Xbox Live Accounts Require "Gamertag" Identification Usernames
With the Xbox 360 Halo Reach Limited Edition Bundle on its way (see my previous GWC Blog post “Got Game? An Xbox 360 Voyage Begins“), I was faced with a dilemma. It was now time to establish my Xbox Live account. Shooter Jr and I had already decided that we would go halvsies on a Family Gold Live account. It is a few bucks cheaper after all and we end up with a total of four possible accounts instead of just two. This could prove useful if Shootette, Little Shootette or Mrs. Shooter wanted to play with us. Shooter Jr already had his Live account established but I’ve never had an Xbox Live account so I needed to create one. Now I came face to face with the decision that had been haunting me for months: creating an Xbox Live Gamertag.
Image from SyFy Mobile Website
In the past two minutes I turned off the final episode of Caprica, hit save on the DVR and turned on my laptop. Almost three weeks after SyFy aired the final five Caprica episodes I was able to complete the January 4th, 2011 marathon. Somehow I had managed to stay Caprica spoiler-free until today and it payed off in spades. My feelings are somewhat like watching the last episode of Firefly: pleased with the show and totally enraged at its network cancellation. The final five Caprica episodes were phenomenal and the final five minutes were even more amazing to me. I will be looking to pick up the DVD of season 1.5 shortly. It was that good. And to those that have not seen the series or the final five episodes you are missing out, especially those of you that were Battlestar Galactica fans. Well Done, Caprica. Well Done!
The XBox 360 Halo Reach Limited Edition
Wishes can come true. Remember back in podcast 229 when the GWC Crüe asked us to call in with what we would do with $300? I called in and said I would get an Xbox 360 because Shooter Jr was on his all the time and wouldn’t let me play. I remember Sean smacking me down pretty hard in podcast 230 when they played my call because I wasn’t doing it right with Xbox live accounts (Gee, thanks for the parental back-up there buddy). Do you also remember in my blog post “Passing On The Family Geek Card” when I mentioned I was woefully behind the times with modern console gaming? Well, about six months later and with a Cromload of hard work and savings behind me, I was able to scrape together enough cash to start my Xbox journey. For someone who last “gamed” on an Atari 2600 this is not as easy as it sounds. But in the end, I know it will be worth it.
ABC's V (Image from ABC's Mobile Website)
In the fall of 2009, there seemed to be an endless number of continued and new television shows Shooter Jr and I were looking forward to watching. Eighteen months later, it is a very different landscape on our DVR and TV Guide. Granted, there are still some great shows left but there a quite a few empty holes that will be difficult to replace. In the wake of the SyFy cancellations of Caprica and Stargate Universe in late 2010, I find myself wondering if ABC’s V will be able to survive for another season in the 2011-2012 timeframe.
A Depiction of Star Trek's Original U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (Special thanks to Jeff Quan at http://www.jcquan.com for the use of the cool art!)
A few months ago GWCers The Operator, ThotFullGuy, and DawnAZ flooded my Twitter stream with references to the Starship Enterprise. While it was clearly evident The Operator and ThotFullGuy were discussing the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 from the 2009 Star Trek reboot movie, DawnAZ wasn’t nearly as specific. In fact, I listed off 10 different Enterprises off the top of my head in a reply requesting her to specify. It turned out that the exact ship wasn’t relevant to her Enterprise reference, but the conversation reminded me how fondly I regard the many ships called Enterprise. For those that have served on board an Enterprise or watched the various Enterprise versions on the movie or television screens over the years the name Enterprise has a special reverence in our hearts. If you search the internet you will find many web pages devoted to these fine ships. By no means am I attempting to duplicate the many long hours of work it took to assemble those fine resources. Rather, what follows is simply a list of my favorite Enterprises and where I’ve run into them over the years. I think even the most die-hard Enterprise enthusiast might find a surprise or two. So enjoy the tour and as always, drop a comment below. I’d love to hear what you have to say on the subject.
As I write this blog entry, 2010 is coming to a close and New Year’s is right around the corner. After enjoying Tron: Legacy last week with family and friends, I started to wonder what will be the holiday movie blockbuster next year. From there it was a short trip to wonder what the entire year’s worth of movies would be that interest me. So the list that follows is exactly that: dates and names of movies that I’m looking forward to in 2011 and beyond. Of course the dates get a little more fuzzy the farther out it is, so take them with a grain of salt. If I’ve missed any, please be sure to let us know in comments. If you’re interested in some in particular, let us know that, too! Here’s hoping that 2011 will be a great movie year!
Disney's 2010 Tron Legacy Film (Picture courtesy of Disney's Tron Legacy Website)
Sean posted a great blog post about the ten things he learned from Tron 1982. I know I’m late to the party, but after just seeing Tron tonight, here are ten things I learned from seeing Tron Legacy
The 8 1/2 Foot Tall 2010 Shooter Family Geek Christmas Tree
I’m sure just about everyone reading this article has some sort of a holiday tradition. Our family has several and usually includes the boys in the family going to see whatever SciFi blockbuster is out. This year our plans are to see Tron Legacy together. One of our other long lasting traditions involve each member of the family receiving a Hallmark Christmas Tree Ornament in our stockings. My mother, Mom Shooter, has been responsible for assembling this gift each year for the past 20 or 30 years. Everyone has one or two series that they follow from year to year. My father, Dad Shooter, has received the Classic American Car series every year since 1991. The girls usually end up with a Disney series ornament. I have received the All American Trucks series off and on since 2000, but each and every year Mom Shooter makes sure I receive some sort of a SciFi Hallmark Christmas Tree ornament. In fact, our family have received so many Hallmark ornaments that we’ve had to add a second full-sized tree in our home to handle all of our favorite ornaments. For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you’ve already seen our “geek” tree, but for those of you who didn’t get the chance, here’s a little tour of the vehicle and ship ornaments on our tree.
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@FakeGrimlock in the Holiday Spirit
Are you a Transformers fan? Do you enjoy reading funny and/or geek-related Twitter streams? If either and/or both the answers to those questions are yes, I wholeheartedly recommend you follow @FakeGrimlock. There’s just something special about an eons-old Dinobot making his entrance to the internet through Twitter. Whether it’s his robot brain damage or semi-ambivalence to humanity, I always seem to get a chuckle from his tweets. Recently, I had a chance to catch up with @FakeGrimlock and ask him a few questions. His answers are in true @FakeGrimlock form.
A classic interview with Cybertron’s favorite son past the jump. Continue reading »
BBC's New Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson
In a time of programming uncertainty and early cancellations on American TV, the BBC has produced some of the best television currently available. BBC’s new series Sherlock is absolutely a poster child for great television. Sherlock is a modernized version of the classic Sherlock Holmes tale set in the London of today. Unfortunately, I missed Sherlock when it first aired on BBC, but due to overwhelming positive reviews, comments, and recommendations, I made sure I set the DVR to record it when it first aired on American PBS stations on October 24th. Even amidst such high recommendations Sherlock not only delivered, but amazed me in its brilliance.
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A Depiction of the Inner Gliese 581 G Solar System. Image courtesy of NASA as created by Lynette Cook
The GWC Crüe mentioned in podcast 239 that a new “Earthlike” exoplanet, meaning a planet orbiting a star outside our own solar system, was found around the small red dwarf star Gliese 581 G. Scientists and exoplanet hunters have been finding exoplanets since 1992 and to date have cataloged over 400 of them. Most exoplanets found to date have been gas giant planets like Jupiter or Saturn or bigger. Although with new instrumentation and refined techniques I’ll bet exoplanet hunters will be finding many more planets in the very near future. I’m excited about this and feel like I’m living in an era similar to the years just prior to Leif Erickson or Christopher Columbus. So what is an “Earthlike” planet, why will more be found in the near future, and what are the ways to find exoplanets in the first place?
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Confession #1: I watched Caprica out of loyalty to Battlestar Galactica. BSG brought me back to the scifi genre. Somewhere between leaving college and rebuilding my life after my divorce I stopped watching science fiction. Somewhere between the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager television shows simultaneously airing I decided to focus on my career and my post graduate education. Somewhere between Shooter Jr being born and actually paying for cable television I lost track of shows like Andromeda, Farscape, and Babylon 5. But BSG brought me back and I owed BSG, Ronald D. Moore, and everyone else involved to watch Caprica.
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