Doctor Who and all i'ts Stars

Between seasons 5 & 6 of Doctor Who I am pretty sure Half of the actors from Downtown Abbey and a bunch of folks from Game of Thrones have guest starred on the show.

That said, I find it funny that I get super excited every time one of them comes on screen. Pretty sure I just yelled "Holy Crap it's Lord Grantham!" at my computer while watching the Black Spot episode of Doctor Who.

Mixed Feelings...

Today I watched two incredible videos, both beautiful in their own right.  The first one is a favorite of mine because I am a big fan of dance, and the visuals along with the music are absolutely fantastic.


Nuance from Marc-Antoine Locatelli on Vimeo.

This next one I must warn you contains some graphic imagery and violence, but tells a beautiful story with some fantastic art work.  I watched it this morning, and it has stuck with me emotionally for the rest of the day, I still have mixed feelings on it.


Carn - Jeff Le Bars from Jeff Le Bars on Vimeo.

Both are great videos, and I applaud the creators of both.  I love finding videos like this, because the level of creativity that people have, never ceases to amaze me.

What D&D Character Am I?

After answering almost 130 questions, I finally found out what D&D character I would be -

I Am A: Neutral Good Human Fighter (5th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-12
Constitution-16
Intelligence-11
Wisdom-15
Charisma-14

Alignment:
Neutral Good A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order. However, neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Fighters can be many things, from soldiers to criminal enforcers. Some see adventure as a way to get rich, while others use their skills to protect the innocent. Fighters have the best all-around fighting capabilities of the PC classes, and they are trained to use all standard weapons and armor. A fighter's rigorous martial training grants him many bonus feats as he progresses, and high-level fighters have access to special melee maneuvers and exotic weapons not available to any other character.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

In this day of rememberance...

I remember exactly where I was this day 12 years ago.  I was still living with my parents, and early that morning my father woke me and my brothers up, only telling us to come into the living room quickly.  I was living in Las Vegas at the time, and my Father worked nights, so if he was up this early and wanted us awake it must be pretty important.

My brothers and I sleepily woke up and meandered into the living room, our TV was airing a news cast and banners of *Breaking News* were strewn all across the screen.  I was still a little groggy from waking getting up so quickly, but then everything came into focus and I realized what was going on.  I stood there staring at the screen in disbelief, mouth wide open, and pretty sure I was holding my breath.  Was I actually seeing this, or was I still asleep? Smoke billowing out of the Twin Towers and breaking news that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. My first thought was "this is it, this is how the world ends" and "how could something like this happen".  I couldn't process everything and sat down on the couch and just stared, taking it all in.  Then the Tower collapsed...

That was 12 years ago.  Its amazing how much has changed since then, and how our country came together in this time of crisis.  I just wanted to take a moment in todays post and remember the brave women and men that risked their lives to save others,  and to those that protect and serve us every day, by saying "Thank You". Thank you for making this a country I am proud to live in, and a safe place to raise my children.  I will never forget that morning I woke up to a changed world.  I will never forget those that made such sacrifice.  I will never forget 9/11.

What to blog about...

To be honest I have no idea.  This is the reason I haven't so far, it's a combination of self doubt and lack of imagination.  Quite a bit has changed in the past 60 days, and it has kept me very busy with very few creative outlets recently.  So for the next few days i'm going to attempt to keep up with this blog and who knows, maybe I can make it a habit.  So lets discuss the past 60 days briefly to get everyone caught up.

Back in July I received an amazing opportunity that I almost passed up because it meant leaving Houston, TX and moving to San Antonio (not a bad drive but less than 3 weeks to make it happen)  Due to the encouragement of my lovely wife, I decided to take the leap and go for it.  In a whirlwind of boxes, packing materials, and one unruly animal filled trip, we finally made it to our new home in San Antonio.  This move was much different than my previous move from Las Vegas to Houston because we had my wife's family nearby as a "Safety Net" in case things didn't work out.  Well this move put us as strangers in a strange land, with no friends, no family and no  "Safety Net".  We were completely on our own.  This was both exciting and stressful, and a slew of other emotions but were here now and standing on our own, so far I consider this a success.

This brings us to today, with me sitting on my couch and re-writing this page 2/3/4 times over.  Even sitting here now on my couch, Tea in hand, and music pumping out of my earphones, I'm still waiting for the inspiration bug to bite me. Thats what these first couple of posts are for I guess, to get the ramblings out and get into a habit.  I do have some things that I would specifically like to cover, Craft Beer, Tech, Fatherhood.  I just downloaded an app called 'Lift' which I will talk about later, that will hopefully assist me with keeping a high frequency of posts.  I'm looking forward to this whole ordeal and i'm hoping that those of you reading this find it funny and entertaining, I know I will. 

A moment of wisdom

Todays moment of Wisdom...

"Yoda:  ...A Jedi's strength flows from the Force.  But beware of the dark side.  Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight...

 

Luke:  ...Is the dark side stronger?

 

Yoda:  No, no, no.  Quicker, easier, more seductive.

 

Luke:  But how am I to know the good side from the bad?

 

Yoda:  You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive.  A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack...Already know you that which you need.

 

Luke: I don't believe it.

 

Yoda: That is why you fail."

Preparations for CalvinBall

This...Is...CalvinBall

Credit for this fantastic piece of art goes to http://www.robotpencil.org/

Get an Extra-Life

It's that time again! For the past 2 years I have participated in one of the most fun and what I feel meaningful fundraisers, and it's time to get ready for round 3.

Extra Life began in 2008 as a way of honoring a young lady named Victoria Enmon. Tori’s battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia inspired the Sarcastic Gamer Community in a way that is difficult to describe. Members sent in video games and bought gifts to keep Tori’s spirits up despite numerous hospital stays and three bouts with the deadly disease. Tragically, we lost Tori to cancer in January 2008. Later that year, I asked my partners at Sarcastic Gamer if they would be interested in Extra Life, a 24-hour video game marathon to raise money for the hospital that treated and fought beside Tori. In 2008 and 2009 Extra Life raised a combined $302,000, 100 percent of which went directly to help kids like Tori at my local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (Texas Children’s Hospital). While thousands of gamers, more than 100 websites and more than 12,000 donors were happy to support Extra Life, many expressed their desire to raise money to help kids closer to home. In what I can only consider destiny, in 2009 I left behind my radio career and went to work full-time for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as a Radiothon Director. This life-changing event gave me unique insight into an incredible non-profit organization that helps kids all over the United States and Canada. I quickly realized that Children's Miracle Network Hospitals would be the perfect solution to expand Extra Life into more communities. This year, when you sign up to play video games for 24 hours on Oct. 20, 2012, you won’t just be raising money for kids. You’ll be supporting LOCAL kids and their families. Kids right in your own backyard. All the money you raise for Extra Life 2012 will go directly to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital of your choice.

I will literally be up for 24 hours playing every console/PC/iOS game I can get my hands on. The best part is i'ts all for the kids, every penny goes to a great cause, and I am proud to say that I am a part of it.  Also if your on any system and want so help keep me up, my handle on almost everything is "Mythicgriffon" (Of course)

This year we are looking to break last years fundraising record and I sincerely hope we do. Of course none of this is possible without the support of all you gals/guys!

 I'm gonna keep this short, but please support me and help me reach my goal, only 2 weeks to go!

 

A Father of a Padawan

I went to bed last night and I dreamed of sitting in my living room and having a Star Wars Marathon.  It included my daughter "The Munchkin" a couple of Pizza's, and an introduction to a science fiction fantasy world.  When I awoke this morning, the feeling had not gone away, and I knew it was time.  It was time to introduce the Munchkin to the world built by George Lucas.

After a long day of work I headed home, eager to get to a DVD player, where I could watch the first episode (episode IV for the purest our there).  I picked the Munchkin up from Daycare and I told her the plan.

Me: I have a surprise for you
Munchkin: What is it!?!
Me: Were going to go home, have your favorite food and watch the first Star Wars
Munchkin: YAY! I'm finally old enough?
Me: Yes Padawan, you are old enough. The Force is strong with you...

Image by James Chance

This was the actual conversation.  Arriving home, I quickly ordered a couple of pizzas, poured us some Root Beers and it had begun.  Now I have to point out a couple of minor details, the DVD we were watching was the High Definition re-release 3 pack with George Lucas changes, it was not the Blu-Ray, I couldn't find my VHS collection copy.  I had thought this wasn't going to be a big deal until we began watching.  Little things bothered me, and I wondered how it was going to affect the Munchkin.  Simple things, like Han NOT shooting first, The conversation between Solo and Jabba, most of Aunt Berus' lines changed (possibly a different actress VO'ed). Little things like this bothered me.  I want to know that even with these changes, will my Munchkin be affected by these films as much as I was as a child?  I worry for our next generation.

Now I have seen many debates about the order that you should present these films.  From Chronological order, to the original release order all the way down to an alternating order of I - IV - II - V - III - VI.  Even Wired's Geek dad has an opinion on how to watch these sacred films. I felt the best way to present them was the way they were presented to me IV - V - VI and maybe the prequels when shes older (Damn you Jar Jar).

After finishing episode IV, the Munchkin asked if she could watch the next one, but it was late, and I have to work in the morning, so I told her the next movie night we would watch.  She was very appreciative, and glad she got to watch it.  Now I sit here thinking about what I have done.  I have begun a chain of events that will alter the way the Munchkin views sci-fi for the rest of her life.  I am literally sitting here typing this, figuring out a way to get a hold of the original VHS copies so I can show her the original format.  So here we are at almost the bottom of this blog post and I am sure you are wondering why I am going on a tangent, well here is the reason - At the end of Return of the Jedi, when Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda appear as ghosts of the Force to Luke Skywalker, the "Edited" versions show Hayden Christiansen instead of Sebastian Shaw.  Now when the Munchkin sees this person, she will have no idea who that is, he is not show anywhere else in all 3 of the original films.  How do I explain that? Am I forced to show her the prequels so she understands? Do I skip episode I and go straight to II.  This is the thing that keeps me up at night.  I don't want to confuse her, I want her to enjoy it, just as I did as a child.  A world of Light Sabers, Space Ships, Dark vs Light.  What is a father to do in the best interest of his child?

Well i'll tell you what I am going to do, I am going to scour the online universe and find the original un-edited versions of the series and continue from there. Yes I may pay an arm and a leg (possibly my next newborn?) but it is the only way to protect my child from the taint that is the "edited" versions of a once great series.  I never thought it was an actual issue before, but that was before I sat on a floor made of blankets and pillows, enjoying a piece of pizza and root beer, with the next generation of sci-fi fans.  I hope that you take this in when you decide it's time to show your child the series.  Watch Episode IV before you make any decisions and see there reaction, hopefully that will determine how you can proceed.  I am interested in what other dads think, or have done, to let there children be broken into the series. 


May the Force be with you... Always

Galveston County Cook-Off weekend

It's that time of year again, I can almost smell the barbecue.  This weekend April 19th - 21st I will participate in one of the most fun Barbecue Cook-Off competitions down in Galveston County Texas.  This will be my 3rd proud year with the "BeefMasters" team.

In my 3 years with the team i've gone from not knowing the difference between grilling and barbecuing, to entering in my personal chicken wing recipe and making it to second cut.  I'm hoping to place in at least the top 5 this year.  I plan on stuffing myself with Ribs, Brisket, Chicken, Fajitas, Kabob, and Chicken wings.

Its a great time, and I look forward to it every year.  If you live in the Houston area I highly recommend you come and check it out, and come stop by and say hi, i'll have a cold beer waiting for you!

*Logo provided by Casey Dockendorf*

The Halo Effect

I'm a PC guy, I have been for years.  I remember working on an Apple IIe and thinking "this will never be like Windows" and "This is the worst operating system ever, why does it always crash?".

Here I sit, holding my iPhone in my hand, wondering why I went so long without hopping on the bandwagon.  I used to swear by Android devices, I had the limited edition Star Wars R2-D2 Droid for a long time, proclaiming that it was the greatest phone ever made.  Now with this tiny sleek/smooth/keyboardless device, I've felt more connected than I ever have with any other cell phone.  When I say connected, I mean that in a social network sense.  On a daily basis I am using Instagram, Oink, Path, Pinterest, along with the cross platform Facebook and Twitter apps.  I am engaged on this device on a whole other level than I ever was with my Android device.  Now don't get me wrong, I still like Android and I think that it has a fantastic OS but I just feel it has too many options for me to want to manage.  As I get older I want things to be simple.  Does that make me a fanboy?

I was against the iPhone/iPad/iPod for years, but now that I have one, and I am using it, I regret I didn't start earlier.  The worst thing of all, is that with so much use of my iPhone, I have now convinced myself that I want a Macbook air.  I tell myself "I'ts okay, you always have your Windows PC to fall back on" but how long until I want that replaced too? (Not likely, considering how many video games I play and Apple lacks the library)  So how did I convince myself I wanted a Macbook air you ask?  Easily, development.  I've been toying around with the idea to develop apps/programs for the past 6 months now.  I've been working in Javascript and self teaching myself C++, but to what end? What did I want to develop?  The end-all answer is an app for the iPhone.  By accepting that fact I had a starting point, a launch pad from where to my creative ideas could pour.  Of course I could download the SDK and get it to work in a Windows environment, but I would prefer to work on it in it's native OS.  Thus birthed the idea to get a new laptop...

All of this because I finally used an iPhone.  Apple has caused this Halo effect and I have fallen completely down their rabbit whole.  Soon I will be on of those users, in the Apple store, swapping stories with the kid over the counter at the Genius bar *Shudder*.  Now I just have to tell my parents...

Skyrim cover Saturday!

So today I woke up this morning, and while surfing the internet, I stumbled across a couple very cool covers of "The Dragonborn Comes" from Skyrim, composed by the very talented Jeremy Soule.  I was really blown away by how good this song was.  So digging deeper in the land of tubes I found another collaboration with other Youtube artists that was equally satisfying.  The original was performed by a very talented young woman named Malukah from Monterrey, Mexico.

Being the fan of Skyrim that I am, I felt it was my duty to share these renditions of one of the greatest video game songs to be released last year.  I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did!

And here is the YouTube Mashup that just lends that extra something to this song.

Credits go out to:

Malufenix http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z9TdDCWN7g
Noahlittlejohn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcf1xnzt0OM
Mr Dooves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwgeulqt-jI
Maluka Mr Dooves Duet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7vrQKLpklI

Finally, for all you metal heads, a cover of the same song by Charlie Parra del Riego who is well known for his other video game metal covers.

I always appreciate other peoples takes on video game music, and these artists are extraordinary!  Enjoy and Happy Saturday everyone!

Skyrim Podcast = Skycast

So New Years is coming, and I really need to stick to my resolution of blogging more.  Lets start with some podcasts i've done recently.

A buddy of mine on Aggrogamer.com and myself have fallen in love with Skyrim.  It's a great open world game, and my vote for Game of the year (apparently the VGA's too!)  So we decided to do a simple podcast, and discuss our experiences during the game.  I'm sure this will end when we hit level 100, but for now its just fun to talk about and discuss the game throughout the levels.

If you would like to listen to me and my buddy discuss The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and chat it up humorously,  Check out the Skycast at the links below.  I hope to do more podcast's here on this blog during 2012, but that's another New Years resolution.

Thanks to Candace Miller for being on the levels 26 - 35, her feedback was great, and I have dubbed her the "Killer of Horses". More guest appearances before we hit 100 so keep listening!

Levels 1-5
Levels 6-11
Levels 12-25
Levels 26-35

Hope you guys enjoy them, if you have any suggestions, or want to see me do a Live Run via video let me know.  Also check out the following links for some very cool Skyrim videos/stories!

Good Guy Felix the Peaceful Monk-

And the best companion Story you will ever read! "Save Lydia!"

Oscar Night

Every year I watch the Oscars. What can I say i'm a fan of cinema.  Whether its a clever independant film, of a big budget over the top fantasy flick, i'm there.  Well this year a buddy of mine and I thought we would try something different, and I recommend you give it a go yourself.  The goal is to watch the past 83 Oscar winning films before the 84th annual Oscars next year which take place on February 26th 2012. Thats 83 movies that you may or may not have seen!  Obviously start with the ones that you have seen and mark them off the list (or rewatch!) and then bread down the list from there.  Who knows you may see a gem that you possibly missed.

With a deep appreciation for film, it just seems right to pay homage to the past winners.  If you like them, or don't like them, it doesn't matter, these are films that stood out every year, and should be appreciated for what they were.  I've posted the list here, so hopefully if you decide to participate, you can print your own list and see how far you can get.



2010. The King's Speech(2010)
2009. The Hurt Locker (2009)
2008. Slumdog Millionaire(2008)
2007. No Country For Old Men (2007)
2006. The Departed (2006)
2005. Crash (2005)
2004. Million Dollar Baby(2004)
2003. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(2003)
2002. Chicago (2002)
2001. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
2000. Gladiator (2000)
1999. American Beauty(1999)
1998. Shakespeare In Love(1998)
1997. Titanic (1997)
1996. The English Patient(1996)
1995. Braveheart (1995)
1994. Forrest Gump (1994)
1993. Schindler's List (1993)
1992. Unforgiven (1992)
1991. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1990. Dances With Wolves(1990)
1989. Driving Miss Daisy(1989)
1988. Rain Man (1988)
1987. The Last Emperor(1987)
1986. Platoon (1986)
1985. Out of Africa (1985)
1984. Amadeus (1984)
1983. Terms of Endearment(1983)
1982. Gandhi (1982)
1981. Chariots of Fire (1981)
1980. Ordinary People (1980)
1979. Kramer Vs. Kramer(1979)
1978. The Deer Hunter (1978)
1977. Annie Hall (1977)
1976. Rocky (1976)
1975. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
1974. The Godfather, Part II(1974)
1973. The Sting (1973)
1972. The Godfather (1972)
1971. The French Connection(1971)
1970. Patton (1970)
1969. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
1968. Oliver! (1968)
1967. In the Heat of the Night(1967)
1966. A Man For All Seasons(1966)
1965. The Sound of Music(1965)
1964. My Fair Lady (1964)
1963. Tom Jones (1963)
1962. Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
1961. West Side Story (1961)
1960. The Apartment (1960)
1959. Ben-Hur (1959)
1958. Gigi (1958)
1957. The Bridge On the River Kwai (1957)
1956. Around the World In 80 Days (1956)
1955. Marty (1955)
1954. On the Waterfront(1954)
1953. From Here To Eternity(1953)
1952. The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
1951. An American In Paris(1951)
1950. All About Eve (1950)
1949. All the King's Men(1949)
1948. Hamlet (1948)
1947. Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
1946. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
1945. The Lost Weekend(1945)
1944. Going My Way (1944)
1943. Casablanca (1942)
1942. Mrs. Miniver (1942)
1941. How Green Was My Valley (1941)
1940. Rebecca (1940)
1939. Gone With the Wind(1939)
1938. You Can't Take It With You (1938)
1937. The Life of Emile Zola(1937)
1936. The Great Ziegfeld(1936)
1935. Mutiny On the Bounty(1935)
1934. It Happened One Night(1934)
1932-33. Cavalcade (1933)
1931-32. Grand Hotel (1932)
1930-31. Cimarron (1931)
1929-30. All Quiet On the Western Front (1930)
1928-29. The Broadway Melody(1929)
1927-28. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
1927-28. Wings (1927)

"Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life" ~ Steve Jobs

For a while now i've been trying to figure out something that I want to write about on this blog.  Well tonight something happened that has moved me, and I could think of nowhere else to put my thoughts, so I will write them here.

Steve Jobs passed away today, and since I heard the announcement i've felt like i've lost something.  I never knew him personally, but I feel that he knew me.  It's amazing how someone you've never met can shape your past, your present, and your future.

I lost an Inspiration today.  I remember when I had my first experience with a Macintosh computer in my computer lab way back in Elementary school, it was that defining moment that I knew I wanted to work with technology, that this was my calling.  I fell in love with technology and would do everything in my power to be a part of it.  No matter the manufacturer or OS I wanted to experience it, and see what was "The next big thing". I've worked hard for years, and finally in a position that I am very happy with, but I refuse to end here and be content.  I want to leave behind a legacy like he did, to be remembered not by how much I am worth, but what impact I made while I was alive.  He built a company out of a garage, surely I can do the same from my home office.

I lost a Mentor today.  Jobs instilled a work ethic within me when he said "the only way to do great work, is to love what you do" and I do love what I do.  Jobs showed me passion, and how to push the boundaries of technology.  He showed me to never settle and always strive to be the best.  These lessons will live with me for the rest of my life, and I hope that one day I will share these lessons with my children.

I lost a Hero today.  Steve Jobs created the iPhone I hold in my hand, and from the moment I first got it, I came to expect more out of technology.  As I held it in my hand, and looked at it's polished features I saw the new standards that technology would have to live up to, the bar had been raised.  Apple devices are a cut above the rest, and the vision Steve Jobs had, changed the face of the industry today.  I, of course balked at apple when they were releasing the iDevices.  Really, could they be that great? Are they really that big of a deal? The answer is yes.  Even if you don't care for Apple as a company, you have to respect Steve Jobs for being a the tech pioneer of our generation.  He changed the face of technology. Thousands of new companies are built on a daily basis because of his software, his platform, and his devices. He did all of this, and he was humble about it.

The world has lost what some would call the Thomas Edison of our time.  One of the greatest inventors, pioneers, and visionaries this world has seen.  I want to wish my condolences to his friends and family, and I also want to say thank you.  Steve Jobs has touched this world, and it's an emptier place without him, he will be missed.

I will do everything in my power to Meet Chris Metzen this year at Blizzcon 2011 (my personal hero) and every year around this time I start posting this video. I hope he speaks at the opening ceremony this year, and gives us a powerful speech such as "Geek Is..." from last year.