While I am still going through the process of setting up a more permanent home for CR, I thought I'd post with an update just to let you know what's up and happening.
I've already set-up the main domain name for the site; the new home will be at continualrandomness.com, like always. If you go there now, it will redirect you back here.
I'd like to move off of push-button publishing though, and head into the world of WordPress. This, unfortunately, turned out to be considerably harder than I originally anticipated it to be. But fear not: the new site is coming, and probably at a faster pace now that I am finished with midterms for the time being.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Its Been Awhile
To say that it has been awhile since my last post here would, of course, be a great understatement. The last post I made here was during the opening days of my freshman year at college at UC Davis. I am now in the midst of my Junior year, beginning to make the first steps in the process of applying to law school.
So, of course, it begs the question: why am I back?
The easy answer would be that I stumbled upon this site while I was board online, and looked back at the posts I made while in high school and reminisced about the past. While that's certainly true, I don't think thats really the reason why I am on here again, blogging for the first time in years.
Instead, I think the real reason lies in a series of events that have transpired over the past few months. As I continue my collegiate career, and make preparations for what it means to have an actual career, I have been increasingly called to question what my view of the world is, and why it matters. There have been a lot of moments over the past few months where I have questioned how my character will contribute to the world at large, and what I seek to contribute. I can't onestly say that I've gotten any further in this process than this simple realization.
But, I think I have made an important discovery here. For a variety of reasons, I have come to believe that expressing one's opinion in the written word is an important process. Putting my thoughts online of course opens them up for the world to see, which is inevitably the point of blog. But it obviously serves an individual function as well, as it allows me to think about my opinions and thoughts as well, and forces me to shape (or at least think about) the complexities of the world. I confess openly that I am clearly not the first to make this discovery; it is in fact why the blogging revolution started, and continues to this day in the new forms of social media.
A lot has changed about me in these past few years; I think I have changed more in this short time than in any other period in my life. The meanigs and implications of this lay far beyond the scope of this post, but these changes are the fundamental reasons behind its words.
With that said, I offically open a new chapter in Continual Randomness. I thought about changing the name, in an effort to sound more professional (and perhaps shorter and more Web 2.0 friendly), but came to the conclusion that such action was not only unneccessary, but foolish. I am still the very same person who posted the orignial message back in 2004, not matter how much has changed, and thus this blog, and its title, continual to have a sort of special meaning to me.
This is not, however, to say that the blog will not be changing. It will, in fact, be changing quite a bit. I plan to acquire the actual domain name of the site, and host it up there. [EDIT: Just to prove that this is actually happening, I went ahead and bought the domain name for continualrandomness.com Go ahead and visit it; right now I just have it redirecting back to here, but eventually I plan to set it up as a seperate site, creating more of a clean break with some of the old content on this site] In addition, the blog will of course be getting an entire make-over. These changes will accompany a change in the blog's theme. This blog was created to express my interests and my passions as a person. As a junior back in high school this mostly consisted of counting down the days until Halo 2. As a Junior now in college, preparring to head off to law school, these interests and passions have of course changed. In what way, I'm still not sure. But you can bet this blog will be a great place to find out.
Until next time, which I promise will not be too long from now,
-StarDrummer
So, of course, it begs the question: why am I back?
The easy answer would be that I stumbled upon this site while I was board online, and looked back at the posts I made while in high school and reminisced about the past. While that's certainly true, I don't think thats really the reason why I am on here again, blogging for the first time in years.
Instead, I think the real reason lies in a series of events that have transpired over the past few months. As I continue my collegiate career, and make preparations for what it means to have an actual career, I have been increasingly called to question what my view of the world is, and why it matters. There have been a lot of moments over the past few months where I have questioned how my character will contribute to the world at large, and what I seek to contribute. I can't onestly say that I've gotten any further in this process than this simple realization.
But, I think I have made an important discovery here. For a variety of reasons, I have come to believe that expressing one's opinion in the written word is an important process. Putting my thoughts online of course opens them up for the world to see, which is inevitably the point of blog. But it obviously serves an individual function as well, as it allows me to think about my opinions and thoughts as well, and forces me to shape (or at least think about) the complexities of the world. I confess openly that I am clearly not the first to make this discovery; it is in fact why the blogging revolution started, and continues to this day in the new forms of social media.
A lot has changed about me in these past few years; I think I have changed more in this short time than in any other period in my life. The meanigs and implications of this lay far beyond the scope of this post, but these changes are the fundamental reasons behind its words.
With that said, I offically open a new chapter in Continual Randomness. I thought about changing the name, in an effort to sound more professional (and perhaps shorter and more Web 2.0 friendly), but came to the conclusion that such action was not only unneccessary, but foolish. I am still the very same person who posted the orignial message back in 2004, not matter how much has changed, and thus this blog, and its title, continual to have a sort of special meaning to me.
This is not, however, to say that the blog will not be changing. It will, in fact, be changing quite a bit. I plan to acquire the actual domain name of the site, and host it up there. [EDIT: Just to prove that this is actually happening, I went ahead and bought the domain name for continualrandomness.com Go ahead and visit it; right now I just have it redirecting back to here, but eventually I plan to set it up as a seperate site, creating more of a clean break with some of the old content on this site] In addition, the blog will of course be getting an entire make-over. These changes will accompany a change in the blog's theme. This blog was created to express my interests and my passions as a person. As a junior back in high school this mostly consisted of counting down the days until Halo 2. As a Junior now in college, preparring to head off to law school, these interests and passions have of course changed. In what way, I'm still not sure. But you can bet this blog will be a great place to find out.
Until next time, which I promise will not be too long from now,
-StarDrummer
Friday, July 27, 2007
At the Beach
I'm at the beach this week. I really should post more often. But I don't really care. Is anybody really out there?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
2006 STAR Awards-Winners
Here are the winners of the Thrid Annual STAR Awards. Congrats!
Best Console of the Year
Xbox 360
-While 2006 saw the launch of two new systems, the 360 easily takes the cake this year with a lineup that has rarely been seen. From ESIV:O, Dead Rising, RS: Vegas, to the epic GoW, the only console that even comes close is the Wii; which, while very good, just didn't have the same level of momentum.
Standout Device (New)
Vision Camera
-Surprise, this year's winner isn't an iPod. It's not even a music player. Heck, it's not even portable. But that's OK, because seeing my face in Vegas is just so cool. The Zune, despite it's shortfalls, is a distant second.
Best Online Game
Gears of War
-GoW is simply a game that may change the way we play online. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so special, as it's more of all of the forces working together to make one hell of an experience. GRAW takes a distant second, for its revolutionary team work requirements.
Best Offline Game
Dead Rising
-While I really like the others in this category, and I admit it was a close call, Dead Rising really was the most fun I had while playing SP this year. It really did reinvent a style of gaming that I had forgotten since 2002, when Live came out. Honorable mention goes out out to Zelda for, well, being Zelda done right.
Best Orignal Title
Viva Pinata
- I've never played anything like VP before, and it's just so much fun. No other title took such a unique premise this year and made it fun to play. In a world full of sequels, this category is made to only include new games, and VP is a perfect game to get its first win.
Best Continuation Title
New Super Maio Brothers
-Not that there's anything wrong with sequels, if they are done right. And there can be no other game franchise that knows how to make a good sequel than Mario. This game on the DS really changed the way Mario was played, for the better. Honorable Mention goes out to (gasp!) Madden 07, ONLY ON THE WII, for its innovative use of the controller.
Best Graphics
--caption award
Best Gameplay
Dead Rising
- Call me crazy, but I loved the time structure of Dead Rising and its save system. Add to that chainsaws and zombies, and you don't get much better gameplay. A close second goes to Gears of War, for almost being more than a game.
Best COntrols
--caption award
Best Star Wars Game
Lego Star Wars II
-Unfortunately not a big choice this year; however, Lego Star Wars II is an excellant game and worthy of this award.
Console Bests
--caption award
GOTY
Gears of War
-This years game of the year was a hard pick. Wait...no it really wasn't. I've played GoW by far more than any other game this year, and that's do to one reason: it's a blast to play. Period. It's innovative and fresh, and has the best graphics to date, anywhere. I'm ready for GoW2.
Best Developer
Epic (Gears of War)
Nintendo (New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda)
- I know it sucks to have a tie, but I just can't only honor one. On the one hand, Epic did something truly great with GoW, and continues to support it with free content that rocks. On the other, Nintendo has basically changed the video game world this year with dominance of the Wii and DS.
Best DLC
Live Arcade: Small Arms
- Small Arms has made me think twice about what Live Arcade can do. I seriously considered nominating Small Arms for Game play, but it is definatly worthy of this award. A distant second is UNO, do to both it timing (remember the counter?) and the fact that it was fun, plus it added Vision support.
Moive of the Year
Little Miss Sunshine
-OK, my movie choices are a tad off, but the winner is the best movie of the year. LMS rocked as a perfect combo of National Lampoon meets Sideways: two of my favorite movies. Honorable mention goes to Superman, for bringing the franchise back to life in a great way.
TV Show of the Year
How I Met Your Mother
- All nominees represented shows I watched every show of (OK...maybe not every Report, but alot). I just love HIMYM, it's my kind of show. Honestly, watching a new episode has become a kind of event for me. A close second would be Studio Sixty, followed by (yes...I have to list all of them) Colbert, Sopranos, and Current.
Best Console of the Year
Xbox 360
-While 2006 saw the launch of two new systems, the 360 easily takes the cake this year with a lineup that has rarely been seen. From ESIV:O, Dead Rising, RS: Vegas, to the epic GoW, the only console that even comes close is the Wii; which, while very good, just didn't have the same level of momentum.
Standout Device (New)
Vision Camera
-Surprise, this year's winner isn't an iPod. It's not even a music player. Heck, it's not even portable. But that's OK, because seeing my face in Vegas is just so cool. The Zune, despite it's shortfalls, is a distant second.
Best Online Game
Gears of War
-GoW is simply a game that may change the way we play online. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so special, as it's more of all of the forces working together to make one hell of an experience. GRAW takes a distant second, for its revolutionary team work requirements.
Best Offline Game
Dead Rising
-While I really like the others in this category, and I admit it was a close call, Dead Rising really was the most fun I had while playing SP this year. It really did reinvent a style of gaming that I had forgotten since 2002, when Live came out. Honorable mention goes out out to Zelda for, well, being Zelda done right.
Best Orignal Title
Viva Pinata
- I've never played anything like VP before, and it's just so much fun. No other title took such a unique premise this year and made it fun to play. In a world full of sequels, this category is made to only include new games, and VP is a perfect game to get its first win.
Best Continuation Title
New Super Maio Brothers
-Not that there's anything wrong with sequels, if they are done right. And there can be no other game franchise that knows how to make a good sequel than Mario. This game on the DS really changed the way Mario was played, for the better. Honorable Mention goes out to (gasp!) Madden 07, ONLY ON THE WII, for its innovative use of the controller.
Best Graphics
--caption award
Best Gameplay
Dead Rising
- Call me crazy, but I loved the time structure of Dead Rising and its save system. Add to that chainsaws and zombies, and you don't get much better gameplay. A close second goes to Gears of War, for almost being more than a game.
Best COntrols
--caption award
Best Star Wars Game
Lego Star Wars II
-Unfortunately not a big choice this year; however, Lego Star Wars II is an excellant game and worthy of this award.
Console Bests
--caption award
GOTY
Gears of War
-This years game of the year was a hard pick. Wait...no it really wasn't. I've played GoW by far more than any other game this year, and that's do to one reason: it's a blast to play. Period. It's innovative and fresh, and has the best graphics to date, anywhere. I'm ready for GoW2.
Best Developer
Epic (Gears of War)
Nintendo (New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda)
- I know it sucks to have a tie, but I just can't only honor one. On the one hand, Epic did something truly great with GoW, and continues to support it with free content that rocks. On the other, Nintendo has basically changed the video game world this year with dominance of the Wii and DS.
Best DLC
Live Arcade: Small Arms
- Small Arms has made me think twice about what Live Arcade can do. I seriously considered nominating Small Arms for Game play, but it is definatly worthy of this award. A distant second is UNO, do to both it timing (remember the counter?) and the fact that it was fun, plus it added Vision support.
Moive of the Year
Little Miss Sunshine
-OK, my movie choices are a tad off, but the winner is the best movie of the year. LMS rocked as a perfect combo of National Lampoon meets Sideways: two of my favorite movies. Honorable mention goes to Superman, for bringing the franchise back to life in a great way.
TV Show of the Year
How I Met Your Mother
- All nominees represented shows I watched every show of (OK...maybe not every Report, but alot). I just love HIMYM, it's my kind of show. Honestly, watching a new episode has become a kind of event for me. A close second would be Studio Sixty, followed by (yes...I have to list all of them) Colbert, Sopranos, and Current.
STAR Awards 2006-Nominess In
Without further ado (you've waited long enough...) Here are the 2006 Nominees for the STAR Awards. Winners will be announced on Friday.
Best Console of the Year
Xbox 360
PS2
Ps3
Nintendo Wii
Standout Device (New)
iPod Nano G2
iPod Shuffle G2
Nintendo DS Lite
Zune
Vision Camera
Best Online Game
Gears of War
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Ghost Recon: Advance Warfighter
Call of Duty 3
Resistance: Fall of Man
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Best Offline Game
Gears of War
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead Rising
Zelda: Twilight Princess
God of War
Best Orignal Title
Viva Pinata
Resistance: Fall of Man
Dead Rising
God of War
Wii Sports
Gears of War
Best Continuation Title
GR:AW
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Madden 07 (Wii)
New Super Maio Brothers
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Graphics
--caption award
Best Gameplay
Dead Rising
GR:AW
Gears of War
Zelda: Twilight Princess
SC:DA
Best COntrols
--caption award
Best Star Wars Game
Lego Star Wars II
Empire at War
Console Bests
--caption award
GOTY
Gears of War
Resistance: Fall of Man
Zelda: Twilight Princess
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
GR:AW
Best Developer
Epic (Gears of War)
Rare (Viva Pinata)
Nintendo (New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda)
Insomniac (Resistance: Fall of Man)
Bethseda (ESIV: Oblivion)
Best DLC
Call of Duty 2 Map Packs
Live Arcade: Small Arms
Live Aracade: UNO
Live Arcade: Cloning Clyde
NVC: Super Mario Bros.
Moive of the Year
Superman Returns
An Inconvienant Truth
Iraq for Sale
Little Miss Sunshine
TV Show of the Year
Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip
How I Met Your Mother
The Sopranos: Season Six
The Colbert Report
Current
Best Console of the Year
Xbox 360
PS2
Ps3
Nintendo Wii
Standout Device (New)
iPod Nano G2
iPod Shuffle G2
Nintendo DS Lite
Zune
Vision Camera
Best Online Game
Gears of War
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Ghost Recon: Advance Warfighter
Call of Duty 3
Resistance: Fall of Man
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Best Offline Game
Gears of War
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Dead Rising
Zelda: Twilight Princess
God of War
Best Orignal Title
Viva Pinata
Resistance: Fall of Man
Dead Rising
God of War
Wii Sports
Gears of War
Best Continuation Title
GR:AW
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Madden 07 (Wii)
New Super Maio Brothers
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Best Graphics
--caption award
Best Gameplay
Dead Rising
GR:AW
Gears of War
Zelda: Twilight Princess
SC:DA
Best COntrols
--caption award
Best Star Wars Game
Lego Star Wars II
Empire at War
Console Bests
--caption award
GOTY
Gears of War
Resistance: Fall of Man
Zelda: Twilight Princess
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
GR:AW
Best Developer
Epic (Gears of War)
Rare (Viva Pinata)
Nintendo (New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda)
Insomniac (Resistance: Fall of Man)
Bethseda (ESIV: Oblivion)
Best DLC
Call of Duty 2 Map Packs
Live Arcade: Small Arms
Live Aracade: UNO
Live Arcade: Cloning Clyde
NVC: Super Mario Bros.
Moive of the Year
Superman Returns
An Inconvienant Truth
Iraq for Sale
Little Miss Sunshine
TV Show of the Year
Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip
How I Met Your Mother
The Sopranos: Season Six
The Colbert Report
Current
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
What to Get Me: 2006 Edition
Here it is, the annual What To Get Me post.
Each year, I make the effort to create an online Amazon wishlist to help out those who just want to get me something but don't want to actually have to go through the trouble of being creative. Have no fear; 2006 is not forgotten. You still have time to get in an order in time for Christmas, but you better hurry.
What to Get Me: 2006 Christmas List (Amazon Edition)
Each year, I make the effort to create an online Amazon wishlist to help out those who just want to get me something but don't want to actually have to go through the trouble of being creative. Have no fear; 2006 is not forgotten. You still have time to get in an order in time for Christmas, but you better hurry.
What to Get Me: 2006 Christmas List (Amazon Edition)
So I've Been AFK For Awhile
This marks the third straight post I've made about, well, not making posts. It's just been, well, crazy this last couple of weeks. I've been flying back and forth, writing papers, and taking finals. That leaves very little time for witting on a blog that I;m not sure anyone even bothers to read.
However, that being said, I am back home until the 2nd, so I might be blogging a bit more.
Also, I will keep up the yearly traditions that the blog holds for the month of December, and that means my Christmas list and the 3rd Annual STAR Awards. Stay tuned for more info on both coming latter today.
In Xbox gaming news, I'm still hooked on GoW, which is probably the best game out for the 360 to date. I've signed up for he Halo 3 beta, and can not wait to be picked. I think my room might just overfill with UCD Halo nerds if I get in. Also, check out this YouTube piece, done by none other than yours truly, on mashing the Megadeath "Gears of War" song ad the new Halo TV ad. Fits, as I say, "oddly nicely."
I'm also on the hunt for a Wii. And I've had no luck so far. When I say "on the hunt" I mean I look for one at every store I go into, so I'm not really going out of my way. Eventually, I'll find one, but I just don't see the point in going crazy over the thing yet.
However, that being said, I am back home until the 2nd, so I might be blogging a bit more.
Also, I will keep up the yearly traditions that the blog holds for the month of December, and that means my Christmas list and the 3rd Annual STAR Awards. Stay tuned for more info on both coming latter today.
In Xbox gaming news, I'm still hooked on GoW, which is probably the best game out for the 360 to date. I've signed up for he Halo 3 beta, and can not wait to be picked. I think my room might just overfill with UCD Halo nerds if I get in. Also, check out this YouTube piece, done by none other than yours truly, on mashing the Megadeath "Gears of War" song ad the new Halo TV ad. Fits, as I say, "oddly nicely."
I'm also on the hunt for a Wii. And I've had no luck so far. When I say "on the hunt" I mean I look for one at every store I go into, so I'm not really going out of my way. Eventually, I'll find one, but I just don't see the point in going crazy over the thing yet.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Where Have I Been?
That's a good question. It's been close to two months... and the only thing thats changed on this blog is the constantly updating played games list. In fact, as of late, my Xbox 360 is doing more blogging than I am.
The answer, of course, is I've been busy. College just doesn't leave much time for blogging. It does, however, seem to lead to a lot of reading, writing and bike trips up and down campus. And the occasional GoW game with my dorm mates.
Yes, I am officially hooked on Gow now. It rocks. Possibly more than Halo does...although that is still to be determined. For me, the appeal of Halo is the fact that I can still log on, more than 2 years latter, and feel like I am playing a great game that is different than I ever have played before. The fact that we are getting new maps sometime next year surly only adds to this fact.
So, my point of writing this is a post of uncertainty. My life hasn't exactly fallen apart once I stopped blogging. And I don't see any posts on Engadget or Joystiq begging me to come back. If I do, I surly will. Until than...I'm simply not sure. Is this something I want to continue? Sorta. In a weird way I do...but I don't know. Maybe. Possibly. But don't count on it. Maybe cross your fingers, but you may forced to uncross them eventually because you find something more productive to do.
The answer, of course, is I've been busy. College just doesn't leave much time for blogging. It does, however, seem to lead to a lot of reading, writing and bike trips up and down campus. And the occasional GoW game with my dorm mates.
Yes, I am officially hooked on Gow now. It rocks. Possibly more than Halo does...although that is still to be determined. For me, the appeal of Halo is the fact that I can still log on, more than 2 years latter, and feel like I am playing a great game that is different than I ever have played before. The fact that we are getting new maps sometime next year surly only adds to this fact.
So, my point of writing this is a post of uncertainty. My life hasn't exactly fallen apart once I stopped blogging. And I don't see any posts on Engadget or Joystiq begging me to come back. If I do, I surly will. Until than...I'm simply not sure. Is this something I want to continue? Sorta. In a weird way I do...but I don't know. Maybe. Possibly. But don't count on it. Maybe cross your fingers, but you may forced to uncross them eventually because you find something more productive to do.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
It' Been Awhile
It's been a long, long time since I've last posted on this blog. No, No, I'm NOT dead, just been busy. What's happened since my last post more than a month ago? The world has truely gone crazy, that's what.
But this blog is far from dead. Very, very far.
For the past week, I've been making my transistion to college life. I'm up at UC Davis, which means three things: there's hella cows, and it's hella cold. Oh, and everybody uses "hella" all the time. Very, very odd.
This blog will serve new functions as a place for me to vent about the upcoming struggles of college life, just as it did during my high school years. Without a doubt, expect many updates about how it's gong and what's up.
That brings me to my next point: updates. Now that I'm in college, my shcedule is, well, crazy. Expect updates to be, well, crazy.
- TGS and X'06: TGS is a bust, X06 a blast. Halo Wars annouced, shown.
- DOOM surprsied the world and is placed on marketplace
- Vision is released, but not available on any store shelves.
- Guitar Hero 2 coming the 360.
- Lego Star Wars II Released; DLC Characters Released. Game Rocks!
- Test Drive: Unlimited Releases. Game is OK.
- Tons of demos released: FEAR, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Sonic, and others
- Sony tries to blow up the world with batteries
- Resident Evil 5 coming to 360
- Oblivion going to PS3
- Tons and tons of other stuff
But this blog is far from dead. Very, very far.
For the past week, I've been making my transistion to college life. I'm up at UC Davis, which means three things: there's hella cows, and it's hella cold. Oh, and everybody uses "hella" all the time. Very, very odd.
This blog will serve new functions as a place for me to vent about the upcoming struggles of college life, just as it did during my high school years. Without a doubt, expect many updates about how it's gong and what's up.
That brings me to my next point: updates. Now that I'm in college, my shcedule is, well, crazy. Expect updates to be, well, crazy.
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