135 - Red Rings of Death Plague Me rss

Red Rings of Death

Well it finally happened.  My XBox360 Elite died about two weeks ago.  We first noticed a problem playing Lego Indiana Jones.  We would be about 5 to 10 minutes into playing and then the video would go crazy and the audio would give an annoying buzzing lockup sound.  The only thing to do from there was to just turn it off.  A week later I had some time to trouble shoot the issue and found that this problem would occur with any game, though not when I was just in the Dashboard.  And during the troubleshooting I finally got the dreaded “Red Rings of Death” I’ve heard so much about on the white XBox’s.  I assumed this issue had be resolved with the release of the Elite system, but alas, I was wrong.   I called Microsoft XBox support and they were quick to setup shipment for my system to be repaired.  UPS tracking states the my XBox is ‘out for delivery’ in good ‘ol Mesquite, TX just about 200 miles north of here.  And now I just wait for that box to show up on my door step, I’m guessing in about 2 weeks.
My XBox is about 14 to 16 months old and I’m glad it happened now and not later after my warranty expired.  This has brought me closer to thinking about a PS3 now that the Blue-Ray/HDDVD war is over.  Though I’m not really convinced that Blue-Ray will even stay around too long due to the ease of HD download and streaming over network.  Right now I have other things I need to spend money on.


133 - Scoot Scoot Scoot rss

These gas prices are getting insane.  $60 to fill up for my car is just out of control.  I feel sorry for people in California and I always have, but I feel sorry for me here in Austin, TX.  I don’t think anything is going to happen to get the gas prices lower.  I just don’t see it happening.  I will have my car paid off in December of this year, about 6 months away.  I’ve been contemplating buying a nice new motorcycle but I’m not sure my Keinbock Diseased wrist can take the strain a sport bike would give me, and I know I can blow through a 5 gallon tank of gas on a sport bike in one night, I’ve gone it many times years ago.  I need something inexpensive for my daily work commute, which is in town and basically from North Lamar and Braker to downtown.  It’s an easy straight shot.  Is a scooter the best solution for me, other than the bus?  I’ve never owned one, but some of them look pretty cool.  Keneda and his bike from the anime Akira comes to mind with some of the latest scooter designs that are hitting the streets.  I’ve been doing a little research and I might actually hit  some scooter shops to take a look at what they feel like and see what happens.  It’s Austin and scooters are being seen more and more and more everyday.  Is it finally here that people are realizing they don’t need their big cars anymore or that they just can’t afford to drive them everyday?  I picture in my head traffic jams of scooters in Austin like they have in the busy cities of china.  I’m sure if I end up getting one I’ll be posting all about it.


131 - Indiana Jones and the Last Piece of Crap rss

Oh man…. That was bad.  I had such high hopes.  After watching that movie at the Alamo Ritz, I was speachless at how bad it was.  I thought the whole intro to the movie was fake.  The script was horrible, the acting bad, and worse of all the film treats you like you’re an idiot.  Another thing about the X-Files I don’t like….wait….what?  Don’t get me started.  Save your money my friends.  Wait for the Divx version, or park on the hill above the drive in, just don’t spend any money on this live action cartoon.   “They look like big, strong hands…” - Rock Biter

 I have to say I’m am totally with Patton Oswalt’s time machine idea.


130 - My Dog Ate My Rock Band rss

A few weeks ago my dog, Crom, decided it would be fun to chew on the Rock Band microphone cable. This did not completely break it. Rock Band would intermittently recognize the microphone but when you sang, no sound would come out. It was broken. A few days later, Crom had so much fun chewing the mic cable that he decided to chew on the drum set kick pedal cord . Well that was just bit right in half. No kick pedal anymore. Rock Band was turned into Guitar Hero by a bored dog. The dog is no longer left alone with the XBox 360 anywhere around.

I shopped around for USB mics that would work with Rock Band and opted to just spend the $30 for a new one. I figured my Best Buy extended warranty wouldn’t cover dog chewage and I was a little lazy about checking it out. I attempted to rewire the kick pedal but found it useless to really even try. It wouldn’t be the same. In the process of disassembling the kick pedal I was able to disconnect the broken wire from the pedal. I just needed to find this little wire part and replace it.

One day I finally decided to call Rock Band support to order this little wire part or to see if it was even possible. In trying to find a support number for Rock Band, I learned that EA handles Rock Band support. I’ve had issues before with EA’s online website and support in working with the online portions of the game Skate. I was unable to login or create a new login to EA’s support site, which is needed to even get any contact info, like an email address or a phone number for EA. I searched some forums and found that other users had the same issue and another poster posted EA’s support number.

Finally, I called EA’s support and they questioned me why I didn’t try to contact them online…. :| After I told him my issue, the support rep informed me that I need to call another phone number for Rock Band hardware support. :| I called Rock Band hardware support and was able to work through the teleprompts to get to a rep that could help me. Jesse was very helpful. I told him that all I needed was the wire for the kick pedal because mine was “accidentally cut”. He informed me that I cannot buy or get just the wire, it would have to be the entire kick pedal. :| But he also surprised me when he said he could replace it under warranty. In my shock, I simple said, “Ok! Cool.” In setting up the RMA I decided to try for a microphone replacement as well. Told him the same thing, “The wire is slightly severed and doesn’t transmit the sound data.” He then jokingly asked, “What, did your dog get a hold of it?” I just replied, “Yes, yes he did.” In my mind I was cursing that little hellion. I blame it on the new adult food I accidently got for him that made him crazy. But Jesse said he would replace that under warranty as well. HELL YES! Rock Band was saved.

I recieved the kick pedal and microphone and sent back the kick pedal. The did not want the microphone back. Rock Band is back in our lives. Crom has been told that he cannot play Rock Band anymore ever.

This blog is to say that Rock Band’s support was bad ass and top class support. I’m guessing that it was another company that was hired by EA to handle the Rock Band support, but whoever that company is, they indeed ROCK. Thanks to Jesse for his understanding and quick help without any needless troubleshooting beyond what I told him I had already done and knew.

And EA, so many people I have talked to have expressed their hatred and dissatisfaction with your direct support and online support. Please do something with the online login system you have. Get rid of it and try another or you know what? Provide some company contact info without a login at least.

That is all, Rock Band party soon!

 added:  EA Support:  1-866-543-5435
                 Rock Band Support:  1-650-628-1001


116 - “What Happened to All the Nice Guys?” rss

Austinist posted a link to this craigslist.org posting and I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m a nice guy turned asshole and have recently transitioning back to nice guy. http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/483318927.html

“What Happened to All the Nice Guys?” Date: 2007-11-19, 3:52AM PST

I see this question posted with some regularity in the personals section, so I thought I’d take a minute to explain things to the ladies out there that haven’t figured it out.

What happened to all the nice guys?

The answer is simple: you did.

See, if you think back, really hard, you might vaguely remember a Platonic guy pal who always seemed to want to spend time with you. He’d tag along with you when you went shopping, stop by your place for a movie when you were lonely but didn’t feel like going out, or even sit there and hold you while you sobbed and told him about how horribly the (other) guy that you were fucking treated you.

At the time, you probably joked with your girlfriends about how he was a little puppy dog, always following you around, trying to do things to get you to pay attention to him. They probably teased you because they thought he had a crush on you. Given that his behavior was, admittedly, a little pathetic, you vehemently denied having any romantic feelings for him, and buttressed your position by claiming that you were “just friends.” Besides, he totally wasn’t your type. I mean, he was a little too short, or too bald, or too fat, or too poor, or didn’t know how to dress himself, or basically be or do any of the things that your tall, good-looking, fit, rich, stylish boyfriend at the time pulled off with such ease.

Eventually, your Platonic buddy drifted away, as your relationship with the boyfriend got more serious and spending time with this other guy was, admittedly, a little weird, if you werent dating him. More time passed, and the boyfriend eventually cheated on you, or became boring, or you realized that the things that attracted you to him weren’t the kinds of things that make for a good, long-term relationship. So, now, you’re single again, and after having tried the bar scene for several months having only encountered players and douche bags, you wonder, “What happened to all the nice guys?”

Well, once again, you did.

You ignored the nice guy. You used him for emotional intimacy without reciprocating, in kind, with physical intimacy. You laughed at his consideration and resented his devotion. You valued the aloof boyfriend more than the attentive “just-a-” friend. Eventually, he took the hint and moved on with his life. He probably came to realize, one day, that women aren’t really attracted to guys who hold doors open; or make dinners just because; or buy you a Christmas gift that you mentioned, in passing, that you really wanted five months ago; or listen when you’re upset; or hold you when you cry. He came to realize that, if he wanted a woman like you, he’d have to act more like the boyfriend that you had. He probably cleaned up his look, started making some money, and generally acted like more of an asshole than he ever wanted to be.

Fact is, now, he’s probably getting laid, and in a way, your ultimate rejection of him is to thank for that. And I’m sorry that it took the complete absence of “nice guys” in your life for you to realize that you missed them and wanted them. Most women will only have a handful of nice guys stumble into their lives, if that.

So, if you’re looking for a nice guy, here’s what you do:

1.) Build a time machine.

2.) Go back a few years and pull your head out of your ass.

3.) Take a look at what’s right in front of you and grab ahold of it.

I suppose the other possibility is that you STILL don’t really want a nice guy, but you feel the social pressure to at least appear to have matured beyond your infantile taste in men. In which case, you might be in luck, because the nice guy you claim to want has, in reality, shed his nice guy mantle and is out there looking to unleash his cynicism and resentment onto someone just like you.

If you were five years younger.

So, please: either stop misrepresenting what you want, or own up to the fact that you’ve fucked yourself over. You’re getting older, after all. It’s time to excise the bullshit and deal with reality. You didn’t want a nice guy then, and he certainly doesn’t fucking want you, now.

Sincerely,

A Recovering Nice Guy


109 - Text Message Break Ups rss

So what’s up with the new trend of text message break ups? I say new. The first one I had heard about was 2 years ago while I was at ACL Fest and of course I heard about it via text message. Recently another friend of mine received a text message break. Each story is it’s own and are different situations but seriously, breaking up over text message? Lame. What kind of a sorry ass weak pathetic scared weak loser breaks a girls/guys heart over text message. Over the phone is bad enough. Instant Message is bad too. Don’t be a lame-o and do it in person. If it’s it’s long distance then phone is acceptable but webcam would be better. Like how I put the technology twist in there? Pretty soon there’s going to be a “text message break up” therapy group listed in the Austin Chronicle.
Text Message Break Up Video
And why doesn’t the iPhone have a camera? Really? Come on!

edit:  I finally played with an iPhone, it does have a camera and I really want one.


108 - Silence for Soma rss

SomaFM is having a day of silence due to the new law that will force them to pay $1.1 million in royalties for their independent internet broadcast. I have discovered many bands from listening to Indie Pop Rocks on SomaFM that have led me to buy their music and go to their shows and I’m sure thousands of others have as well. I cherish this site and the music they provide. I have already written to my congressman about this issue and I hope this day of silence on the internet will get you to voice your opinion.

They’re getting press too.

Click here to contact your congressional representative.


92 - Someone Beat Me Up Please rss

Every time I get a song stuck in my head now, I try to think of another song to wipe it clean.  The song I used was the badger song.  But now I use another song….. ‘The Kill’ by 30 Seconds to Mars.  I hate it that I like this song.  It’s against everything I stand for, but it’s so damn epic with the huge chorus which is most of the song, since that is the new formula for a hit on MTV2 and 101X.  Thank goodness I don’t like their other songs, otherwise I might try to seek some kind of rock counseling.  I hate Jordan Catalano.  He is on my kick in the nuts list…maybe even top 5.


77 - I hate Henry Rollins rss

The other night I went to Music Monday at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown and saw Ghost on the Highway: A Portrait of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club by Kurt Voss. It was a great documentary. I personally had never really been aware of The Gun Club and the film, due to legal issues, did not have any of their music in the film at all. The interviews were hillarious, especially the ex members of the band. The college kid got pretty annoying. But the main reason why I blog about this, is that this film also interviewed Henry Rollins and furthermore this film further instilled the fact that I can’t stand Henry Rollins. His pretentious attitude and because he was punk and in Black Flag, that means he’s a god. God I can’t stand him. His stand up comedy wasn’t funny. I don’t really care for his spoken word, I think it’s boring. His talk show on IFC is good except for him being in it. If he weren’t so arrogant about his fame I don’t think I would have such a problem, but the fact that he is, but plays it off that he doesn’t care about all that is really annoying. Ok, I think that’s all. The film was good though. And as I listen to The Gun Club now, it’s good. It reminds me of some of the Texas rock/punk that was going on in the mid/late 80’s (Loco Gringos, Last Rights). Check it out.


65 - Monopoly Credit Cards rss

This is rediculous. Monopoly will be replacing the cash with credit cards and a credit card reading device, though you will still be able to download printable PDFs of the cash. Lame. Part of the fun of the game is gloating about how much cash you have. Remember having the stacks of $500s barely tucked under the board. So what? Now you just hold up your credit card and say “Look at my card!” Lame. The full story at TechDirt. Is there a petition I can sign somewhere?


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