Stumbled across this story here. So MGM studios is going to declare bankruptcy this week in a deal with creditors over its multi-billion dollar amount of debt. It's sort of amazing when you think about how long this studio has been around, this quote from the article sums it up nice:
Insolvency amounts to a humiliating comedown for a studio with a back catalogue of 4,000 titles holding 205 Oscars between them
While I'm sure their attorneys are hard at work trying to push through the process quickly, it's already caused a hold up of production on some titles. Now in a perfect world this bankruptcy proceeding would be a wakeup call not just to MGM but to other studios as to how mismanagement, bloated budgets, and lack of creative thinking can lead to this financial situation. A wakeup call that would turn them away from tired sequels and remakes with overpriced stars and more focus on simply making good films.
Sadly however, we all know that we don't live in such a perfect world.
Minecraft and other musings
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The 11th hour, and no costume for Halloween
Well it's essentially Halloween, and here I am without a clue as to what to dress up as for the get together I'm having with friends/family. I'm notoriously wishy-washy about this sort of thing, and I usually end up just having to improvise at the last minute. One year I took a garbage bag, poked some holes for the head/arms, padded it out a bit by sticking newspapers inside, stuck some banana peels to it, and went to a Halloween party as a trash bag. I was hoping to avoid such a scene this year.
Anyways, drop me some suggestions and tell me what you're dressing up as if you're doing that this year.
Anyways, drop me some suggestions and tell me what you're dressing up as if you're doing that this year.
The hunt begins
With a bow in hand, I hiked my way up to the surface and was greeted by a moon in the sky and stars all above. Knowing the time was ripe for a monster hunt, I made my way over to a larger landmass in the distance. Quickly I found a Creeper bouncing along. I was giddy as I safely plucked arrows at it from a distance, not needing to fear an explosive end to the evening. I noticed it dropped a grey lump of something, which I quickly picked up. I had one like it it in my pack for some time, and had been wondering where it came from.
It was then that I recalled the words of a friend I know who plays Minecraft, who spoke of getting gunpowder from Creepers. Now I had a lot more drive and initiative to keep hunting. This initiative was almost brought to a screeching halt when one of those damn skeletons starting sniping at me from a distance. A little fancy footwork later, and the archery battle was won by myself. Dawn broke, and on my way back home, I noticed something off in the distance. Heading over I found it was bamboo.
Pleased with this little discovery, I grabbed what I could and went back home, killing some pigs along the way for meat. After tending to my wounds and playing around a bit with the bamboo, I found I could craft paper with it. The day went by with arrow crafting and flint mining, and once the next night began I started my next hunt. This time however, the situation did not look so good...
Skirting the coast for awhile, it seemed it was just skeletons everywhere. I eventually did manage to snag another gunpowder off a Creeper, but it was a disappointing night overall. The dawn did bring this satisfaction though...
Some things came up which cut my play sessions short, but I overall feel like I have a better plan now than I did before. Another thing I'm considering is seeing if I can manage an animal farm perhaps down below. Corralling them in there though might be easier said than done, but an animal/tree farm could help keep me more self-sufficient.
It was then that I recalled the words of a friend I know who plays Minecraft, who spoke of getting gunpowder from Creepers. Now I had a lot more drive and initiative to keep hunting. This initiative was almost brought to a screeching halt when one of those damn skeletons starting sniping at me from a distance. A little fancy footwork later, and the archery battle was won by myself. Dawn broke, and on my way back home, I noticed something off in the distance. Heading over I found it was bamboo.
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| Note the hairless sheep in the background |
Pleased with this little discovery, I grabbed what I could and went back home, killing some pigs along the way for meat. After tending to my wounds and playing around a bit with the bamboo, I found I could craft paper with it. The day went by with arrow crafting and flint mining, and once the next night began I started my next hunt. This time however, the situation did not look so good...
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| If you look close you can count 7 skeletons |
Skirting the coast for awhile, it seemed it was just skeletons everywhere. I eventually did manage to snag another gunpowder off a Creeper, but it was a disappointing night overall. The dawn did bring this satisfaction though...
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| I love the smell of flaming skeletons in the morning |
Some things came up which cut my play sessions short, but I overall feel like I have a better plan now than I did before. Another thing I'm considering is seeing if I can manage an animal farm perhaps down below. Corralling them in there though might be easier said than done, but an animal/tree farm could help keep me more self-sufficient.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Woman picked up her own head after horse riding accident
Just came across this story about a woman who fell off a horse and suffered a severely broken neck. Instead of being in shock or saying "ouch" like most of us, she went and just grabbed her head and got out of there. From the article:
She tried to get out of the animal's way as it galloped around after the fall, but when she tried to pick herself up, the horrified 26-year-old found her head stayed where it was.
Realising she had to move to avoid being stomped on, Ms Maxfield cupped her hands around her own head and lifted it into place to avoid damaging her spinal cord.
"As soon as I came off the horse I knew something was wrong. I went to get up but my head stayed on the floor,"
Crazy enough as that sounds, she's actually recovered and is back riding horses again. Awesome for her I say, but I'm still having to suppress the nausea from the thought of having to lift up my own snapped neck.
She tried to get out of the animal's way as it galloped around after the fall, but when she tried to pick herself up, the horrified 26-year-old found her head stayed where it was.
Realising she had to move to avoid being stomped on, Ms Maxfield cupped her hands around her own head and lifted it into place to avoid damaging her spinal cord.
"As soon as I came off the horse I knew something was wrong. I went to get up but my head stayed on the floor,"
Crazy enough as that sounds, she's actually recovered and is back riding horses again. Awesome for her I say, but I'm still having to suppress the nausea from the thought of having to lift up my own snapped neck.
Discoveries and downfalls
After my efforts at taming lava proved moderately successful, I chose to expand my flood operations to encompass some other nearby lava pools. After some trial and error, I managed to ensnare a few other lava pools and convert them to that much darker looking material. Satisfied that it would be mine once I either had the correct pickaxe or some dynamite to blow it up, I went back to my little home nook.
That's however, when everything went wrong. After hearing the plunk of arrows hitting near me, I took cover and tried to spot my foe.
After spotting him, I did my best battle roar and charged at him. Despite taking some hits, I cut through him, feeling victorious. That feeling died about 10 seconds later as another arrow slammed into me. Before I could spot him, more damage rained down on me. With no pig meat on hand, the situation was bleak, and I had a feeling of inevitability in my gut. Mustering my courage, I rushed him, knowing full well what the result would be. Sure enough I dropped to the ground dead, and I glumly chose to respawn.
Back at my original starting point with nothing but my fists and shattered pride, I set back out on the long journey home. The trip was quiet, and without incident. Thankfully, I recovered my lost gear in the cave where I had died earlier, although my nemesis was nowhere to be found. Putting that aside, I went and decided to mess around with crafting a bit. It was there I discovered I was quite the numbskull. All this time I had been taking the convoluted route with building stairs, when I could've crafted ready made ones all along.
Feeling the need to take out some frustration on some monsters, I went back above and ran over to another nearby island connected by a sand bridge. The moon was high in the sky, and I felt the thrill of battle pulse in my veins. Quickly I found my prey. Hacking down one of those green Creeper things, I looked around for more. Oh did I find more. About 3-4 of them milling around, with a spider there for good measure. Foolishly I waded into battle, and predictably I died quickly.
Deciding I needed a better battle plan, I trekked back and recovered my items and battered armor, and retreated to my home to lick my wounds. It was then, in the depths of my cavern that I finally crafted a proper bow and some arrows. A smile came over my face as I planned to exact revenge the next time I got on.
That's however, when everything went wrong. After hearing the plunk of arrows hitting near me, I took cover and tried to spot my foe.
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| I'm really starting to hate these guys |
After spotting him, I did my best battle roar and charged at him. Despite taking some hits, I cut through him, feeling victorious. That feeling died about 10 seconds later as another arrow slammed into me. Before I could spot him, more damage rained down on me. With no pig meat on hand, the situation was bleak, and I had a feeling of inevitability in my gut. Mustering my courage, I rushed him, knowing full well what the result would be. Sure enough I dropped to the ground dead, and I glumly chose to respawn.
 |
| Deja Vu |
Back at my original starting point with nothing but my fists and shattered pride, I set back out on the long journey home. The trip was quiet, and without incident. Thankfully, I recovered my lost gear in the cave where I had died earlier, although my nemesis was nowhere to be found. Putting that aside, I went and decided to mess around with crafting a bit. It was there I discovered I was quite the numbskull. All this time I had been taking the convoluted route with building stairs, when I could've crafted ready made ones all along.
Feeling the need to take out some frustration on some monsters, I went back above and ran over to another nearby island connected by a sand bridge. The moon was high in the sky, and I felt the thrill of battle pulse in my veins. Quickly I found my prey. Hacking down one of those green Creeper things, I looked around for more. Oh did I find more. About 3-4 of them milling around, with a spider there for good measure. Foolishly I waded into battle, and predictably I died quickly.
Deciding I needed a better battle plan, I trekked back and recovered my items and battered armor, and retreated to my home to lick my wounds. It was then, in the depths of my cavern that I finally crafted a proper bow and some arrows. A smile came over my face as I planned to exact revenge the next time I got on.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Playing with lava
Today's Minecraft exploits were more about experimentation than anything else. Some successful, some not so much. As I explained earlier, my OCD can spring up from time to time, and early on I tried to build a nice little stairway up to the surface. The result however, was less than successful...
After plugging up this little disaster, I went back down south and tried to find a bit more minerals. I managed to snag a few bits of gold to craft a little gold pickaxe. I had mistakenly thought it would help me with mining some dark deposits I found deep in my mine. That theory went out the window and I was left with a golden paperweight. Deciding to explore some of the nooks in my cave complex, I found a small amount of water flowing down from some of the rocks. Doing a little rough mapping in my head, I estimated that the water was relatively close to some of the lava I found earlier.
In what I decided would be brilliance or idiocy, I decided to see what would happen if I could get the water to flow down onto the lava. Thus began a long and winding effort at carving a path for the water to flow. After much doubt and almost getting swept away by the water, I busted a block open and could see it pour down below. Excitedly I rushed down to find the lava pool was no more, and after sealing off the water for the moment, I was left with this.
With that feather in my cap, I decided that I had better not risk fate and push my luck. Tomorrow I'm going to do a little trial and error research in finding out what I can craft. Yes, I know there's wiki's and guides out there, but I'd like to approach this as unspoiled as possible. I'm the type that values the journey more than the destination.
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| Anyone thirsty? |
After plugging up this little disaster, I went back down south and tried to find a bit more minerals. I managed to snag a few bits of gold to craft a little gold pickaxe. I had mistakenly thought it would help me with mining some dark deposits I found deep in my mine. That theory went out the window and I was left with a golden paperweight. Deciding to explore some of the nooks in my cave complex, I found a small amount of water flowing down from some of the rocks. Doing a little rough mapping in my head, I estimated that the water was relatively close to some of the lava I found earlier.
In what I decided would be brilliance or idiocy, I decided to see what would happen if I could get the water to flow down onto the lava. Thus began a long and winding effort at carving a path for the water to flow. After much doubt and almost getting swept away by the water, I busted a block open and could see it pour down below. Excitedly I rushed down to find the lava pool was no more, and after sealing off the water for the moment, I was left with this.
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| Now if only I could actually mine it |
With that feather in my cap, I decided that I had better not risk fate and push my luck. Tomorrow I'm going to do a little trial and error research in finding out what I can craft. Yes, I know there's wiki's and guides out there, but I'd like to approach this as unspoiled as possible. I'm the type that values the journey more than the destination.
Shazbot! Starsiege Tribes MMO in the works.
Just got a blast from my past today when I stumbled across this. So much time years ago spent flying around with my rocket pack trying (and failing) to precisely take out people over my 56k connection. Now, this dev team isn't the same from back then, and it being an MMO could mean all sorts of failures and disappointments, but it still gave me a nostalgia rush when I found out about it.
Oh and Alpha signups are available here.
Oh and Alpha signups are available here.
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| Please be good, please be good... |
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