So on a whim, I decided to sit down at my PC and do some real work on it… you know, clean out old unused files, run the Windows Update (the very same updates I yell at people for not running, yet constantly fail to do so myself) and, in a moment of sheer stupidity, update to the latest version of Windows, “7″.
Yep, that was mistake number one.  My computer, while not exactly what one would call “ancient”, was certainly not streamline.  Intel P4 (3.2Ghz with hyperthreading) and 2GB ram, feeding a 512MB video card… yep, this is where your eyes glaze over, right?  Don’t worry, techie talk is done for a few.  Anyway, the machine was certainly capable of running Windows 7… or so I thought.
12% into the Windows install, the freezing would start.  Not just a stall, but a compete system freeze.  Bluescreens everywhere (so many bluescreens that the wall behind my chair was starting to glow from the haze off the monitor), and a lot of language that is not fit for print.
Who would have thought that a motherboard that was way beyond it’s prime would pick that very moment to decide that it was, essentially, cooked.  The real pissoff, was that it decided that not only did it not want to install Windows 7, it was sick of even having Windows XP on it.  That’s right, my PC developed a personality that was most definitely Anti-Microsoft and prejudiced against Windows.  Damn computers.
So came the shopping.  That’s right, I spent money that I do not have, and Tami and I went in search of an NCIX that would actually be open on a Sunday (trust me, this is not an easy task).  This was after exhausting all other avenues first (did you know that you can buy everything needed to build a computer from Best Buy, EXCEPT for a MoBo and Processor?  Seriously, WTF BestBuy???).  Our journey of enlightenment took us all the way to the new (and rather awesome) NCIX in Coquitlam (insert plug here).  We managed to walk away with $600 with of components for only $404 (bundles and hidden sales), and I was well on my way towards a new toy.  Again, or so I thought.
Let me be the first to warn you, even when you back up absolutely everything on your computer… every single file, every single folder, every single setting… you always miss something.
Glazed over eyes moment again?  Yep, apparently it is.  AMD 6 core processor, 8GB RAM, pushing a 768MB Video Card.  So yeah, it is a slight update on my prior system.  Video is OMGCLEAR, and the system is so fast compared to the original.  There are, of course, a few things that are taking some getting used to… not too keen on the Windows 7 Security thing, and stuff that was made simple by XP has now been made complicated by 7… all for the sake of “oh, you don’t really need to do that, because the average user didn’t need it… so we disabled it”.  But I had the same issues with XP when I first switched to it from Windows 2000, so whatever, right?  Consider it growing pains.
And how is this for typical?  Finally managed to get the computer to a state I was content with… and pzzt pow *flash*.  Blew the power supply.  It would appear that the power supply I had been using decided it missed it’s component friends, and committed suicide.  Alrighty then, we have lots of computer parts around the house, I’ll just liberate a power supply from one of the “spare” computers.  No problem, good to go.  Yeahno.  Half way through my game of Civilizations, I started to smell… something.  Within seconds, the now-familiar pzzt pow *flash* happens, yet this time the flash manages to actually light up the wall behind the computer.  First thought: Damnit, that was the last spare power supply.  Second thought: tell me I did not just melt something on the motherboard, please tell me I didn’t, cause that had one Hell of a power kickback.  Amazingly, the system survived 2 full blowouts in a period of 3 days, and is now running with a “Fatal1ty” 650 watt power supply.  Yep, apparently the system pulls so much power that it was going through 450 watt supplies faster than this house goes through caffeine… well, maybe not that fast.

In other news, things are going well on the home-front.  Tami is still going strong with Village Gamer, and we are actually slowly working towards rolling out version 2 of the site, turning it into a more mature, well-rounded, and Nationwide website dedicated to all things Canadian Industry.  While her “outside job” takes so much time away from her passion right now, she keeps on pushing through each day to make sure that the stories are up on the site before she leaves for “the other job”.  Though events in Vancouver have tapered off a little for the Winter, she still tries to get to every one she can, just so that the rest of the Country can see just how awesome Vancouver really is (assuming you can look past the traffic, the construction, the wall-to-wall people…).  We make it to almost every VFS Game Design Presentation night, we are regulars to SIGGRAPH Vancouver events (on a side-note, SIGGRAPH 2011 is here in Vancouver as well, so the World is going to be watching our city again), we have recently attended such events as the preview for Nintendo’s newest Pokemon title (see Village Gamer for that), the preview event for the Nintendo 3DS (again, check Village Gamer), Global Game Jam (yep, it’s on VG too)… you know what?  Just hit up Village Gamer and find out what we’ve been up to in the Vancouver scene.  Good stuff is coming, like the Canadian Video Game Awards and Canadian Game Conference (both in May), SIGGRAPH 2011 in August… and of course, Tami and I will be there.

On a more personal side, we had layoffs at work again.  This time, 8 people were let go, due to “staff cuts”.  Managed to survive this round as well, but it’s never good to see happen, even if it’s not to you.  It seems like people want their companies to do more with less… they comment that our store will be getting busier and busier, yet they cut the staff down at the same time.  It doesn’t really make sense to me, but then again, I’m just the shipper and not management.  Like many decisions in the work force, what looks good on paper may not always look quite as good when put into practice, but usually it’s too late to go back and change things so everyone has to simply make due.  The best I can do is take it one day at a time and hope that this is just a “growing pain” in the company, and not a signal of what’s still to come.

At any rate, I may as well get this posted, or I’ll find something to delay the process again… and before I know it, 6 months will have gone by (my poor neglected blog that pretty much no one reads anyway…).  Hope everyone is doing well, and congratulations to Matt and Rachel on the birth of a healthy baby girl (their first child).  Be sure to check back for my next update… hopefully before the World ends, per Mayan Calendar (maybe my update schedule is what plays a part in the end of mankind).

A little over 3 months ago, the Kia started acting… strange.  It was due for some mechanical work (or so said the reminder card that showed up in the mail), and the 4 wheel drive was now more of a 3 wheel drive.  So off Tami and I went to the local Kia dealer, just to see what they had… we barely made it out of the “truck” when one of the salesmen(women) was on us asking if we were planning on trading it in.
After some discussion, property transferage (the Sportage had accumulated quite the supply of equipment stored in the back over the years, it would appear) and a quick goodbye, we loaded up Tami’s brand new Kia Sorrento and drove off the lot.  Only to return 15 minutes later because *someone* (read:me) forgot the magnet on the back of the Sportage.  So, off we drove, again.
We haven’t really taken it on any road trips yet, and haven’t checked out the 4×4 on it (I think Tami is afraid to), but I see some good adventures coming this summer… with lots of extra room in the truck (yes, this time is has an actual truck chassis), there’s space for supplies, and even Mike as well.  The furthest road trip we’ve gone on was a trip to the Island to see Mom and Dad (most of that trip was ferry-based), and a drive to Port Alberni on a grave-hunt (Tami is working real hard on her family genealogy, and discovered that one of her relatives is buried up there somewhere… we found the cemetery, but could not find him… guess there may be another trip in the future).

Village Gamer (Tami being the head person) recently started up a monthly event called VINO… it’s like a gathering of the geeks for Vancouver.  *smirk*  Industry professionals from all branches come together for an evening of discussion, eating, drinking, and all around a good time.  With December’s event (the second one) coming up fast*** (I hear rumours of DJ music or Rock Band, but that’s still in the works), I think VINO is well on it’s way to being a great monthly event.

While I’m discussing Village Gamer, it seems that Tami is finally being recognized as a major Canadian News Site for the industry… a few weeks ago, she received a press copy of Dragon Age Origins (which I am sure Tami will tell you is one of her favorite games right now).  I think this is indication of great things for Village Gamer… all the hard work that Tami is putting into the site and it’s content might finally be starting to come back.

All in all, it’s been an interesting few months around the household, and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings… I imagine February will involve a lot of time spent NOT in Vancouver, so maybe February will be the time to finish the garage…?

*** NOTE: this has been written over the past few weeks while at work, to keep from damaging my desk with my forehead… so some events have already come and passed.  Might help if I remembered to send my txt files home before logging the work computer off for the night, but when you’re struggling just to keep up, stuff like that is the last thing on your mind.

Reposted From Village Gamer

Now, from the headline there, you are probably expecting me to go into some rant about how it should be okay to tamper with Apple’s software because you are paying for the phone anyway.  Nope, not gonna go there.  So what’s the point in starting with such a controversial topic?  Well, hopefully over the next few paragraphs, I can explain further.

Apple is claiming that jailbreaking an iPhone will allow the user unlimited uncontrolled access to the cell towers, essentially giving them the ability to make free phone calls.  Yes, this is somewhat true, but HIGHLY misconstrued.  With a jailbroken phone, you COULD make free phone calls, and this has some cell providers very nervous.  Google is working hard to bring their new service, Google Voice, to cell phones everywhere.  And why shouldn’t they?  It’s a great service that allows you to be reachable on a single phone number, no matter where in the World you might be.  It’s like Skype times 2.  Cell phone services like AT&T are worried about this, thinking that it will pull their customers away.  What AT&T are not realizing is that yes, while a user can have Google Voice for making phone calls, they are still going to require some sort of data service to make it usable in non-WiFi locations.  So yeah, WiFi seems to be everywhere these days.  Have you tried to actually connect to any available City-wide WiFi services and use a streaming service like Skype Voice?  You may as well be using 2 cans and some string… work out the math when you have a thousand or so people on wireless… you might rank just slightly better than dial-up… if you’re lucky.  Don’t worry yourselves AT&T, people are still going to need your service… though I’m starting to wonder why.

Apple claims that jailbreaking their phones will give users unrestricted access to the insides of the phone’s Operating System.  Yep, that is actually true, and likely results in a lot of hard resets.  But only the dumbest of the dumb would actually go in there and screw around with something they don’t understand.  Okay, yeah, that sums up a good 80% of the population it seems (with a +/- of 15%, but those are the same people who take the cover off their electrical outlets so they can find out where the electricity comes from, and wake up an hour later in an ambulance commenting on how they didn’t think it would hurt to use a screwdriver on the screw with a wire attached.  Only the more educated and understanding of users would actually even know how to get into the operating system (here’s a hint for the lower-evolved… it doesn’t require opening the phone case), and what to do once they were in there.

Yes, Apple has every right to say to the user that jailbreaking is not allowed.  Heck, they’re right now trying to get the DMCA ammended to include jailbreaking as a form of copyright infringement (huh?).  But what harm is coming from the end user getting all the use out of their phone as they can?  The iPhone and iPod Touch have the opportunity to be the elite in PDA’s… what they don’t have is the functionality to be as big as they could be.  For everything you want the phone to do, you need to track down an App for it.  Can’t find one in iTunes because Apple already has a program that does something a little simular (I’m looking in your direction, Firefox)?  Tough luck then.  Maybe you have the coding skills to make an App that does exactly what you want… you’ll need to pay Apple for the right to make it, then the right to install it on your own phone… all this being based on whether Apple even approves the App in the first place.  Windows Mobile and RIM allow any user to install any program they want… yet Apple is locked right down.

When a user wants to jailbreak their phone, it’s not so they can screw over Apple, or pull one over on their cell service provider… it’s so that they can receive the functionality that the iPhone is capable of providing but that Apple has decided you don’t deserve.  It’s so users can install the Apps that THEY need, and not the Apps that Apple has told them they want.  If a user wants to install a program on the phone so that they can receive greater functionality from it, why not let them?  They know the BS about taking chances on it not working… let them make their own decisions.

While I would not go so far as some by comparing Apple to Hitler and the SS Army, I will go far enough to compare them to Microsoft (*shock* *gasp* *oh, the horror!*).  While Apple as long claimed to be the representation of all that is cool and hip with the computing world, they have begun to slip and fall from grace.  I guess things get lonely at the top.  While Microsoft is working to escape their Monopoly claims and work with the users to bring them what they want and need, Apple is moving in the opposite direction.  Prime example, the OS that the iPhone and iPod Touch run on is a trimmed down version of Unix, which in itself began as open source programming.  Now, you can’t even look at your own folders on it without jailbreaking the phone/iPod and using a third party program to browse the system.

So now I come back to the beginning… why you should jailbreak the iPhone.  Up to this point, I imagine that you were thinking I was talking to the average reader through the article.  Only partially… it’s primarily a direct address to Apple.  Why should you break the iPhone?  Well, because you should have already had it jailbroken when you gave it to us.  Bring back the rights for the user to install what they need, and reclaim your position at the top.  The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be to dust off all the footprints from being trampled by all the others who have passed you by.

So Apple, Google Android has what it takes… do you?

(Are you confused, what with this article taking place after the last one?  I still really enjoy my iPhone… I just feel that it has the potential to be so much more, if only Apple were to allow it to reach it’s full potential.  Besides, you know how my mind works by now, I should hope.  )

Wow, quite a few weeks of events taking place… I’m not really sure where to start.

So lets just jump right into it with the major highlights, shall we?

Last week (it was Wednesday that everything went down), everyone at my job was called into a meeting with our store manager, human resources person, and all the floor managers.  Not exactly the sort of meeting I wanted to take part in, but it was something that I think most of us predicted coming along.  The first thing I noticed, was that two people were not present at the meeting.  The yard manager, and our store shipper/dispatcher.  While the Yard Manager being missing wasn’t a massive impact, I am torn on the other.  Greg (the shipper) was someone that I and Tami considered a friend.  Sure, I didn’t really see him outside of work, and the only time that she really saw him was when she was dropping off invoices… but he still brightened the day a little bit.  It was fun to come to work in the morning and just chat with him for the 5 or 10 minutes before starting my day, hearing about how his weekend was, or his trips into the interior, or the cabin he and Debbi planned on building for weekend getaways.  Just in general, he was a nice part to my job.  On Wednesday, his employment at Curtis Lumber was terminated, and he wasn’t there anymore.  Instead, I was moved into his office, and essentially given his job.  Not exactly the way I wanted to get a promotion…. but things have happened that I do not have the power to change, so I have to simply accept it and move forward.  At least one of the perks is that I am now off work at 2:30… or supposed to be, anyway.  I’m finding that its usually closer to 3:30 before I actually book off… but at least I’m showing dedication to learning the job and trying to make sure that everything is ready to go for the afternoon and following morning.  But just the same… Greg, I don’t know if you will ever actually see this, but you are missed by the staff at Curtis Lumber… don’t loose touch.

I see that The ELANS have yet again changed their date for the show.  No shock there, as that gives them a few more weeks to try and take people for… I mean, to bring in additional funding for their show.  It actually makes me sick to my stomach to think about what these two “people” are doing… in a time when there are layoffs all over the industry, and companies all over the Lower Mainland and the rest of the country are struggling just to keep their heads above the water, that these two come along and take them for more money under the cover of “buy your way into an awards show”… something that these companies shouldn’t even have to do.  Their work speaks for itself, and they shouldn’t be having to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars just for a little statue.  Try helping the industry, instead of leaching off it, like you did to people with Tech Investments Inc.  Looking at it logically, how many real award shows change their date so often, all so close to the “actual” date, all the while claiming that it’s to help people get submissions in easier?  The reality is likely closer to their funding not being available for the show due to it being spent on other things.  Wonder how much that new Harley of Jack’s cost…?

We finally got most of the garage cleaned out… okay, thats exagerating a bit.  We cleared a path from one end to the other.  But this is a huge step towards the possibility of converting it into a soundproof games room.  Either that, or we leave it as a storage garage and instead work on building a nice new sunroom off the kitchen.  Either way, I predict a LOOOONG summer ahead.

Vancouver recently hosted a visit from some executives for WCG Worldwide.  Why were they here?  To summarize it, there are some people working real hard to bring WCG’s attention to Vancouver as a possible host city.  Unfortunately, the reputation of two previously mentioned people caused some damage to the reputation for the City, and by the time that it was pointed out that those two are most definitely not associated with the city or it’s Industries (and most definitely not Tami or I or our company), the damage had already been done.  We only hope that they open their eyes to what Vancouver really is, and that the actions and scams of a few do not represent the city as a whole.  Vancouver is an amazing city full of some of the World’s most talented people.  To have the actions of two scammers destroy what all those other people have put their lives towards working on is just… sickening.  Especially when they are doing it under the guise of running an awards show claimed to showcase that very same talent.

Overall, its been a pretty interesting few weeks.  I can hardly wait to see what gets thrown in my direction next.  Expect many rants when such things do take place.  Other than that…

Later.

So, how much do you know about the people you send your money to? I thought that we knew the producers of The ELANS Awards (formerly The Elan Awards) well enough to trust them to their word.

Wow, was I mistaken. From having to wait for months to get a payment, to lies about the delays, to cancelled meetings at the last minute, to actual insulting emails and threats being sent to us because we do not and have never provided the service they are suddenly demanding from us. Well, I’m sorry to the producers, but I’m not a psychiatrist, so I can’t help you with your problems, any more than I can provide free website management to you, all because you think you’re more important than the rest of the planet.

I had not heard of a boiler room until recently. It’s enlightening that my first experience with the term was when someone else in the local Industry sent me a link to The ELANS own Jack Weatherell being found guilty of operating a Boiler room by the BC Securities Commission, and charged $25,000 ($33,219 total, after including legal fees) in 2000 (links further down). Is this someone we want to be associated with? I am left wondering how much of their thousands and thousands of dollars in sponsorship money is actually being invested into the show, and how much is being skimmed off the top by the producers. It supports that theory when hearing from some of the people involved in last year’s show, who have pointed out that some are still owed money. Let’s not forget the day of the show, when we were told by the Center that we could not even enter the venue to set up for the show, because the Producers had not yet even paid for it’s usage. And, while at a recent networking event in Vancouver (one of many that we attend, as we are friends with most of the people there), we took some time to chat with a friend at another company, only to be notified by Holly later that we had no right to speak with him and that we are not to do so again. That one really bothered me… that they feel that because they pay us for webspace and bandwidth, they also have the right to dictate who we can talk to, and what we can talk about. Sorry your highness, but you do not own us, and we will associate with whomever we so choose… which is likely not going to be either of you.

I sympathize with those whose email addresses were farmed by these two, and added to a non-opt-in emailing list. I apologize especially to Andy Dunn (zman), whose name and address was farmed from linkedin, resulting in spammage from Holly and Jack, and his having to “lock down” his profile on there, potentially blocking out possible legitimate contacts (see below for the link).

To be warned in advance to not work with these two people is one thing, but we made a choice not to listen to those warnings, and now we are stuck with the headache of having these leeches attached to our company. I can only feel relief that all they screwed us out of was $150 contract payment, and our time maintaining a site that they either could not figure out for themselves, or could not be bothered to take the time and learn (yes, we offered on several occasions to show them how to manage their site, only to have them cancel at the last minute every time, yet constantly send us “updates” that they demanded be posted right away… something they could have done for themselves, but decided that it should be a service we provide to them, even though it was never a part of the agreement).

The truth of the matter, plain and simple… these two are scam artists to the core, sucking whatever they can from those who mistakenly get close enough, then throwing them to the side once they are done with them. Jack’s history with the Securities Commission is warning light number one to avoid them… if he was so quick to take thousands and thousands of dollars from innocent people then, how is what he is doing now any different? Simple answer, it’s not. It’s truly a reality check when people you thought that you could trust turn out to be nothing more than manipulative liars. I don’t want anyone else to find out about Jack and Holly the same way we have. Take this advice, do your research, and draw your own conclusions. But let me tell you, it doesn’t take $250 to send a game to 5 people… especially when you have to supply them with a copy of the game in advance. Where is all of this money going, if not to actually pay the people they owe it to for their show? Once you factor in that they also are charging an additional $250 just for a ticket to the show… well, the math doesn’t add up (what one person would go through 350 dollars in seafood and champagne, just to find out if they won a $100 pewter trophy?). Lets not even begin to mention (okay, let’s) the fact that in order to submit your game for “nomination” (seems more like having to buy your way into the awards), you MUST send the producers 7 copies of the game for each category you buy into, so that they can be sent to the 5 judges. Wait a minute, there’s that math again. Where do the other 2 copies go? And do the nominators get their games back when it’s all done? So, lets work some numbers. $250 to enter, plus lets say $45 per game (oh, how I wish new games only cost $45) times the 7 copies you must provide. So right now, we’re at 565 just to enter into a category. Want to watch your game win? That’ll cost you an additional $350… that’s right people, the right to attend the show you just sent your 7 games to in hopes of winning a pewter statue is going to cost you another $350. So, we’re now up to $915 just to win an award. They call this an appreciation towards the gaming industry. To me, it looks more like a financial raping. I haven’t even bothered to factor in the hundreds or thousands of dollars that would have to be spent on airfare/travel fees and hotel rooms, for those who don’t have the convenience of living in the host city of Vancouver.

I wish I could tell the World what these two people have to say about those who do NOT “donate” thousands of dollars to buy a sponsorship package… if only there was a way to do so without revealing sources.

But do your own investigating.

How they build their “Opt-In” list (by the way, Opt-In lists are supposed to be built based on people requesting to be placed on it, and not by farming addresses from webpages… Jack and Holly are building their list using the same tactics that are used to send 90% of the spam you receive in your email accounts):

• http://www.indiegameguy.com/blogs/zman/archive/2008/08/15/using-linkedin-as-an-email-collection-tool.aspx

And here’s some great reading on Jack’s history with stealing money from people (Anyone who talks with Jack Weatherell, ask him to explain Tech Investments Inc, and who Ross Kain and Rodney Degroot are):

• http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=1c2313a7-4534-4ba4-93b8-a149afd32fd5
• http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/comdoc.nsf/comdoc.nsf/webpolicies/994CEBD38425C40188256A5000686E86?OpenDocument
• http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/comdoc.nsf/AllByUNID/B2193EE581FD9CED8825698F00625471?opendocument
• http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.asp?id=803

The above links simply show that Jack Weatherell doesn’t care about the people he works with… he only cares about the money they have, and what he has to do in order to get to it from them, even if that risks leaving them with nothing. A true user and manipulator.

So what do I want? I’ve certainly given up on the money they agreed to pay, especially after sending us an NSF cheque, then telling us that we should be happy to have even gotten that (provided a picture for your viewing pleasure, just to show that they were happy enough with the product to send a cheque, but for some reason the thousands that they are bringing in for submissions and sponsorships just doesn’t seem to stay in their account long enough to cover the expenses they are ringing up). Do I want them off our servers? Yes, but they made the choice to pay for the full year (albeit at a VERY discounted rate, and 4 months late), so I will continue to give them the service that they pay for. What I really want, is for the rest of the World to know just who Jack Weatherell and Holly Carinci really are. I hope that soon, they all do… before it ends up costing them thousands of dollars, lost to 2 people well on their way to becoming among Vancouver’s worst scam-artists. In the unstable economy of today, people’s money should go towards legitimate purposes, and not have to be invested in buying your own award when you fully deserve to be given one (its called an award for a reason, after all).

I wonder how much the SpikeTV Video Game Awards cost to enter…? Or The Grammys. Or The Junos. Or The Oscars. The list goes on, but I imagine the result is the same… no matter what you invest into entering, you at least come out with something much better than these two are providing.

Recently, there was a video game tournament held in Vancouver called Vanlan. The ELANS reminds me more and more of that tournament every time I think about it. Even the people that run both events are the same. Take the money and run.

I know that our other customers have not seen what Jack most recently said to us in regards to them, but just the same I apologize for his statements. If it ever comes down to it, you all will of course come first, and he can take his illegal stock selling, email spamming, and bad attitude and find another host who will provide him with the space, bandwidth, and 4000+ outgoing messages per email spam blitz and find another host to take for a ride.

And, for your viewing pleasure, I give you my $150 custom coding payment: