there's something going on PS Home today. The Playstation Blog says it's some sort of Alternate Reality Game (ARG). The two biggest ARGs that come to my mind were the two associated with the releases of Halo 2 and Halo 3. I Love Bees (Halo 2) was absolutely incredible... I'm only sad that I didn't discover it until well after the fact. However, the audio clips associated with it (found here) played out a really good story. The Halo 3 ARG was fun to watch unfold, but ultimately didn't do much for me. I'm about to hop onto Home right now and see what this one is all about.


UPDATE: Now that I've checked it out it looks like they've at least put a story together for the whole thing. I'm not sure if this is going to be some kind of game release announcement or some new things in home. It sounds like you're assisting some group called AFK who (in the ARG at least) assisted in the creation of home. The team leader was apparently working on a side project called Xi. It looks like there will be periodic updates with new tasks that unlock new pieces of the puzzle. There's some kind of emblem you're collecting pieces of... however when you scroll over them you can see a shadow of the piece I assume will be there. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody puts together a composite of the thing early. If this is some kind of new Scion I'm going to be pissed.

Warring in Halo

Halo Wars is a real time strategy game made just for the Xbox 360 console. This marks the first rts game I've played for the next gen consoles and I must say it has been a great experience. It has been stripped down from the usual rts game models and streamlined for console controls. However, there are less units to choose from because of all the simplifying. While normal rts games have over 15 different unit types, Halo Wars falls short with 10 for the UNSC and 12 for the Covenant. There's not much to say except that it's fun to play. I still prefer rts games to be played on the PC but this is a nice diversion from my norm. There's a really easy learning curve and I recommend this to anyone who's a fan of the Halo universe.

Toaster Technology Is Still A Few Generations Behind...

I found this over at Kotaku... who posted several links as to where they found it. As Kotaku mentions it's brought to us by a modder named Vomitsaw with more pictures of the process here. I heard his next project will be a grill that requires you to play a series of waggle-laden mini-games to flip your burger.