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).

So, I’ve been heavily neglecting this place lately, it would seem.  The software was out of date, the plugins were out of date, the content (obviously) was extremely out of date.  Yet the motivation to sit down and make a post (no idea what I would write) wasn’t all that… motivational.  Go figure that I would want to do something, until it actually came time to sit down and do it… when the motivation would basically vanish into thin air without any trace left behind, other than the fact that I vaguely remembered once having some motivation.
So we survived the Olympics here in the Lower Mainland.  I had actually written a post about it (several, in fact), but failed to finish them.  I think I might just follow up this post with what I had actually started to write, and just confuse the Hell out of the people who actually do manage to read this place.  How many of you are there, anyway?  Four?  But back on topic, yes we survived the Olympics, and are in the process of the Paralympics right now.  Tami, Amy and I headed downtown on the last Saturday before the Olympics closing ceremonies to catch some of the excitement and see a few of the “houses”.  While I was extremely impressed with the event as a whole, I was less than impressed with many of the Provincial Houses.  One would think that, in a world-wide event, a province would take the time to actually highlight the best parts of what they have to offer, yet many of them were nothing more than a open floor, or a bar, or an exclusive restaurant.  Sorry, I was more interested in seeing why I would want to visit your province… guess there’s nothing of interest there after all.  At any rate, things are done.  Once again, Vancouver was in the eyes of the World, and overall it was successful.
Heard some news that put me into a bit of shock the other day.  I guess overall, it hasn’t exactly been the best of weeks for some of my co-workers.  I won’t go into detail on any of it, as it’s not my place to do so… just want to remind everyone to take a few minutes to be thankful for the loved ones they have in their life… friends, family… things can change in a moment, and it’s not always planned or expected.  Though realistically, one planning for tragedy would be rather morbid.
At any rate, I think it’s time to just get this posted (with the half-post I did a few weeks ago) and head off to watch 24.  I’ll probably post again when I’m over on the Island, as it can get real boring over there… but for now, I suppose this is sufficient.
On one final, nearly missed thought… the site is now “Facebook Connect” enabled.  That means that by connecting this site to your Facebook, you will only have to login once to be a member of both sites.  Cool, huh?  You can see it in action over at Village Gamer as well, if you want to check the legitimacy of it prior to testing it out here.
And now, my ancient-and-not-finished-post… you should be able to tell just from the first sentence exactly how old the write-up actually is… but whatever.  Enjoy anyway. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

So, in a few short weeks it’ll be 2010.  It’s hard to believe that another whole year has almost passed.  I mean, yeah there have been times where it may have felt like time has slowed to a crawl, where I wish the day would just end (oddly, today was one such day), but overall the year has seemed to pass rather quickly.  I think back on the time that has gone by, and events that have taken place during that time, and its a blur.

I went from being a yard dawg (a position that I have known since I was 11) to being a Dispatcher, and a shipper for a major retail and distribution outlet for the Fraser Valley…  a bit of a major change in my life, but one I hope I can say I am adapting well to.  It also allows me time to focus some energy on projects outside of the Lumber Yard…  though admittedly, Tami is the one who does most of the work.

For the first time in 9 years, I got to see my best friend Tanis… someone who more often than not was reduced to being a voice on the phone, as distance made actual visits nearly impossible.  That voice on the phone was, for many years, my one voice of reason… a focus point to keep me sane on my little Island.  Well, as sane as one can remain when growing up over there.

A very good friend at work, who was also my then-primary means of travel to and from the store each day, instilled a small bit of fear on myself and the rest of my co-workers, when he was rushed into a triple heart bypass just over 3 weeks ago.  He’s pulled through fine though, and while he has not yet returned to work, I am certain that when he does, we’ll all be in trouble.

My young little cousin Stacia went and got herself married.  Mind you, I guess she’s not all that young anymore (none of us are), but since there were people at the wedding that I had not seen since my teen years (the bride and her sister included), she’ll always be the little kid at Christmas.

Gaming and animation recognition in Vancouver took another hit this past week… well, it’s taken several over the last year-ish, but this one is going to be the one that finishes off the year.

The Elans Awards, a scam awards show founded originally by Holly Carinci and Jack Weatherell, that Vancouver was subjected to for the past 3 years, decided that it was done with Vancouver (and Canada) and moved off to San Diego.  Good riddance as far as I’m (and many others are) concerned.  She is more than free to take her scamshow and go home.  We have dealt with Holly and her antics for some time now (much of it is available here on the site, and more yet will likely be made available soon), and the best thing that can happen to Vancouver and it’s Studios is for The Elans Awards to move as far away as possible, and never come back.  The antics of the producer (and her former “partner”) have polluted the industry for years… from bounced cheques, scamming webhosts and site designers, using show funding (provided by local businesses for the purpose of actually helping pay for a show) to pay for their own vices (bikes and partying come to mind), to general lying and badmouthing of companies in the Country that have worked hard to be where they are, only to be slandered for not jumping through hoops for the producers on a whim and bottle of wine.  The very idea that she has decided to move the show to another city in a different country shows that she has tapped the resources of this one dry, burning every bridge she has crossed along the way.  I sympathize to all the companies that are going to get tied up in this down in the States, but I congratulate Vancouver for managing to survive the worst thing to come to the industry in our Great City.  Better things are definitely coming… and none of them will have the name “The Elans” attached to them.  Do I sound resentful of this farce of an awards show? You’re damn right I do. I refuse to stand and support any group or event that is only out there to rape the industry in hopes of making a quick buck off the hard work of others.  To make a claim of being the elite in gaming awards shows is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to steal hard-earned money from game companies… many of which are struggling right now as it is… all so they can try to win a cheap pewter statue worth less than they had to pay out in order to be “nominated”… all the while stomping on the backs of those with talent and skill to recognize, all because they couldn’t afford to pay the entry fees (and then badmouthing those people behind their backs, calling them cheap and unprofessional).  The Spike Awards takes the time to notice what the industry has to provide, and recognizes them for it yearly.  Why support a second-rate awards show created by the same people who were busted for illegal trading and fined over $80,000, when you can support a real professional awards show like the one put on by Spike TV?  The Spike Awards is everything that The Elans wishes it could be but fails at, as well as everything that The Elans claims to be but lies about.

Things like not paying for the venue until the day of the show (and then badmouthing the venue for not letting people use it anyway) is bad form.  Bouncing cheques used to pay for services while badmouthing that same provider behind their backs is bad form.  Showing up to a show drunk, and continuing on from there is bad form (especially when it’s supposedly your show).  Using money that is supposed to be for a show to buy a motorcycle is not only bad form, its outright stupidity.  Mind you, stupidity seems to run rampant with the show and it’s producer anyway (its REAL producer, that is… personally, I don’t see how someone can be named as a founder of a show already in it’s 4th year, but whatever), so no real surprise there.  I also think it’s kind of stupid to badmouth someone really harshly behind their backs, using an email account on that person’s own server, then not bothering to delete those emails when you pack up and move during the cover of darkness while leaving bills outstanding with several companies.  Not that anyone would do that last thing, but if they did, I wonder if those other companies would like copies…

At any rate, do us a favour, Holly… don’t dent Vancouver’s door with your ass on the way out.  It might cause you some brain damage… and we don’t want to give any indication to Vancouver’s talent that you were ever even here.

Sometimes words aren’t enough… but Shawn does such a wonderful job of conveying the message that many feel.  So, instead of taking my normal route for November 11th, I leave you with a simple video and a set of lyrics to accompany it.  The video says more than I ever could anyway.

It only takes two minutes to think about the sacrifice others have given, and are giving right now, for you to be here.   Tomorrow at 11 AM, give that time.

Some people say, I’m a fighter
Some people hate what I do
I stand for my country
I stand for you

I got a family that loves me
They respect what I do
Try telling your child you’re leaving
Believe me it’s a hard thing to do

So, If I die don’t judge me
Cause, I will not judge you
And If I die, please accept it
Cause, I would die for you

We have our reasons
Rules, morals and beliefs
I won’t slander your opinion
I’m just searching for peace

So, If I die don’t judge me
Cause, I will not judge you
And If I die, please accept it
Cause, I would die for you