The Crime Lab

2004-05-10T23:18:00.000-04:00

One of the things that bothers me the most is when institutions that a person grew up with and enjoyed become less than what they used to be. A prime example of this for me is Star Wars. The original Star Wars trilogy is an oustanding science fiction story with memorable lines and great action. Yet the newest Star Wars films have fallen short of the standard set years earlier. Okay, yes the acting is somewhat hokey in the old films. Fine. But with few exceptions, the new films are even worse. Moreover, the special effects are extremely overdone in the new films. It doesn't feel real. Now, I've heard Bobcat's bit on Bob and Tom and I know that the films are all "fake". But if you compare the old films to the new ones, you'll see that the old films had a world into which you felt drawn. The new films lack this and that is, in my mind, the most glaring fault of them. The sets and models in the old films were made from things that are from our world. The realness of those items transfers a reality to us in the film. The new films are nearly all computer generated and this feeling of connection with our world is lost. This is especially apparent when any of the jedi are fighting computer-generated opponents. It is obvious that they are swinging at thin air; there is no resistance when they strike their opponents and their reactions are unrealistic because they aren't hitting anything! This plus the overuse of CG buildings, starships and the like lends a sense of unreality to the films that lessens their enjoyment. George Lucas needs to take a lesson from Peter Jackson on how to integrate computer generated effects with real sets and battles. And is it just me or does Gollum look much more real that Yoda?

I also think George Lucas needs to step down and not direct. Unfortunately, it is too late for this. But the two best Star Wars films, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, were directed by someone other than George and both are superior to any of the other Star Wars films.

So, I'm going to make a bold prediction: Episode III is going to suck. There, I said it. I'm sure legions of die-hard fans are going to send their droid armies to attack me. That's okay. I did enjoy Episodes I and II. I think the lightsaber battles in each were some of the coolest action I've seen on film. I'm still am a big fan of the series but I'm just disappointed. The new trilogy could have been so much better.

2003-11-17T06:57:00.000-05:00

DEPAUW TO HELL, WABASH WINS THE BELL!!!!!!

2003-11-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, I know. I've been busy with lots of shite. Lately, I've picked up Call of Duty, which kicks major ass. Also, I got ahold of the new Dark Tower book. And, my fabulous fiancee got me a Gamecube for my birthday. Needless to say, I've be occupied. However, I've added a few links under the Music section. Notably, check out Liquid Soul and the Dropkick Murphys (my favorite punk band!). Fantastic music. Also, catch Matrix: Revolutions. It's a fantastic end to a fantastic set of films. Don't believe the critics. They make their living off of degrading films; they can't very well write a review that says "this movie kicks ass!" so screw them. Matrix: Revo rocks. So does Dirty MF. Word.

2003-10-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

What happened this week:

1. The Marlins won the World Series. Who cares.
2. Saw some good friends that I hadn't seen in a while.
3. Saw Kill Bill; it is the best movie I've seen all year.
4. The Bears won for only the 2nd time all year.

2003-09-19T00:20:00.000-04:00

Ok, yes I am a game dork. And I think that I'm warming up to Gamespy more and more. For quite a while, I've been a Gamespot fan. However, the past few weeks, I have been hitting Gamespy first in my daily game browsing. Why? I think Gamespy has a better initial layout. You can see the updated stuff easily when you click on a platform's main page. Also, they don't have the annoying banner ad that pops up right over the main features of the day like Gamespot does. Moreover, Gamespy has a large network of sites that cater to your gaming needs. One such site has caught my attention: Strategy Planet. If you're stumped on a game or just want some general tips to improve your game, go there. Granted, they don't have guides for every game made. But if you need help with a game or if you're like me and can't spend 5 hours a night trying to figure out how to complete all the objectives on a Commandos 2 level, go to Strategy Planet and get your learn on.

2003-09-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

My thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11/01 and with our military who continues to fight against the evil of the world to ensure a safe, free way of life for America. Thank you all for your sacrifices.

From John Kass of the Chicago Tribune:

"One of the promises made only two years ago now was that we'd stand together, unified, until all those who threaten us and our children were destroyed. We said we wouldn't let it happen again, not if we could help it, and that pre-emptive action was better than waiting for the next one.

And we promised each other that we'd have the common will to see this through, even if it meant inconveniences, like those long security lines at the airports, less cash in our pockets and worse--those body bags coming back home.

We obligated ourselves to each other then. I don't think we can forget that, even if we wanted to, especially today."

2003-09-11T00:22:00.000-04:00

I saw Metallica on the Summer Sanitarium tour in Chicago. I have seen them 3 times and this show was by far their best. They played with a renewed intensity and stuck to mostly old shit and left off the Load/Reload crap. James was very positive and energetic. Rob was fantastic, crab walking and samurai dancing all around stage. It was an incredible show. If you like Metallica, make sure you see them on their indoor tour next year.

One other thing, at the show, Fred Durst was interesting. He was booed immediately upon taking the stage and left after only playing for about 20 or 30 minutes. The entire time, he challenged the audience to fight, called us endless names and made us several offers to fellate him. I like Limp Bizkit's music but Fred, you gotta grow up man.

2003-09-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

Finally the fantasy football draft is over. Now I can get back to regular blogging. Stay tuned.

2003-07-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

The 2003 Rebel Football Alliance Draft

Round 1

1. Ricky Williams (RB-Mia) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Donovan McNabb (QB-Phi) (Chemo Delberts)
3. Peyton Manning (QB-Ind) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Priest Holmes (RB-KC) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Rich Gannon (QB-Oak) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. LaDainian Tomlinson, (RB-SD) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Edgerin James (RB-Ind) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Michael Vick (QB-Atl) (Brewmasters)
9. Drew Bledsoe (QB-Buf) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Marshall Faulk (RB-Stl) (Indy Baby Factory)

Round 2

1. Terrell Owens (WR-SF) (Indy Baby Factory)
2. Marvin Harrision (WR-Ind) (Power of Grayskull)
3. Deuce McAllister (RB-NO) (Brewmasters)
4. Brett Favre (QB-GB) (Whisky Snobs)
5. Hines Ward (WR-Pit) (Big Z Brawlers)
6. Shaun Alexander (RB-Sea) (Kling's Killing Krew)
7. Tom Brady (QB-NE) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
8. Fred Taylor (RB-Jac) (Chinese Wooden Men)
9. Clinton Portis (RB-Den) (Chemo Delberts)
10. Tommy Maddox (QB-Pit) (Cold Honey Steel)

Round 3

1. Amani Toomer (WR-NYG) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Travis Henry (RB-Buf) (Chemo Delberts)
3. Charlie Garner (RB-Oak) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Eric Moulds (WR- Buf) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Randy Moss (WR-Min) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. Tiki Barber (RB-NYG) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Keyshawn Johnson (WR-TB) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Peerless Price (WR- Atl) (Brewmasters)
9. Jamal Lewis (RB-Bal) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Daunte Culpepper (QB-Min) (Indy Baby Factory)

Round 4

1. Ahman Green (RB-GB) (Indy Baby Factory)
2. Corey Dillon (RB-Cin) (Power of Grayskull)
3. Eddie George (RB-Ten) (Brewmasters)
4. Mike Vanderjagt (K-Ind) (Whisky Snobs)
5. Joe Horn (WR-NO) (Big Z Brawlers)
6. Brian Urlacher (LB-Chi) (Kling's Killing Krew)
7. Curtis Martin (RB-NYJ) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
8. Plaxico Buress (WR-Pit) (Chinese Wooden Men)
9. Tony Gonzalez (TE-KC) (Chemo Delberts)
10. Torry Holt (WR-StL) (Cold Honey Steel)

Round 5

1. Antowain Smith (RB-NE) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Ray Lewis (LB-Bal) (Chemo Delberts)
3. Isaac the Bruce (WR-Stl) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Donald Driver (WR-GB) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Marty Booker (WR-Chi) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. Derrick Brooks (LB-TB) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Jerry Rice (WR-Oak) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Laveranues Coles (WR-Was) (Brewmasters)
9. Jimmy Smith (WR-Jac) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Jeremy Shockey (TE-NYG) (Indy Baby Factory)

Round 6

1. David Akers (K-Phi) (Indy Baby Factory)
2. Zach Thomas (LB-Mia) (Power of Grayskull)
3. Donnie Edwards (LB-SD) (Brewmasters)
4. Anthony Thomas (RB-Chi) (Whisky Snobs)
5. Aaron Brooks (QB-NO) (Big Z Brawlers)
6. Stephen Davis (RB-Car) (Kling's Killing Krew)
7. Kurt Warner (QB-Stl) (So. Ill Illuminati)
8. Todd Heap (TE-Bal) (Chinese Wooden Men)
9. David Boston (WR-SD) (Chemo Delberts)
10. Jeff Garcia (QB-SF) (Cold Honey Steel)

Round 7

1. Koren Robinson (WR-Seattle) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Trent Green (QB-KC) (Chemo Delberts)
3. Rod Gardner (WR-Was) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Rod Smith (WR-Den) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Jake Plummer (QB-Den) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. Keith Brooking (LB-Atl) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Derrick Mason (WR-Ten) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Chad Pennington (QB-NYJ) (Brewmasters)
9. Keith Bulluck (LB-Ten) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Tony Hambrick (RB-Dal) (Indy Baby Factory)

Round 8

1. Matt Hasselbeck (QB-Sea) (Indy Baby Factory)
2. Steve McNair (QB-Ten) (Power of Grayskull)
3. Jamie Sharper (LB-Tex) (Brewmasters)
4. London Fletcher (LB-Buf) (Whisky Snobs)
5. Chad Johnson (WR-Cin) (Big Z Brawlers)
6. Sebastian Janikowski (K-Oak) (Kling's Killing Krew)
7. William Green (RB-Cle) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
8. Brad Johnson (QB-TB) (Chinese Wooden Men)
9. Jay Feely (K-Atl) (Chemo Delberts)
10. Al Wilson (DL-Denver) (Cold Honey Steel)

Round 9

1. Edgerton Hartwell (DL-Bal) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Warrick Dunn (RB-Atl) (Chemo Delberts)
3. Mike Vrabel (DL-NE) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Charles Rogers (WR-Det) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Roy Williams (S-DAL) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. Deuce Staley (RB-PHI) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Mike Peterson (LB-JAC) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Josh Reed (WR-Buf) (Brewmasters)
9. Jason Elam (K-Den) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Brian Dawkins (DB-Phi) (Indy Baby Factory)

Round 10

1. Warren Sapp (DL-TB) (Indy Baby Factory)
2. Jerry Porter (WR-Oak) (Power of Grayskull)
3. James Stewart (RB-Det) (Brewmasters)
4. Jerome Bettis (RB-Pit) (Whisky Snobs)
5. Martin Gramatica (K-TB) (Big Z Brawlers)
6. Donte Stallworth (WR-NO) (Kling's Killing Krew)
7. Rodney Harrison (DB-NE) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
8. Allen Rossum (DB-Atl) (Chinese Wooden Men)
9. Adam Archuleta (DB-Stl) (Chemo Delberts)
10. Eric Barton (DL-Oak) (Cold Honey Steel)

Round 11

1. Morten Anderson (K-KC) (Cold Honey Steel)
2. Troy Brown (WR-NE) (Chemo Delberts)
3. John Carney (K-NO) (Chinese Wooden Men)
4. Takeo Spikes (DL-Buf) (So. Ill. Illuminati)
5. Amos Zereoue (RB-PIT) (Kling's Killing Krew)
6. Kerry Collins (QB-NYG) (Big Z Brawlers)
7. Drew Breese (QB-SD) (Whisky Snobs)
8. Kelly Holcomb (QB-CLE) (Brewmasters)
9. Quincy Morgan (WR-CLE) (Power of Grayskull)
10. Emmitt Smith (RB-Ariz) (Indy Baby Factory)

IT'S DONE!

2003-06-30T23:01:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah! The Cardinals are finally in first place, ahead of those stinking Cubs!

2003-06-17T21:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry folks, I've been so busy I haven't had time to post much. I've been playing a lot of Halo and reading. Raging Alley is on hold for the moment until I get a new computer. Haven't decided b/w Alienware or Dell. Probably will go with Alienware b/c it looks pretty sweet. Two things I forgot to post on last week. First, after several listens of St. Anger, I must say it is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. Of course, I'm biased b/c they're my favorite band. Actually, here's a list of my top 5 albums of the last few years:

1. St. Anger- Metallica
2. Audioslave- Audioslave
3. We've Come For You All- Anthrax
4. Lateralus- Tool
5. Nothing- Meshuggah

If you haven't got the albums, by all means go out and buy them. The second thing I forgot to mention earlier is that I saw Messhuggah in concert in Chicago. Absolutely outstanding. There is no one out there like Meshuggah. They rock hard with a huge metal sound. The lead singer has a great presence about him and the band headbangs in time to the tempo (as f-d as they are). If you love metal and want a treat, go see Meshuggah.

2003-06-05T23:48:00.000-04:00

At first listen, the new Metallica album rocks...hard. Absolutely great stuff. It's the return of the best metal band in the world. Thank God.

2003-05-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

The new Anthrax album is outstanding. Better than The Threat Is Real. Great heavy songs with good lyrics and excellent guitars. The mix on this album is outstanding as well. Best I've heard since Audioslave. Check it.

2003-05-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

I've added several new links on the left hand side including ones to The Onion, Stephen King, Dan Brown, Studio Ghibli and Filmforce. Check 'em out.

2003-05-28T00:22:00.000-04:00

Once again, my ADHD ass has changed the style of the Crime Lab. Now, I'm back to my favorite black, white, red and grey colors. Hope ya'll like it. The polls and guest book are gone for now since not many folks were using them. I might bring them back if there is interest. In the meantime...

The new Metallica single, St. Anger, was realeased today. I saw the video and heard the song on the radio. Man, it rocks. Metallica has made yet another stylistic change. This time, they have formed a sound that is about 70% old school metal and 30% black album type metal. St. Anger, the song, has great changes and very cool riffs. This album is going to kick mighty ass. Rock on!!

2003-05-24T01:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, I know. Apologies. It looks like Big Z is posting again at Give Me An F'n Break Already. That's good news as his posts are pretty damn funny. Also, I updated Raging Alley Online tonight. Finally, I saw both the Matrix: Reloaded and X-men 2. Both are great movies worth seeing at least once. Peace.

2003-05-12T02:55:00.000-04:00

Another Raging Alley Online update has been posted.

2003-05-10T19:20:00.000-04:00

Raging Alley Online has received a small update.

2003-05-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

Here are the results for the Crime Lab Poll #2:

What are you looking forward to most this year?

Matrix: Reloaded 1 (9%)
Metallica's St. Anger 9 (81%)
The Wolves of Calla 0 (0%)
LOTR: Return of the King 1 (9%)
Stanley Cup Finals 0 (0%)

Looks like most everyone, including me, can't wait for St. Anger! I saw Metallica's performance on MTV icon last night. Holy shit. This is the old Metallica, the one I grew up with, the ones who inspired me to pick up the guitar. Thank god they are back. And rob fits in very well with the band. Long live the greatest band in the world!

2003-05-06T00:42:00.000-04:00

Raging Alley Online got a big update today. Check it out.

2003-05-05T01:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, you all have to check this out. This is really fun. Talk to my bot roland:
http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk-oddcast?botid=b4809bdf3e343ad3

Sometimes he runs slow and doesn't talk back. But, you can read the type. Have fun! I will probably tweak his responses a lot in the coming months. It should get to be funnier.

2003-05-05T00:22:00.000-04:00

MAN U HAS WON THE PREMIERSHIP TITLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2003-05-03T16:06:00.000-04:00

I've begun working on more material for my band, Raging Alley. So far, I have 6 songs with music and another that is in the works. Lyrics are done on 3 songs. Solos are still required for most of them. Also, I've got the Raging Alley website back up and running with a new look. Check there or here for continuing updates.

2003-04-28T00:23:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd keep everyone updated on the progress of the novels Cid and I are writing. I'll publish the word count each week.

Rekland by The Crimedoctor: 5,486
Regrets... by Cid: 7,284

2003-04-18T00:27:00.000-04:00

I just wanted you to know, I am relentless.

2003-04-16T00:20:00.000-04:00

The first poll of the Crime Lab was successful. Asking what will the new Metallica album be like, readers responded as follows:
Good: 0%
Great: 40%
One of Their Best: 40%
Average: 10%
Terrible: 10%

I agree with the majority of the readers; this album will kick ass. The new poll is up so check it out and vote. Also, sign the guest book.

In other news, I'm writing again. I'm working on a story idea I've had for quite a while. The first 4,000 words are written. If I had to peg it to one genre, it would be fantasy. But I'm aiming to make it more of a fantasy along the lines of the Dark Tower series rather than The Wheel of Time. We'll see how it goes. Currently, I'm writing this as my buddy Cid works on his novel. We aim to keep eachother motivated by emailing our progress back and forth every wednesday. I'll keep everyone posted here as to the progress. Those of you who know me realize my past writing efforts lasted all of about 1 session. I hope to do better than that this time. We'll see.

2003-04-04T17:06:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this shit that Pearl Jam pulled. Bashing a mask of George Bush into a microphone?? That would get you killed in some countries (i.e.- the one we are at war with right now). I'm sick and tired of musical artists, living their cushy, coddled lives, protesting the war from their million dollar homes or thier expensive tour buses while they eat catered food and sip expensive drinks. Tom Morello said Bush should be tried for war crimes if he attacked Iraq. The Dixie Shits openly protest the war on stage. Look, the very reason that you can protest this war is freedom of speech which was won by what? You guessed it: war. War against oppression and evil. The kind of war we are waging now. Men and women sacrifice their lives to ensure the freedom and safety that we all enjoy and yet all Eddie Vedder can do is smash a George Bush mask into a microphone? All the Beastie Boys can do is write a song ridiculing Bush and the war? You ungrateful bastards. You make me sick. I hope you think about what you are doing as you go home to your wife and children, living in your nice mansion, not worried about a nuclear or chemical weapon attack at your doorstep, not wondering if elite troops loyal to the dictator are going to cut off your wife's head, not fearing attack or opression, able to live your life as you want, say what you want, be what you want. Appreciate the sacrifices made allowing you to enjoy such freedom. Do not use your role as an artist to project your political views. You know why? No one wants to know what you think. They just want you to do your job and make music. So do that and spare us all your petty ungrateful ridculous tantrums. It's getting damn old.

2003-04-03T23:23:00.000-05:00

Audioslave's debut album has grown on me a whole heck of a lot. I liked it initially but after seeing them in concert, I absolutely dug their album. I listen to it just about every day. And "Cochise" is one of the most badass songs to come around for a long while. Also, songs like "Like a Stone" and "Light My Way" have gone from skips to must-listens. If you don't like the album at first, give it some time. You'll be glad you did.

2003-04-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

Added a link to the Philadelphia Flyers, my second favorite hockey team (next to the Blackhawks), in the sports section. John LeClair is my favorite hockey player and I really like Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte (yeah, I know, they're old 'hawks). So I gots to root for the Flyers in the playoffs.

2003-03-27T23:57:00.000-05:00

I've added a few new things to the site as you can see. First, I have a great picture of my namesake and his partner, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, at the top of the page. Also, I have a guest book and a poll now. You'll find these in the "Input" section. Please sign the guest book and vote on the poll!! Hope you enjoy the changes. More may be in the works.

2003-03-17T23:05:00.000-05:00

Big news today. Bush gave Sadaam an ultimatum. It's about time. Let's roll, get rid of this bastard and keep America safe. Also, and this is big news for me but probably not for everyone else, Newstead is playing bass for Ozzy. Sort of strange don't you think? He wanted out of a creatively stifling environment and yet he's fallen right back into one. Interesting.

2003-03-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

No further questions, your honor...

From Blabbermouth:

Lars, on the forthcoming METALLICA album, "St. Anger":

"I don't like the word 'going back', because I don't like it to get nostalgic. I think we still have enough vitality and relevance… It's not about going back, it's about moving forward, but we're moving forward with a lot of elements of earlier stuff with us. It's almost like… We've done a lot of, what I call 'musical exploration' in the last few years, and I think that by continuing to find something to kind of be excited about, that path took us almost, like, in a circle. So now we're sort of having a lot of fun with playing some really, really fast stuff again. And when I say 'fast,' I mean, like, fast fast. And really aggressive, aggro, a lot of the old starts and stops, and the serious, dynamic changes, and a lot of songs north of seven, eight minutes. So it's not about 'Hey, we're going back, dude,' but it's more about, like… My analogy, which I'm actually getting sick of hearing myself say, is that… It's sort of like that old pair of shoes over in the closet that you haven't worn for a couple of years, but you put those shoes on again, and they just feel really damn good to have on again, and you kind of, when you put them back on, you sort of say, 'Why didn't I put them on earlier?' But you realize that you have to wear all those other pairs of shoes in order to feel comfortable in that pair of shoes again. Playing, like, super-fast is sort of like… We've done 'Battery', we've done 'Damage [Inc.]', we've done 'Blackened'… Maybe there isn't anything else to offer… But 10 years later, it sure seems like there's a lot more to offer in that direction. And basically, the new album is about 70 minutes of that. [laughs] It's not like there's three or four songs and then a couple of ballads. It's basically around 11… somewhere between 10 and 12 songs of just complete aggro, out-of-control earspank, as we call it."

I hope to all that is sacred that he really means what he's saying here. I actually heard a snippit of a new tune the other day and it sounded remarkably cool and much more like old stuff than new stuff. There are few things in this world that I would give up a limb for; Metalllica going back to the good, heavy, old style is definately one of them.

2003-03-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

Please direct your attention to exhibit C...

I have made some changes in my story Marauder. I have now made that weblog the weblog of the main character in the story, Murphy. Murphy will post regularly there with new developments in his search for his past. Check back often there or here to see how the story progresses.

2003-03-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

Please direct your attention to Exhibit B...

From Blabbermouth:
METALLICA To Be Spotlighted On MTV's 'mtvICON' - Mar. 10, 2003

METALLICA's 20-year career will be spotlighted on MTV's annual music tribute, "mtvICON", to premiere Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The show will be taped before a live audience in Los Angeles on May 3, featuring performances and testimonials from artists and celebrities who have been influenced by the band, their videos and music. The band will perform for the first time with new bassist Robert Trujillo. "St. Anger", their first new album in five years, is scheduled for release by Elektra Entertainment on June 10, and the group will headline the 2003 Summer Sanitarium tour, featuring LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK, beginning July 4 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, MI.

Sounds worth checking out. Maybe we'll hear some new tunes off the new album (I still can't bring myself to use St. Anger in a sentence...oh, dammit i just did).

2003-03-09T23:34:00.000-05:00

In an effort to give The Crime Lab a theme and to make it more worthwhile to read (it can't get any worse, can it?), I have decided to categorize each post with a header. Here are some you'll see:
Your honor, we find the defendant guilty-this denotes something or someone i disagree with. My utterly insightful rant will follow this heading
Your honor, we find the defendent not guilty-this denotes something or someone i agree with. Another utterly insightful rant will follow this heading
Direct your attention to exhibit B...-this heading denotes something i think is worth checking out
The evidence is...-this heading indicates a book, CD, video game or other product review. The rating scale is as follows (lo to hi): inadmissible, misleading, circumstantial, incriminating, unequivocal. The rating will appear at the end of the post
Can you please explain to the jury...- this heading denotes a post that will explain something to the reader
Your honor, the defense calls The Crimedoctor-this is when I get to rant and it doesn't really fit into any of the above categories

Other headers will appear as I think of them. Hope this makes The Crime Lab a better read.

2003-03-04T18:42:00.000-05:00

Anthrax Sign With Sanctuary, Set American Release Date

Anthrax Sign With Sanctuary, Set American Release Date
Source: Blabbermouth.net
ANTHRAX have set a May 6 American release date through Sanctuary Records for their latest CD, "We've Come For You All".

Kick ass! It will be good to hear some new Anthrax!

2003-03-04T14:49:00.000-05:00

The MCDP has a new message board. Check it out; it's pretty damn cool. And free to boot.

2003-02-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Check this out: Jason Newstead is set to audition for Ozzy Osbourne's band. This spot was vacated by Rob Trujillo who left Ozzy for Metallica. Interesting.

2003-02-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

Metallica Has A New Bass Player

Metallica has added Rob Trujillo, former Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne bassist, to the lineup. Read about here.

2003-02-27T10:38:00.000-05:00

I saw Audioslave last night at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. Excellent show. However, it seemed to me that there was an obvious separation between Chris Cornell and the rest of the band. I may be imagining this, but the Rage guys were grooving, all in sync with each other while Cornell seemed to stand apart from them rather than being a piece of the greater whole. I think some of it was that Cornell seems stagnant and slightly unenergetic as a lead singer without a guitar. I think he's used to having the guitar with him and thus is unaccustomed to being free to roam about the stage and thrash about. While some of the Audioslave songs are not geared towards such stage theatrics, many are and I wish he would have really gotten into those songs more. This is really a minor complaint though. Aside from missing a few notes, etc, the Audioslave guys rocked the house.

Also, the opening act, Burning Brides, was incredible. They have a great sound and are doing what should have been done by bands such as the White Stripes, The Vines, etc. They have a great female bass player and the guitarist is a tall, lanky guy with a great mop of hair who flails about on stage like a madman. Their sound was perfect last night as well. In fact, I felt like they were mixed better than Audioslave. You should check Burning Brides out. I'm going to get their CD today.

2003-02-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

Just saw The Life of David Gale. Tremendous movie that left me profoundly disturbed. There were only a few somewhat unrealistic parts but overall the film was outstanding. Kevin Spacey is one of my favorite actors and this film reinforced that even more. Go see it.

2003-02-22T17:01:00.000-05:00

For all you Dark Tower fans, check this out:

http://www.stephenking.com/pr18feb2003.html

2003-02-20T19:28:00.000-05:00

A couple of programs you might want to check out if you have a cable modem:
1) ZoneAlarm: the best personal firewall out there; has a free version and a pro (pay) version with more features
2) Spybot-Search and Destroy: a good program that will get rid of a lot of hidden files on your computer that somehow get there when you browse/download stuff. It got rid of that utterly annoying lop.com crap that was plaguing my computer
3) Ad-Aware: another good program for finding hidden advert and tracking files. Use this with Spybot and you'll be free of this junk.

2003-02-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

I've re-instated the comments. Now you can comment on any of my posts by clicking the "comments" link located after the time of each post.

2003-02-18T23:16:00.000-05:00

In following the situation with Iraq, something has become readily apparent to me: there is glaring lack of basic trust in our leaders. It angers me that many anti-war protesters make blanket statments that war is unnecessary in this case. On what basis are they making this judgement? On a philosophical and/or moral level? This seems most likely. However, very few people in this world are privy to the complete set of information regarding Saddam Hussien, terrorist organizations and the levels of the threats against the United States. So how can one make a judgement that "war is unnecessary" when one has incomplete information? This is akin to saying "I don't need a coronary catheterization" when experiencing cardiac chest pain. A trained cardiologist, with a history, physical exam and full set of laboratory and imaging studies, is the correct person to make that judgement. Likewise, only certain people have the information and qualifications to make judgements regarding war. Who among the lay people know what Saddam is hiding in Iraq? What threats he poses? Maybe it's time our country put some faith in our leaders. It just might be that they know what they are doing and are responding to an urgent situation that none of us is aware of. Some write Bush's aggresion off as oil-greed but I disagree. Saddam Hussien reminds me a little too much of a certain mustachioed German Fuhrer circa 1939. Saddam invaded Kuwait. Hitler invaded Poland. Thankfully in the former case we learned something from history and put an end to Saddam's conquest quickly and decisively. Perhaps this impending war is a similar instance of proaction. Rather than wait until another version of 9-11 occurs, we are making active strides to prevent such tragedies. I feel much more secure knowing that our leaders are protecting us. If you continue to protest war, realize that the very freedom that allows you to make such protests was won and maintained by the very thing you are protesting: war. Do not so soon forget September 11th.

2003-02-18T11:25:00.000-05:00

Once again, I have made some changes. In order to streamline my website, so that I wouldn't have to give out 2 or 3 different addresses to folks, I've eliminated the 2media2 blog and coalesced all the content into the Crime Lab. Now, you can access my stories and lyrics for my music project, Raging Alley, under the "Output" heading on the right. I also moved the 2media2 discussion board to the Crime Lab; now you can post your thoughts there.

So, now you will get posts here regarding opinions, news and updates on my music, writings and other projects. All in one site!

To update those who didn't read the 2media2 blog much, I've started a musical project called Raging Alley. I have about 20 song ideas that I'm working on at the moment. I have recorded the music for 2 songs, Restless and Nothing at All. I'm working on more as we speak. I'll post more on this here at the Crime Lab. Also, I've posted lyrics to the song Restless on the Raging Alley lyrics page. Rage on.

2003-02-18T00:09:00.000-05:00

Google has bought Blogger. I don't know what that means for the future but I hope that service continues to have a free option and that bigger and better things are yet to come. I'm a little worried though. Big company buys small one usually means limits, fees and nonsense. Let's hope not.

2003-02-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

In a Rolling Stone interview, talking about watching the video of Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt", Trent Reznor mentioned that he is working with Zach de la Rocha. Interesting.

2003-02-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, yeah, I know: I changed it again. Got tired of the black and red theme. Didn't care for the overall structure. Switched to this one. Added lots more links. Started a new blog on pathology called Pathodoc. No more "unable to load template" errors. Call me crazy.

2003-02-14T19:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've calmed down now. I guess I should have realized that Metallica sold out long ago, way before this stupid commercial tour. Now don't get me wrong, Metallica is my favorite band ever. But they should have done like G-N-R (my second favorite band): stopped when the music was still incredible.

2003-02-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

What the hell is the world coming to? I just saw today that Metallica is going on tour with Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. LIMP SHITSKIT AND STINKING PARK? WHAT THE HELL? This is just terrible. Why not tour with Anthrax? Meshuggah? New Found Power? Down? Slayer? Oh, wait, I know why. They still play real heavy metal. Oh, and they're not on MTV so they won't make you any more money, Metallica. I gave Metallica lot of leeway in regards to the whole selling out issue. I even stood behind them (mostly) after Load and Reload. But this....this is awful. This is pure sellout. This is the last straw. And the new album is called St. Anger? I've waited SIX YEARS for ST. FUCKING ANGER? Hold on while I go vomit. Repeatedly. All over Load, Reload and the MI:2 soundtrack. What happened to the good, powerful, heavy metal god type names like "And Justice For All" or "Ride the Lightning" or "Kill 'Em All"?? And, hell, we all know St. Anger is just going to be another Load and it's going to be far inferior compared to what Metallica was/is capable of. I mean, look, I go to see Battery, an incredible Metallica cover band, all the time. And what do they play? Old shit. That's right. Maybe they'll play one or two new songs to keep things fresh. But no one wants to hear the new stuff. Why do you think when Metallica went on that MTV live request show thingy a few years ago that no one, and I mean NO ONE, requested any tunes off Load? Everyone was asking for their favourite old tunes and finally Metallica had to say "Ok, we're going to play some new shit now." Take the hint Metallica. I guess there's no reason to wonder why the music industry is failing. It's not napster, it's not kazaa, it's not CD-Rs. It's this kind of shit. Right here. Nothing is immune to commercialism anymore. Star Wars went in the can with too much CGI, Jar Jar Assclown and no flavor at all compared to the old trilogy. Now Metallica jumps further down the shithole with this tour. What's next? Is David Lynch going to direct Kangaroo Jack 2? Is Peter Jackson going to introduce a new, idiotic, aimed-at-kids character called Stupidhead, Gollum's long lost brother? Are the Wachowski's going to sell out and feature NSYNC as supporting characters in Reloaded? Is Tool going to tour with Creed? Is Anthrax going to put together the Summer of Shit tour with special guests Avril Lavigne, Crazy Town and Nickleback? Thank God the answer to these questions is no. Metallica, George Lucas, look at the big picture you idiots: you're losing quality fans for superficial flavor-of-the-month ones. You're making creations that are beneath your talents in order to "advance new technology" or "go in a new direction" or "reach a more diverse set of fans". Wake up and smell the maple nut crunch.

2003-02-05T23:40:00.000-05:00

Remember my little write-up about web browsers? I looked at Mozilla, IE and Opera. Well, after several months of usage of these three browsers, I have to say my favorite by far is Mozilla. I just got version 2.0.1 and it rocks. The only things I don't like are the fact that you can't blog very well in it (it doesn't show certain buttons in the posting area and the posting pages don't look quite right) and you can't just open a download file, you actually have to save it to your hard drive. For these functions, I use IE but for everything else, I use Mozilla. Go download it. You'll be happy.

2003-02-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

Incredible stuff is happening in the world of The Matrix. New information about reloaded, information about the new video game, Enter the Matrix and the first installment of The Animatrix which can be viewed free online. Check this stuff out. This is the most incredible sci-fi universe ever created. The video game will be incorporated into the movie plotline such that you have to see both to get the full Reloaded experience. Both the game and reloaded will be released May 15th, 2003. Hold your breath folks. It's gonna be grand.

2003-01-26T12:34:00.000-05:00

I went to see Henry Rollins a few days ago. What a great show. With tv's stranglehold on the american public, the pleasure of listening to someone talk live, in person, is a less frequent occurence. Unfortunate, this is, because henry rollins is an outstanding speaker. At times, his talk was pure stand up comedy and had everyone laughing like little girls. Other times, though, his talk was serious and thought provoking. His politics are part liberal and part conservative; add it all up and it comes out as moderate. And he discussed topics like the Iraq situation, the Kennedy family, his auditions for various movie parts and why girls date jerks. It was an excellent, honest and intelligent 3 hours. That's right, 3 hours. For 24 bucks. Most comedians/spoken word folks would charge twice that for half the time. So, not only is it a great time, but well worth the price as well. Go see him if you have a chance. You won't regret it.

2003-01-20T19:15:00.000-05:00

Geek Rant #1

Why First Person Shooters Suck On Consoles: Everyone remembers the great days of goldeneye right? You could get 4 of your buddies around and play multiplayer, first person shooter mayhem for days on end. It was the greatest thing ever. Right? I was part of this trend and I dug it. Until I played Unreal Tournament. On a PC. That was absolutely the most fun I had in gaming. And I couldn't believe how much easier it was to control than goldeneye on N64. That experienced formed an irrevocable truth in my mind: first person shooters will never be as good on a console. One simply cannot attain the level of precision on a console system. The gamepads are clunky and it's impossible to aim with that right analog stick. I can point a mouse much more easily and frag yo' ass. That's right. You get your gamepad and I'll get my mouse/keyboard and let's get it on. You'll lose. It is simply easier to maneuver the character using a mouse/keyboard. Try both and you'll see why the best in the business use this combo and not a gamepad. Now, I do enjoy Halo quite a bit and I really enjoyed the Medal of Honor games for ps1. But c'mon. Play MOH:Allied Assault on PC and tell me you can go back to a console fps and be content. And tell me you just love having the tv screen split 4 ways as you play against your mates. Hell, you can see where they are all the time. Where's the challenge in that? With PC, you gots yo own screen and no one knows where the hell you are...until you lay vengence on them with a flak cannon. Consoles were made for sports games, third person shooters, platform games and other such games. And they succeed very well in those genres. But for those of you still stuck on timesplitters and metroid prime, you're playing with an inferior control system. Get to a PC and learn how to really play. You'll thank me.

2003-01-13T22:41:00.000-05:00

I've given the crime lab and 2media2 a visual overhaul. The old templates were getting...well...old. So, I went to Blogskins and found a couple that i really liked. They are simple yet elegant.

I plan on starting a new feature at the crime lab called geek rant. Every week or so, i'll write a rant concerning something in geekdom with topics ranging from computers to video games to music to films to board games...i think you get the point. So, check back soon for the first installment of this silly and ultimately interesting escapade: why first person shooters suck on consoles.

2003-01-13T18:43:00.000-05:00

I have posted an update at 2media2regarding my musical project. Check it!

2003-01-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

If you are one of the few people that actually read my nonsense, you will remember my huge debate over PS2 vs Xbox. Well, I got the Xbox. And holy crow, it's incredible. The graphics are at least as good as my PC, which is admittedly a little behind power wise (pIII 600 mhz, 128 mb RAM, 32MB Nvidia Geforce 2) but is still pretty good. Plus, you get many games encoded in 5.1 Dolby Digital (PS2 and GC games aren't usually coded in 5.1), you don't have to use a memory card (although you can) and you get a good selection of games. I know, I know, that was the biggest strike against Xbox and is why PS2 has outsold it by millions. But honestly, there are plenty of good games to keep a busy person like myself (I play Xbox for 1-2 hrs a night at most) entertained for a long time. Most major kewl games are out for all 3 platforms. Granted, Xbox doesn't have some of the exclusives that other consoles have, but, if you look at Halo and Splinter Cell, those are 2 great games. They can hang with the GTAs and the Metroid Primes. It really comes down to this: you'll get the best graphics, sound and performance from the Xbox (if you don't believe me, play Madden 2003 side by side with xbox and ps2). Unless you absolutely have to play the GTA series or Metroid Prime (which, actually, I might :) ), get the best system out there: the Xbox.

2003-01-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I have some news to report. My membership to the band John Dillinger Died For You no longer exists. Due to busy schedules and the resulting time constraints, I was not able to devote the time necessary to be an active member of the band. While it is difficult to not be in a band with long-time friends anymore, I will now be able to make music at my own pace and with my own methods thus not causing delays or conflicts for the Dillinger boys. I wish them the best in making their new album.

In other news, I have started a site that will cover all my writings, music and other creative endeavours. It is called 2media2 and can be found at http://2media2.blogspot.com. I have published 3 stories there and i am working on naming my new musical project. Check there or here for updates.

2002-12-17T22:45:00.000-05:00

A theme oddly congruent with the title of this blog: here is an excellent tutorial in firearms from the forensic perspective:

Firearm Tutorial

2002-12-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

Google News
Top StoriesAuto-generated 11 Dec at 3:50 GMT BBC

Iraq claims US 'blackmail' to get uncut dossier shows lust for war
Independent - 5 hours ago
Iraq accused America yesterday of "unprecedented blackmail" after Washington forced the UN weapons inspectors to hand over an unedited copy of the 12000 page arms dossier provided by Baghdad.

Of course these fools are going make such claims. This is as good of an admission of guilt as we need. Let's pummel the bastards.

2002-12-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! News

Vaccine Experts Upset by Renewed Safety Doubts Vaccine Experts Upset by Renewed Safety Doubts
Tue Dec 10, 5:11 PM ETAdd Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Campaigners who doubt the safety of vaccines have launched a renewed effort to find a link between diseases such as autism and childhood shots, worrying experts in the field.

Studies haven't shown any conclusive evidence that vaccines cause these sort of problems. What these uninformed folks are doing is driving people away from vaccines that will save their children from multiple terrible diseases. Don't believe the hype.

2002-12-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine is now working at a restaurant in New York City called Pazo. You can visit their website here. He has been to culinary school and is working towards being a chef at his own restaurant someday. Pazo looks pretty swank and although it is only 2 stars currently, I'll bet it a nicer place than I've ever eaten. If you're in Manhattan check it out.

2002-12-06T22:25:00.000-05:00

Metallica Launch Bassist Search!

Source: Blabbermouth.net
Metallica's search to replace bassist Jason Newsted officially got underway last week, the group have announced via their web site (www.metallica.com).
The band, who split with Newsted in January 2001 following disagreements over Jason's then-side project Echobrain, had previously maintained that they would wait until they had finished the recordings for their new album before they started looking for Newsted's replacement. However, as drummer Lars Ulrich explained in the latest video update posted in the "Jump In The Studio" section of the group's web site, the Bay Area-based band's original plan had to be abandoned in order to avoid the possibility of a lengthy lag between the album's completion and the kick-off date of the group's subsequent world tour.
"We ain't gonna do a lot of touring without a proper bass player, and we kind of realized that if we were going to not start the bass player thing until the record was done, we might end up in a situation like we usually do where there's three weeks between the end of a record and the beginning of a tour, and then we might end up in a really stupid, pressure situation, trying to get some guy and we don't have a lot of time," Ulrich said. "And that's why we started [auditioning bassists]."
Unlike the last time the band held bassist auditions (in 1986, following Cliff Burton's tragic death), Metallica have opted to try out candidates by invitation only---with all of the hopefuls being well-known musicians who have the necessary skills and experience to get the job done.

Awesome! I wonder who they are auditioning? I'm betting Dave Elefson is on that list somewhere. Post your thoughts on who the new Metallica bassist should be by clicking on the "comment" link.

2002-12-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! Sports: SOW - United States to open 2003 schedule against Canada

United States to open 2003 schedule against Canada

December 4, 2002
CHICAGO (AP) -- The U.S. soccer team, coming off its best World Cup since 1930, will open its 2003 schedule against Canada on Jan. 18 at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

I hope the US has another stellar year! Last year was incredible. We were viable World Cup contenders, playing finalists Germany very well; well enough, we should have won. With the ever-growing youth soccer movement as well as the MLS, the US is gradually becoming a world soccer powerhouse.

2002-12-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Health - canada.com network

Pill safe way for women with gene mutation to lower risk of ovarian cancer

TORONTO (CP) - Women who carry the gene mutations known to cause breast cancer face little but bad news and difficult decisions when they seek counselling about how to reduce their risk of developing cancer.
A new international study, led by a Toronto expert, may provide a welcome and easy risk-reduction option for some of these women. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that it is safe for women who carry the BRCA1 gene to take oral contraceptives for up to five years to reduce their risk of developing ovarian cancer, so long as they do it after age 30.

I always read these news releases with a somewhat jaded eye. Without having read the original study, it's difficult to be certain how positive such results are. One has to determine the external and internal vailidity of the study as well as analyze the methods for weaknesses. Regardless, any chance of lower risk for cancer is a good thing and hopefully this pans out to be a true effect.

2002-12-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

The Onion A.V. Club | Music

Audioslave
Audioslave
(Epic)
For its first 59 seconds, Audioslave's self-titled debut sounds like a Rage Against The Machine record, propelled by Tom Morello's inventively chattering guitar and a dose of whomping riffery. Then Chris Cornell's blustery wail chimes in, and Audioslave settles in as (and settles for sounding like) the long-lost follow-up to Soundgarden's 1996 swan song, Down On The Upside.

While this review is not quite as postive as I am about the album, I think it is a fair assessment. In my mind, Audioslave's debut kicks mighty ass and is a must for any fan of good guitar-based rock. In fact, it's the best album I've heard since Heathen Chemistry by Oasis.

2002-12-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

The Crime Lab Recommends:

The album Nothing by Meshuggah.

Fantastic Swedish heavy metal. A refreshing turn from the packaged nu-metal norm.

2002-12-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

Blistering.com | Heavy Metal & Hard Rock News | Slash/Duff/Izzy/Matt: New Song Posted Online!

Slash/Duff/Izzy/Matt: New Song Posted Online!
Source: Blabbermouth.net
A brand new song written and performed by the new band of former Guns N' Roses members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), Izzy Stradlin (guitar), and Matt Sorum (drums) has been posted online at this location.

Well, unfortunately, the link won't take you anywhere. The mp3 had to be taken down. Still, it's exciting to hear some new music from the old G-N-R guys. Now why can't they just get Axl on board and do this thing right?

2002-12-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

Blistering.com | Heavy Metal & Hard Rock News | Tool Begin Work On New Material, Prep To Release DVD

Tool Begin Work On New Material, Prep To Release DVD
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Despite having just completed the touring cycle for Lateralus, the members of Tool have already commenced the songwriting process for the group's next album in addition to continuing work on their upcoming DVD, due in early 2003.

Kick ass! It's good to know that we won't have to wait another 5 years for the next tool album. Check out tool here.

2002-12-02T16:49:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - Affirmative action case awaits Supreme Court review - Dec. 2, 2002 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court Monday agreed to decide whether affirmative action programs in the nation's universities should continue to help minorities, or whether they represent "reverse discrimination."

Why can't they just admit the most qualified applicants without regard to race?

2002-12-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

As you can see from the latest 2 posts, The Crime Lab is taking on a different format. You will still be able to read the usual nonsensical prattle from me, The Crimedoctor. However, , there will also be more posts with latest news about whatever I feel is worth posting. After each new post, you will see a comment by me in italics. As well, you can click on the link to read the full news story. I was tired of boring you all with my posts, which i know most of you don't care about. So, enjoy!!

2002-12-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! News - Very Heavy Pot Use Clouds Mental Function: Study Very Heavy Pot Use Clouds Mental Function: Study
Fri Nov 29, 3:12 PM ETAdd Health - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Dana Frisch
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who smoked unusually large amounts of marijuana performed worse on tests of mental function than their peers who smoked less pot, even after a 30-day abstinence period, according to a new report.

No shit? Really?

2002-12-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! News - Oasis Band Members Briefly Held After Munich Brawl Oasis Band Members Briefly Held After Munich Brawl
Sun Dec 1, 5:18 PM ETAdd Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!

MUNICH (Reuters) - Liam Gallagher (news) and three other members of British rock group Oasis were briefly arrested early on Sunday after a punch-up with guests in a plush Munich hotel's nightclub, police said.

Just don't get hurt and cancel another Indianapolis appearance, would ya?

2002-11-28T00:24:00.000-05:00

The first recordings of the next John Dillinger Died For You album have been recorded. The drum parts for some of the songs were laid down by our newest member, T, this past Sunday. Guitar, bass and vocal parts are soon to follow. The new album is shaping up to be an incredible one. We have an Audigy Platinum Ex sound card which allows direct input of intstruments and microphones. We also have a real drummer and are looking into acquiring some mastering software to polish up the tunes once they are finished. To read the ongoing discussion by the members of the band, click here. If all goes well, most of the album will be recorded by January 2003. Then we will take time to master it, think of a name for the album, create cover art and liner notes and other such details. So it may be that the new JDDFY album will be available in late January 2003 or February 2003. When it's done, it's gonna be good!

2002-11-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well, folks, it looks like I won't be finishing my Nanowrimo novel in November. Things got too busy and I frankly lost the motivation to write 50K words in one month. I supposed buying the Diablo Battle Chest didn't help either :). I'll keep at it though and at some point in my life, there will be a finished novel. Keep checking The Murauder Stories for updates. Sorry everyone.

2002-11-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

Here's another kewl site to check out: We are Full of Shit. It's the blog of a good friend of mine and his buddies. Good stuff on politics, music and whatever else they think of. Check it out!

2002-11-21T17:59:00.000-05:00

Wabash Wins the Bell!!!!

Hell yeah!!!!! For the second year in a row, Wabash has won the Monon Bell. Destroying the hapless Dannies, 35-7, on Saturday, the Little Giants finished the season a perfect 10-0. They now head to the playoffs to face MacMurray. Way to go Wabash! The rivalry was very genuine this year, without the usual fights and conflicts. Read Jim Amidon's excellent article here. There's not much better in life than beating the Dannies!

2002-11-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

Attack of The Clones: IMAX

That's right. Episode II came to the biggest screen and, for the most part, impressed the hell out of me. It was big, it was loud and it was fun. The insanely huge IMAX lended itself well to AOTC for the most part. However, a few things weren't up to par. On such a large screen, the action scenes became blurry at times. Also, the viewer could see the CG elements more clearly as CG elements; in other words, you could notice the fake stuff a bit more. In addition, several scenes were left out of the IMAX version. Whether due to time or space, the film only clocked in at around 2 hours. Fortunately, the cut scenes were nothing important (the library scene, anakin and padme's picnic, the introductions at the lars' homestead). However, it would have been nice to have seen the entire film on the big screen.

Having said my complaints, I will tell you that the experience of a film on IMAX is incredible. Seeing Yoda larger than life was very cool. The sound was also unbelievable. You could hear the chunks of the explosion on Amidala's ship whiz over your head. The sonic charges clanged around the theater in spectacular fashion. And the film, as I thought the first time, was quite good. I particularly enjoy Hayden Christiansen's performace after he kills all the sand people. His anger and rage is just right.

Overall, you can't go wrong with seeing AOTC on IMAX. It's a fun experience despite the minor complaints above. I just wish Lucas would have let someone else direct; both Ep. I and Ep. II could have been so much better...

2002-11-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

GO WABASH!!!! WIN THE BELL!!!!

It's that time of year again. It's Bell week. This Saturday is the 109th annual Monon Bell Game between Wabash and Depauw. One of the best rivalries in college football, the Monon Bell game is always and exciting affair. The rivalry is intense and, while this has led to some ugly moments (including the 1996 post-game brawl between both teams and their fans on the field), it also has inspired great tradition and a healthy rivalry between the two schools. The game kicks off this Saturday at 1:00 pm Eastern. Wabash will kick Depauw's ass!!! Can't wait to drink from that Bell again...

2002-11-05T23:09:00.000-05:00

As most of you probably know by now, i'm attempting to write a novel for the the national novel writing month which this year is the month of november. The story is The Murauder Stories that i have mentioned here before. I'll be posting the updates every time i write more text; click on the text in the previous sentence or the link on the links area to check it out. I can't guarantee it will be any good at all (especially since it is a first draft) but read as much as you want. To those of you who do read it, thanks for your support. My good buddy Cid is also writing a novel but he's not posting it online so you'll have to wait until it is finished to read it.

2002-10-29T17:47:00.000-05:00

PS2 vs. Xbox

Well, I posted something a bit prematurely. The orignal post on this topic read something along the lines of "I decided to get a ps2 b/c it's from sony, a more established company in the console business; plus, the ps2 has better games". And, yes, for a time I was sold on getting a ps2.

Then I played the Xbox.

Side by side, i played the xbox and ps2 version of madden 2k3. The difference was night and day. The graphics were so much better on the xbox that it made the difference between it and the ps2 look like the difference b/w the ps2 and the ps1. Damn! My whole plan had gone awry! Now, i had to re-think my decision. And, after doing more research and annoying my friends with questions, i finally decided on an xbox. Why? Simply put, I don't want to be always wondering "would this game be better on xbox?" So, I was worried about the lineup of games for the xbox. Well, many titles that i wanted for the ps2 have been or are going to be ported for the xbox. For example, medal of honor: frontline is coming to the xbox with better graphics and a 4-player multiplayer mode (ps2 only offers 2-player head to head). I've read other reviews in which the xbox version of a ps2 game has extra levels or extra features that the ps2 version doesn't. Plus, most games on the xbox can be played in 5.1 dolby digital surround sound (not offered on ps2). And for those who argue that the xbox is just a PC, i offer this: why in the world would you want a slower gaming console? Who cares if it's "just a PC"? If you wanna play PC games, buy a souped-up PC and stay away from the xbox. If you want console gaming at its best, with the highest quality sound, graphics and games, get an xbox. Personally, I'm going to use both PC and xbox. Some games are better played on a console and some on a PC.

Well, i could go on and on (and usually do) but the decision is made. Here are the stat comparisons again from gamespot: PS2 and Xbox
Again, I hope this helps anyone making the same decison. I was sold on a PS2 until I played the Xbox. Do yourself a favor and play both before you purchase.

2002-10-28T18:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, any of ya'll that know me have probably heard my nirvana rant. If not, here it is:

I'm sick of Nirvana. I'm sick of hearing that Kurt Cobain was the John Lennon of our generation. He couldn't be Lennon's roadie. He was a loser who got lucky and then left his child without a father. Etc.

Well, let me expound on this somewhat. First, while Nevermind was a revolutionary album, it was not nearly as strong as In Utero. The material on In Utero has more depth and maturity than Nevermind. And the songs are just plain better. Now, I was on the Nirvana bandwagon just like everyone else back in the day. I jammed to "Smell Like Teen Spirit" to no end. I wore the grunge flannel and DM's. I learned Teen Spirit on guitar just like everyone else. Then it faded. Right now, I can't even tell you the last time I listened to Nevermind. Years ago. I don't even have the CD of it; i still have the tape. And I'm not even sure where it is.

Despite the fact that Nevermind was a ground-breaking, music-saving album, it wasn't the best of the grunge lot. Pearl Jam's Ten, Alice in Chain's Dirt and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger were better than Nevermind by far. I still listen to those albums. In fact, I bought Dirt a few months ago on CD finally (after wearing out my tape!). So what am I saying? Simply that, while Nirvana may have gotten to the grunge explosion first, they weren't the best. Nirvana was nothing special, they just were at the right place at the right time. Furthermore, without the strength of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, Nirvana's impact would have been short lived.

Now I gotta get back on my high horse. Cobain is so overrated it stinks. Chris Cornell is 10 times the musican Cobain could ever be. And not only did he make an impact then, but Cornell is due to change music again with his new band Audioslave (composed of him and 3 members of Rage Against the Machine). I'm not sure I could name anyone who could be called "the Jon Lennon of our generation". But Cornell is much more deserving than Cobain.

Okay, okay, now that the entire rock world is ready to make my face mincemeat, let me say this. The latest Nirvana single is better than anything I've heard on the radio this year (except for the new Audioslave song). It's incredible. Listening to this song, it's easy to hear how much bands today owe to Nirvana. So, have I had an epiphany of sorts? Maybe. Nirvana is a great band and I can't deny that their efforts saved the face of music in the 90s. However, to say Kurt Cobain is in the same realm as Jon Lennon is ignorant. There ya go.

2002-10-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

I've got a band ya'll have to check out. They're called Nightrain and they are THE Guns-n-Roses tribute band. They have the costumes, the poses and the sound of the real G-n-R. Believe me, if you like Guns at all you'll dig this band. They play mostly northern Illinois bars but it's worth the trip if you can make it. Go see 'em.

2002-10-10T18:17:00.000-04:00

Hey, I've got another cool site for ya'll to check out. It's The Theatrica Discordia. It contains the scripts for the plays of fellow MCDP'er Sean Don Carlos. I've put a link to it in my link section on the left. Go read some of his plays. They're really quite good!

2002-10-09T23:43:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I've added a way for you to comment on each of my posts. I've been wanting to do this for a while but I haven't had time to mess with it. Now, to discuss one of my posts, simply click on the "Comment" link at the end of the post. Provide whatever info you want and let me know your insightful opinions.

2002-09-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

Here's the final draft for my 2003-2004 MCDP FHL Hockey Team:

Peter Bondra (RW-Was)
Glen Murray (RW-Bos)
Petr Sykora (RW-Anh)
Sergei Samsanov (LW-Bos)
Ryan Smyth (LW-Edm)
John LeClair (LW-Phi)
Joe Sakic (C-Col)
Jeremy Roenick (C-Phi)
Vincent Damphousse (C-SJ)
Al MacInnis (D-StL)
Brian Rafalski (D-Buf)
Patrick Roy (G-Col)
Ed Belfour (G-Tor)

I'm pretty happy with what I've got. I took a chance with LeClair because he's one of my favorite players. He had back surgery over the break but he has been skating and feeling pretty good. If Belfour can have a better year and I can get some good production from Smyth and Murray, I'll be doing well. Sakic, Bondra, Roy and Roenick are quality guys every year and should give me a good point foundation. Hopefully I can finish better than 9th place (out of 10) like I did last year. I'd like to return to the glory of the 1st year of the MCDP FHL when I finished 2nd. Seasons starts Wednesday!!!

2002-09-28T18:24:00.000-04:00

Review of Mozilla, Opera and Internet Explorer

Do you browse the every day? Every hour? Every MINUTE? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on to find out which browser is right for you. To preface, I spend at least an hour on the internet a day. I don't design webpages other than my blog. I use the internet (and consequently my browser) for all the same things the average user would: news, sports, chat rooms, downloads, email, etc. So that's my tilt. Here's what I think of three web browsers that I have been using quite often:

(1) Opera- (Version 6.04) Self-touted as the fastest browser on earth, Opera is a fun and functional way to cruise the net. With such a bold advertising statement, though, your first question might be "Is Opera really the fastest browser on Earth?" Well, I'm not sure. In all honesty, I think Internet Explorer and Mozilla are just as fast. In fact, I just checked each browser to see how long it took to load www.espn.com and Opera was just as fast as Internet Explorer (this is on a cable modem). So, I'm not sure if that claim is the exact truth. Regardless, Opera has some great features. It lets you open new windows (and thus, new webpages) within the same browser screen. In other words, you don't have to click on different tabs on the taskbar to change between webpages. You just click on the different tab in the Opera window itself. I find this is very handy and makes switching between webpages (something I had to do a lot with my old dialup connection; i'd get bored waiting for other pages to load) a breeze. Moreover, the Opera browser shows the time it takes to load your webpage at the bottom. I like this feature as I can actually see how much time I waste waiting for pages to load. Also, Opera has a great feature that allows you to go back, forward, reload and close a window (and several other functions) by holding down the right mouse button and using motions. Holding right mouse and moving the mouse left does the same thing as the back button on the browser. Right goes forward and so on. This makes getting around the web much easier. In addition, Opera has a good download manager that lets you pause and resume downloads (similar to Get Right) as well as save or simply open a download w/o saving. This is a nice feature as I dislike cluttering up my already-full hard drive with downloaded files. Opera also allows sound files to be linked to certain actions like opening the browser. This is a nice, fun touch. Also, a Google search bar is built in to the browser making quick searches very easy. On the downside, the free version of Opera has ad banners at the top reducing the amount of the screen that actually shows the webpage. Also, if you use weblogs at Blogger, don't use Opera. It doesn't show the edit screen correctly and makes posting a nightmare. This makes things inconvenient when posting to your blog. I use IE for blog posting for this reason. Other features include email client and ICQ support.

(2) Mozilla- (Version 1.1) Mozilla is another good browser that I discovered recently. In fact, i have been using it as my main browser for quite a few weeks now. It is as fast as Opera and IE as well as looking much kewler. In fact, you can customize Mozilla using several different skin models. This adds a nice personal touch to your browser. Mozilla is a free download as well and, unlike Opera, has no ad banners. Another godsend, and probably the main reason I use Mozilla more than any other browser right now, is that you can limit pop up ads. It seems IE and Opera are plagued with such ads every time i use them. Mozilla, however, has only had a few pop ups show up in the month or so that I've been using it. While I don't remember the exact way to do it, making pop ups mostly go away is fairly simple. In addition, you can open tabs in the Mozilla window allowing multiple pages to be viewed under the same frame just like Opera. Moreover, Google is integrated into Mozilla; by typing in a word in the navigation bar and clicking on the magnifying glass, you automatically do a google search for that word. Very quick and handy. Mozilla also shows the time it took for the webpage to load, a nice feature. As good as Mozilla is, it does have a couple of problems. First, it has no end-user support. There are FAQs at the website but if your question is not answered by that, you're screwed. Also, I dislike the download manager as it only allows saving the file and then opening it, unlike Opera and IE where you can simply open the file w/o saving. Also, Mozilla lacks the mouse-controlled browsing that Opera has. But, it shares the same problems as Opera with blogging. Mozilla is based on Netscape technology as well (which may make most of us shudder). Despite that, Mozilla has been a good browser so far. Other features include an email client.

(3) Internet Explorer (Version 6.0.2600) IE is the old standby, the most popular web browser around and the one you get automatically with any Microsoft OS system. Just because of this, IE is not inherently bad. In fact, it is quite good. It is as fast as Mozilla and Opera. It has a download manager that allows opening w/o having to save. While Google is not integrated, you can add a Google toolbar to your browser at www.google.com. Also, the toolbar can be customized to maximize the viewing space (without the Google toolbar, i have IE configured such that it has the most viewing space of the 3 browsers reviewed). In addition, blogging is easy to do as the "edit your blog" screen appears as it should. What's the downside? Pop up ads are tops. Also, security has been an issue in the past. Plus, IE lacks the mouse-based browsing of Opera and the customizable skins of Mozilla. In addition, multiple tabs cannot be opened in the same browser window like they can in the other 2 browsers. And, you don't get to see how long it takes webpages to load. Features include email client and MSN Messenger support.

So after all this, which is the best browser to use?? Which ever you like better. To me, none of them clearly stands out against the others. If I could make a hybrid browser that had no/minimal pop up ads (Mozilla), multiple tabs (Opera, Mozilla), a good download manager (IE, Mozilla), a customizable look (Mozilla), large viewing space (IE), timer for showing web page loading times (Opera, Mozilla), Blogger compatibility (IE), moused-based browsing (Opera) and good end-user support (IE, Opera), I'd have the browser of my dreams. As it is, no single browser of those reviewed meets my desires. I will say this. For the past month, I've used Mozilla as my main browser. I've only switched to IE to post on my blog and I've only gone to Opera to download stuff. Take my opinions for what they're worth and find the browser that suits your need best.

2002-09-25T19:15:00.000-04:00

If you're a geek, like me, then you've got some great things to look forward to. Here's a list of what has the dork in me salivating like crazy:
+Unreal Tournament 2003 (to be released soon)
+A new expansion for Medal of Honor:Allied Assault (again, to be released soon)
+The next volume in Stephen King's Dark Tower series (probably due in the first part of 2003)
+The two Matrix sequels (first one due May 2003, the second in November 2003)
+The next installment of Lord of the Rings (called The Two Towers, due in December 2002)
+The Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring computer game (due in December 2002)
+Episode II in IMAX

It's a good time to be a geek baby!

2002-09-24T18:43:00.000-04:00

Hockey Players: The Greatest Athletes in the World

Why? Because hockey players have to be in incredible shape, have tremendous upper and lower body strength, be agile with both hands and feet, and, to top it all off, skate. My bold statement can be evidenced by the fact that the average shift for a hockey player is 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. It takes that much energy that a prime athlete can only go for a couple of minutes before needing a rest. Well, I'm sure that there is a lot of disagreement about this. So, let me list why athletes in other sports can't compare to hockey players:
(1) Football: While one has to be in excellent shape for football, plays last a few seconds rather than 2 minutes. Sure, there is less rest between a football play than a hockey shift. But have a football player run a continuous play for 2 minutes and see how long they last. Even without such a descrepancy, the fact that hockey players have to skate and use a stick makes them necessarily have to be more dextrous. Physical contact is present in both sports but the factors mentioned above put hockey players ahead of football players.
(2) Soccer: Soccer is more similar to hockey in terms of the flow of the game. However, players in soccer don't get rests between shifts (although they can rest while the ball is at the other end of the pitch) like hockey players do. What it really comes down to, though, is that hockey players have to endure (and dish out) the physical contact as well as skate and use a stick. Soccer players only have to be dextrous with their feet (excepting goalies) and don't have to sustain the type of contact in hockey or use a strange apparatus on their feet to get around.
(3) Basketball: While basketball players may go continuously up and down the court, again they don't have to have the agility, physicality or ability to skate that hockey players do.
(4) Baseball: Uh...not even close.
(5) Auto Racing: Those are athletes?? Oh, shit, well i guess we all drive cars so we're all athletes too.
(6) Lacrosse: Okay, this is pretty close to hockey. About the only difference is that they don't have to skate and generally don't have to endure the same level of physical contact.
(7) Rugby: Well, these guys are tough as nails. Rugby is more continuous than football and so these guys are better athletes in that respect than football players. And the contact is greater than in hockey. However, once again, rugby players don't have to use specialized equipment such as a stick or skates to play.

So, whatever, that's just my opinions. But I do think that hockey players are a step above the rest of the sport players because of the multitude of skills they have to master. Put any other athlete on skates and they're toast. Put a hockey player in any other sport and he could at least hold his own.

2002-09-18T21:15:00.000-04:00

Mind dump:
I’m strange
I’m anathema
I have no style
I am blessed with the best girl in the world
It takes me hours to get motivated to study
I get lonely
No one cares
Fuck this
I’m not sexy
If I were, I wouldn’t know it
I can’t ever be right
Goddam job is a goddam job
I get paid to fuck off
Read me my rights please
I’ve never wanted someone like I want Ali
She’s my inspiration
Post-orgasmic bliss is god
Take your time
Fuck everyone else
Drive like a banshee
Eat whatever the fuck you want
Don’t tell me church is the answer
Goodness comes from your heart
I like heavy metal
I’m a geek
But I play sports
And guitar so listen up:
It’s never about being cool
I have no style
But I’m only dumb sometimes
Other times I can be smart
If I have to
I’m lazy though
Kiss my ass
Dead people don’t scare me
The self righteous do
Hollywood recycled shit on a stick
Pre-programmed crap
Feed me your money
I have no style
I don’t want to know it all
Enough to get by
Life too short to waste
Learning inconsequential shit
I hate getting up in the morning
Want a coma like axl
Sometimes
I care too much what others think
Boldness no care at all
Goddam job is style
I have none
I have the best girl in the world
Thank God

2002-09-17T22:11:00.000-04:00

Hey all, I've got a lot of stuff to tell you about so here it goes. First, you'll notice at the bottom of my blog I now have a counter. That way I can keep track of all 3 people that visit the site :). Second, I have begun re-publishing the Magic Bullet, the official newsletter of the MCDP. If you want to subscribe, email me at crimedoctor22@yahoo.com. Third, the Unreal Tournament Demo is out now, go get it!!! It is incredible. A more thorough review will follow in a later post. Finally, a later post will compare the three web browsers Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Opera. I'll give you might thoughts on these so come see which one(s) i use on a regular basis and why. Until next time, take it easy!

2002-09-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

My good buddy Cid noticed that I had spelled "murauder" wrong. Don't worry, this is intentional. It reflects the main character's name and will tie in with things as you will see in the future. Cid seemed to like the story so far so I've got one potential fan...

2002-09-10T01:05:00.000-04:00

How many email addresses does one man need? That's a complicated question. First, one needs a main, central email address that he or she gives out to close friends and family only. Then, you need a business address for all the memos and work-related junk you get. Then, you need a "dump" account to use when you sign up for shit and you don't really want to give out the other two emails. Then, there is all the free email addresses you get when you sign up for stuff like comcast internet service and expn access. Then, there is the email address you get at your favorite band's website because you think yourname@yourfavband.com is kewl as hell. Then you realize that their webmail program sucks pole and so you abandon that address as well. Then, you find a really fun email program like Incredimail and you realize your main Yahoo account won't let you access it via another email client so you have to start a Hotmail account as well and get tempted to switch your main account to that one. So, put this all together and you could have at least 6 or 7 active email accounts at your disposal (at last count, I have 8). In-fucking-sane.

2002-09-08T20:53:00.000-04:00

I have begun a story that I have published online at The Murauder Stories blog. I will update this storyline as I continue to write it. It will be quite long I anticipate and some of the prior posts may undergo revisions until I am satisfied as to where the story is going. I may even change the title and other such major things. In other words, it will be a work in progress for a long time. I plan to start an email list to notify folks of when I update/change the story. If you would like to be on this list, please email me at crimedoctor22@yahoo.com. Also, please note that I will never archive prior posts and the posts will be listed chronologically. That means, the top of the page will always be the first post and all posts will be viewable at all times. So, to pick up where you left off, you'll have to scroll down. I hope to update this regularly. Some of the updates will be long and some short depending on how much I get written and how long it's been since the last update (i'll try not to keep ya'll hanging for too long). Anyway, I hope you enjoy my modest foray into fiction. Any criticisms or compliments are welcome (preferably more of the latter :) ). Take it easy.

2002-09-07T22:48:00.000-04:00

I went to the World Basketball Championships today and watched Germany vs Aregentina and Yugoslavia vs New Zeland today and wondered how in the hell the US lost to Yugoslavia and Argentina. I mean, sure the teams were ok. But, christ, I swear the Duke Bluedevils could have beaten any of them. I don't really care that they have NBA players on their teams. Most of them played fairly sloppy ball and had no disciplined offense. Why the hell didn't we just give the LA Lakers USA jerseys and say, go get 'em guys? Fuck, they could have kicked everyone's asses from here to China. And, honestly, Americans don't give a shit about the World Championships. Why? Because we all know the the best team in the world is not the team that wins the World Championships, it is the team that wins the NBA finals. Period. Still, it's pathetic that we can't field a better team. Where was Kobe, AI, Payton, Webber, Carter? Jesus, give us those 5 and we win. I know, I know, NBA schedule, money issues, blah blah freakin' blah. Whatever. I'm just really ashamed that we lost to these jokers. I think it comes down to this: the US needs to quit assuming we're gonna win and actually put some effort into international basketball. Otherwise, we're going to the be the laughing stock of world hoops. The Yugo's practice 6 hrs a day. No wonder they're winning. We throw some guys together, give them a few weeks, and say, "okay, we're america, let's go win". That shit ain't work no more, the rest of the world is too good. I hope the US gets it's act together. We don't like being embarassed like this.

2002-09-06T19:29:00.000-04:00

Yo, ya'll check out the newest MCDP blog, Big Z's Give Me and F'n Break Already.... This is the funniest shit I've seen in a while. You'll be on the floor. I've got a link to it on my links list as well.

FUBAR,

BC

2002-09-06T00:54:00.000-04:00

YOU KNOW YOU'RE WAY TOO FAR INTO FANTASY HOCKEY WHEN:

+You spend your entire working day thinking about which player to draft next
+You check Yahoo's Fantasy Hockey site at least 10 times a day
+You spend your lunch hour hiding out from colleagues so you can pore over the "available player" list
+You call up your buddies just to talk about your recent draft picks
+You spend hours on the internet researching whether you should pick Sakic or Forsberg
+You know that Todd Bertruzzi can play at right wing or left wing
+The fact that Todd Bertruzzi can play right or left wing seems very cool
+You wonder if you should pick Forsberg since he pussed out last season and only came back for the playoffs
+You realize the only reason you hope Theo Fleury doesn't abuse drugs again is so that you won't lose fantasy points when he goes into rehab
+You hate the Red Wings only because they have so many superstars that none of them will get huge numbers of fantasy points like they would on other teams
+You talk to yourself about your draft picks because no one else will listen
+You bitch about the fact that people don't check their email 10 times a day and thus your e-draft is going too slowly
+You know what an "e-draft" is
+You can actually think of more than one item to put under the heading "YOU KNOW YOUR WAY TOO FAR INTO FANTASY HOCKEY WHEN"
+You waste your time posting this

2002-09-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

Again, I apologize for my pile-ness in posting. Things are much less busy this month and so i'll be blogging much more. What prompted me to post today is some jackass as a party i went to a few nights ago. In the spirit of most jackasses, he was loud, obnoxious and drunk. And, he was claiming that randy rhodes was the greatest guitar player ever. This was promptly noticed by myself and a fellow guitarist/friend of mine. We both dove into the fight to defend all that's true and great about the world. My friend countered with a very good argument as to why hendrix is the greatest guitar player ever. While I struggled to think of a way to defend my claim that jimmy page, james hetfield and slash were the greatest guitarists ever, i realized that it's not really who's better, it's who inspires you. Randy Rhodes is a great guitar player, no doubt. But to say he's better than hendrix is folly. Yet, drunk jackass was adamant that the opposite was true. I'm certain that he connected with RR when he was young and that RR inspired him to play. Just like hetfield, page and slash inspired me to play. Those guys are my guitar idols. Can i claim that they're as technically precise as RR? Probably not. But for me, the greatness of a guitarist isn't about how precisely or quickly you can play the notes. It's about feel. I mean, sure, RR or Yngwie Malmsteen or any of those virtuoso-type guys can probably outplay jimmy page. But show me a solo of theirs that has a much feel and soul as heartbreaker or whole lotta love or dazed and confused or paradise city and then maybe i'll change my opinions. Jackass argued that hendrix and page were sloppy. To some extent, this is true, page even more so that hendrix. But (and this was the only thing i agreed with the jackass about), page sounded good. For the time, his guitar sound was incredible. Hendrix...not so good. That's been my main thing against hendrix is that his guitar always sounds thin and wimpy. Sure, he played the shit out of it, but give him page's sound and i'm blown away. Anyway, the bottom line is it's all about who inspires you. They can be the sloppiest, shittiest guitarist, but if you connect with them and they inspire you to play, they can be the greatest guitar player ever in your eyes. And that's okay.

In other news, I found another good PC gaming website: The Adrenaline Vault. It has a great look and good reviews of several games as well as lots of good news updates. With Gamespot making more and more of their content only accessible to paid subscribers, the Adrenaline Vault offers a nice alternative. Check it out.

2002-08-18T01:46:00.000-04:00

Slamball

Man, ya'll have to check out slamball. It's incredible. A new sport which combines elements of basketball, football, hockey and rugby, slamball is a new hybrid sport that's exciting as hell to watch. Basically, the court is a smaller version of a basketball court but has 4 trampolines on each end embedded in the floor. Offensive players jump off the trampolines to do amazing slam dunks while defenders jump off the same trampolines to attempt to block the dunks. Jumpshots and three-pointers can also be shot as in normal basketball but the fun of the game is in the dunks. Players can also check each other in a manner similar to hockey and can take several steps with the ball without dribbling. When a foul occurs, the fouler and the foulee face off in a "duel" which is similar to a penalty shot. The fouled player gets the ball and gets a running attempt to slam while the fouler defends. In short, slamball combines all the elements that I love about sports: agressiveness, adrenaline and fun. I wish I could play! Slamball is on TNN on Saturdays at 8:00 PM Central. Check out TNN's Slamball news brief and The Official Slamball Website for more information.