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.