Joliet, Illinois ignores Federal Law

UPDATE 2: The US Flags have all been removed.

UPDATE: The flag has now been removed, but I have actually found many more in the City of Joliet with the same issue. I will be taking more video this weekend and making more calls to the Mayors office. More on this issue to come soon. Thanks for your help with getting this first one removed.

This past summer, the City of Joliet, Illinois installed a Flag display at the corner of Bronk and Black road. It is a very nice display and being a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, I take pride in seeing the U.S. Flag displayed.

However, the problem is that they never installed any lights and they are currently breaking Federal Flag Display Law by flying the flag at night with no illumination.

I have contacted the city clerks office as well as the office of Mayor Arthur Schultz. My last contact with the Mayor's office had them telling me they would not be taking the flag down.

This is a disgrace and I am asking for your help. Please watch the video above and please take a few minutes to call the Mayor's office and ask them to take down the flag until they can install proper illumination in accordance with Federal Law. You can reach the mayor's office at 815-724-3700.

With your help, I know we can get this issue resolved. Thank you very much.

Xbox Live goes Mobile

Do you find yourself always watching Xbox.com when you are away from you console?  Do you lose sleep at night wondering if someone on your friends list has passed you in Gamerscore?  Do you wonder what your friends are playing while you are working, or sitting in a classroom?  

If so, now you can check up on your friends and their scores from your BlackBerry or your iPhone.  Personally I have both these applications running on my work phone (BlackBerry) and my personal phone (iPhone) and both are good for you Xbox Live addicts.

The BlackBerry application is called Xberry Live.  To install the application, simply open up your browser on your BlackBerry and go to http://jxl.me/xberry/xberrylive.jad.  It will install the application automatically for you and from there you can add Gamercards as you wish.  See http://crackberry.com/xbox-live-your-blackberry-xberry-live for screenshots and more info.

In the iPhone world, my favorite Xbox Live application can be found by going to the App Store (either on your phone or from iTunes) and looking for 1337pwn.  This application works the same as Xberry Live by allowing you to put in Gamertags that you wish to follow and it keeps track of them.  This application does have more to it in the fact that is shows the gamercard, bio, and their achievements for games.  Get more info over at http://1337pwn.com/

Crossing over to the dark side

Anyone who knows me has a clear understanding of my years dislike for anything made by Apple.  From iMacs, to iBooks, and all the fruity colors they pushed on the computer market.  I have tried to use Macs in my career as an IT professional and have never found anything to like about them.  The Apple commercials talk about how easy Macs are to use, yet I have always found them to be exactly opposite.

Now perhaps my inability to figure out how to use a Mac is due to the years of using a Windows based PC.  This could very well be.  I am just use to how Windows works.  But that may have changed recently.  

I have been impressed with what I have seen with the iPhone.  Some friends of mine had them and I have tried them out much to my enjoyment.  Now being an avid hater of AT&T and not liking Apple, I went to other cellphone providers looking for the iPhone wanna be.  Figuring someone would make one that was better.  NOPE.  Both Verizon and Sprint have phones that try to compete with the iPhone but they simply can't come close to the amazing iPhone.

So needless to say, I swallowed my Microsoft pride and went into the AT&T store and proceeded to buy an iPhone.  I got the 8 GB version and I simply can't express how much I love this phone.  I am amazed by this thing on a daily basis.  Here are some things I enjoy.

The phone is amazingly simple to use.  Anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, that you do is simple.  The phone does not even come with a manual (you can get an electronic copy online).  Instead you get a little pamphlet.  At first I thought what the heck?  But I soon discovered that you don't need it.  The phone is so simple to use.

I love the built-in Google Maps.  This has come in handy numerous times already.  The only thing they need to do to improve this GPS option is to give the phone the ability to read out the directions to you like a real GPS device.  But this is a very nice alternative.  

Email is a breeze to setup and it comes ready to pull in your  email from sites like Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, etc.  You can even hook it into your companies email systems.  This phone is not up to speed yet for Enterprise email use as it is missing some useful features, but it does give you the basics.

Web browsing is a breeze with the REAL browser built-in (Safari).  And you can tip the phone on its side to get a more full screen view of the page.  Plus you get actual web pages and not text only versions which is really nice.  And I gotta say that I am very impressed with the speeds I am getting on the G3 network.  

The Apps store is by far one of the greatest things with this phone.  Thousands of applications are available at the touch of a button right from the phone.  No need to be at your computer to buy and install the app.  Just get it from the store direct from the phone.  I have downloaded lots of free apps that keep me updated on sports, stocks, news, movies, and even a few games.  

The contact list on this phone is the nicest I have seen as well.  All other phones I have had have pre-determined fields.  Most often you are not given enough fields to fill in all the numbers you may have for someone.  With the iPhone, you can customize fields very easily which is awesome.  Now I can have all the info I need for a person.

The phone is definitely an amazing piece of technology.  I look forward to future improvements and more great software in the app store.  If you are thinking about getting one of these phones, then stop thinking and go get it now.  You will be glad that you did.  

I am back

OK, you may be asking yourself.....What happened to Wingman?  Well, if you are, fear not I am back.  I have just been so busy dealing with family, work, flooding, etc. that I have not posted in awhile.  But I am going to try to get back to posting something at least every other day.

So for today, I wanted to talk about the upcoming Presidential election.  I still can't figure out why this Country will not pass a law that requires a President to have served in the U.S. Military in some fashion even if it is only for a four year term.   

I don't think that someone should be put in charge of U.S. Armed Forces when they never wore a uniform.  We had this before with President Clinton and from the way things are looking, we may have it again with Obama (Lord help us all).  

I am not a big fan of John McCain, but I feel that he has the experiance, both miliatry and political, to handle the position of President.  Obama has NO military experiance and very little political experiance.  Why does it seem like the American people want to hand over this Country to the person with the least amount of experiance?  Heck, why not let me do the job then.  Oh wait, I spent eight years serving my Country in the U.S. Air Force so I guess I am over qualified.

I really do worry about the future of our Country, economy, and our brave men and woman in uniform.  I only pray that the next President does not let our fallen soldiers die in vein like President Clinton did in Somalia.  

God Bless all our military men and woman and lets hope the American people can pull their heads out of their behind when they go to the polls in a few weeks.

Vote McCain/Palin

Google Chrome

Google has released their web browser today and all I can say is HELL YEAH!  Chrome is by far the fastest browser I have seen to date.  This thing is amazing.  Web pages are flying like crazy.  This browser is far better than any version of Internet Explorer or FireFox in the speed department.  

I like the new "homepage" concept.  I think its pretty slick.  It will take some getting use to having my browser tabs all the way at the top of the page instead of just beneath the bookmarks, but I can get use to that over time.

For now, I am going to use this browser as my full-time browser and really put it through its paces.

If you are tired of your old slow browser and want something fast, clean, and secure, then grab Google Chrome today and test it yourself.

The Shield

Well, this week starts the final season of The Shield. I have been watching this show since the start and am sad to see the show ending, but I am looking forward to seeing them wrap it up.

I still can't decide how I want it to end. I guess that is good since I am torn over the character. Vic Mackey is both a good and bad cop. You may say that you can't be both, but this show has shown him in both ways and I feel that he is more good than bad. So should they kill him off, send him to prison, or maybe promote him. Who knows. I can't decide which I would prefer, so I guess I will just watch the final season and enjoy what the writers have come up with.

Ubiquity

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

I was surfing the web the other day and came across this interesting little application for FireFox. I watched the video on it and then went to install the application. Its pretty sweet. I really like what it can do and can't wait for more development to happen on this application. So check out the video, download the app, and start using it today.

Where did the good music go?

I miss the days of the hair bands. I don't know if Gun's N Roses actually fit into that category but they are one of my all-time favorite bands and I am actually hoping that Chinese Democracy will someday hit the stores and I hope its actually good. At this point I think Axel Rose is the only remaining band member from the good old days, but I still look forward to it.

The 80's and early 90's was a time of amazing music. Bands like Warrant, Firehouse, Poison, Van Halen (without Sammy), Ratt, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, and many others were a constant in my stereo.

What is sad is that today it seems like all I listen to is talk radio (ESPN) or Podcasts. Has today's music gone down the tubes or is it just that I have changed? I enjoy good music and I enjoy cranking up the stereo in the car and jamming out as I drive down the road, but it is always to older music. I need something new, but fun like the bands of old. Any ideas?

The only groups that have really impressed me recently are Theory of a Deadman, Modern Day Zero, and Tantric. Other than that, I am not impressed with most music. I feel like I am beginning to feel my age and I don't like it.

What is it about the Olympics that......

What is it about the Olympics that gets a guy like me to sit there and watch Gymnastics, Swimming, Shot putting, high jumping, diving, etc. etc? I mean I am not the kind of person to watch these sorts of things normally, but I find myself watching things such as Gymnastics when it comes to the Olympics.

Is it because of the TV coverage? Perhaps its my patriotism kicking in. What ever it is, I find it weird. Now I can see why I was drawn to watching Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal in a single Olympics as this was something that has never been done before. But to sit and watch something like vaulting, pommel horse, or floor exercises makes no sense to me. I never watch this stuff unless its in the Olympics.

It is the same way with the Winter Olympics. As much as I despise skating, I will watch skating during the Olympics. It really must have something to do with the United States taking on other countries and the feeling of patriotism when we win. Its always nice to see your Country win.

I am proud of our athletes and look forward to seeing the Track & Field events next week. GO USA!

UNO Devotee

Tonight was a good night because I ended up getting two achievements in Xbox Live Arcade games. Both I did not expect to get. The first one was in Geometry Wars. I finally got over 100,000 points in a game. It was the first and so far only time I have done that. So it was a fluke I guess.

Second achievement was the last UNO achievement called UNO Devotee in which you have to win 40 games. I finally got my 40th win tonight. So that game is complete with a full 200/200 achievement points. WOOT!

The really interesting part is that I was gonna spend the evening playing Grand Theft Auto IV, but ended up playing Rock Band, Geometry Wars, and UNO instead. Go figure.

Lego Star Wars

I got this game awhile back for my birthday from my buddy Brun and I have yet to play it. Well tonight I decided to check it out. Needless to say, I found this game to be a lot of fun. Its a LOT better than Lego Indiana Jones for sure.

I did not plan on playing long but ended up playing through the entire first part of the game. It was a nice way to relax after a pretty rough weekend. If you have not yet tried this game out and are a fan of the Star Wars series, then by all means do check out this game. Its very humorous and enjoyable.

Its Friday

Thank goodness the weekend is about here. Not that I will get any sleep this weekend, but I hope to find some time to get some rest as I really do need it.

I recorded Episode 2 of This Xbox Life with Brun, Rob, and Kyle last night. The show will be up soon over at www.thisxboxlife.com so be sure to check it out. We also have the show on iTunes now so you can subscribe via iTunes, RSS, or Zune. Our subscribe links are at the top of the main page.

I started playing Burnout Paradise again as I stated before. Still having lots of fun with the game. I do not like the new Marked Man mode for online play because my experiance so far is that people are all over the place and by the time you hunt the Marked Man down, they are no longer "it". I need to try some Online Road Rage, that should be fun.

If you are a gamer, be sure to visit www.gamerdna.com. Its a pretty cool site that allows you to share experiances with your games, and meet other people that share gaming interests as well. It is a social network for gamers which is pretty darn cool. You gotta love it.

Well, that is about all I can think of to say right now. Yeah, boring post but it was something I guess. I will try to make it more exciting next time.

Monday is gonna be GREAT

This coming Monday (tomorrow actually) is gonna be awesome. The new update to Burnout Paradise, codenamed "Cagney", is finally going to be released on the Xbox 360. This is gonna be a SWEET update that adds lots more content to the game which already has tons of stuff to do.

I actually put this game back in my console today after some time off and man it felt good to play it again. This is an amazingly fun game to play and I look forward to the new challenges that are on the way.

Thank you Criterion Games. You guys really do take care of your customers and we will continue to support you as you have us.

Company Picnic

I had the opportunity to enjoy the day at my company picnic. It was a great time. The Windy City Fieldhouse was the catering and entertainment company and the did an AWESOME job. Their MC for the day was great. They had constant games for the kids and families which was great. The kids were winning prizes all day long, playing games, dancing, running around, and just having an all around fun time.

Now I am a big guy but I was going non stop with sack races (my son and I won a three legged race...WOOT), water games, party dancing, bean bag toss, etc. etc. etc. It was an amazingly fun day and the kids were so excited by all the events.

The food was amazing and the weather was PERFECT. We could not have asked for a better day. Needless to say, I am ready to crash right now as I am just dead tired. My wife has already fallen asleep an its only 9:30 p.m. hahaha. But I am about to follow suit.

Great day, great party, great food, and great times with my family. You simply can't ask for more.

I'm on top of the world

I am back on top of the world. I got to record the first episode of This Xbox Life Podcast last night and it was a lot of fun. I am back with Brun and have been lucky to have my best friend Rob join us as well to round out the show.

We covered all sorts of different topics and it was nice to just talk about the different things and sharing our thoughts on them. It was fun and hopefully everyone listening will enjoy the new show.

On top of that, my favorite baseball team Chicago White Sox made a last minute trade deal that brought Ken Griffey Jr. to the south side. This is great news and I really think this will boost our currently 1st place team even further towards the post season. Welcome aboard Ken and I look forward to seeing you in a White Sox uniform starting in tonights game against Kansas City.

I have left the Xbox Podcast

Just an update that I am no longer a member of the Xbox Podcast. I have moved on and will be hosting This Xbox Life with Brun (bjswick33) and Rob (Presar). I won't go into why I left the previous show as that is between myself and BEM. But please continue to support Kyle and Arnold as I will continue to listen to them as well.

Thanks for your support of myself and the guys for the past year and a half. Its been a fun ride and I look forward to this new show.

Look for our first episode of This Xbox Life the first week of August. If all goes well, we will actually be recording tonight.

See ya on Live.

It grew on me

Have you ever heard a song and thought "what a bad or strange song"? I thought that the first time I heard Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Dead on Arrival by Fall Out Boy. Both songs I did not like when I first heard them. Now they are both favorites of mine.

Its weird how you can hear something the first time and think one thing, then hear it a second or third time and actually enjoy it to the point of buying the song and possibly more songs by that artist.

Well, today I bring you the newest song that has grown on me. Its called Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn, and John. This is a very strange song that is not in my normal range of musical taste. But this song has grown on me and I like it. I first saw in in the trailer for the upcoming Xbox 360 game called Lips. Lips is a karaoke game that looks to be really cool with some really neat features that are not found in other karaoke games.

Now I am hoping this song will be in the actual game since it is featured in the trailer. This could be fun to sing.

This Xbox Life Podcast

Yes, I have breaking news. Be sure to head over to This Xbox Life and check out the new site. The site is live, the first podcast will be out next week. This podcast will be very different from my other podcast which is Xbox Podcast.

I am not leaving the Xbox Podcast. I will still be doing that show. This Xbox Life is just a side project that I am doing with Brun (bjswick33) and my best friend Rob (Presar). These shows will be vastly different from each other. Xbox Podcast will remain as it is now. This Xbox Life will just be a roundtable like discussion show. We will be talking about whatever is on our mind that is Xbox related.

We hope to make this show fun and relaxing. Just a couple of guys sitting around talking about their favorite pasttime which is gaming on the Xbox 360.

So join us for our first show next week and be sure to let us know what you think. We will have some RSS feeds up and we will be on iTunes. Later.

Jeff Dunham and Walter

Jeff Dunham is a very funny comedian. He is a ventriloquist and one of my favorite characters he has is Walter. Plus Jeff actually makes all his own dolls which is pretty cool. On his second DVD he put out, he actually shows you how he makes them. Pretty cool process. But anyways, enjoy the video above and if you want to keep laughing, then be sure to rent or buy his DVD's. They are great.

Rock Band 2 coming soon

Oh man I can't wait. I love Rock Band and simply can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. The cool thing is that my wife was not pleased about my purchase of the original Rock Band, but she now is addicted to the game and wants the new game as well.

The following is the official posting from the Rock Band forums which details all the upcoming tracks in the game and some other news items. All I can say is that this game can't get here fast enough.

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Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit the song set list for Rock Band™ 2, the next evolution of the groundbreaking Rock Band music platform. The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall. This builds upon the unparalleled depth and diversity of Rock Band’s original set list and its ever-expanding library of downloadable tracks. Comprised entirely of master recordings from some of rock’s most prolific and untouchable artists, including AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more, Rock Band 2 will deliver the most impressive and largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame ever.

• After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track “Shackler's Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.

• Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock.”

• For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue.”

• Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.

• Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay--the first time ever in videogame history!

• With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!

“With Rock Band, Harmonix and MTV Games set out to create a powerful music platform for music fans, their friends and families to discover music in a way unlike ever before,” said Paul DeGooyer, SVP Electronic Games and Music, MTV. “We are honored that such legendary artists as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan and more have chosen Rock Band 2 as a new platform for fans to experience their music. As our catalog of disc and downloadable songs continues to grow, we are determined to continue to provide the Rock Band community an unmatched ability to customize their musical experience with the artists and songs they love.”

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:

Artist Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s

Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

** The Rock Band 2 on-disc track list is comprised entirely of master recordings.

E3 2008 has arrived

WooHoo, today is the first day of E3 2008. I am waiting patiently to hear the Microsoft Press Conference. Can't wait to see what they have ready for the Xbox 360 in the next year. There are tons of rumors out there and today we find out what is real and what is not.

I should be posting some news here and I will definetly be talking about all Xbox related E3 news in next weeks episode of Xbox Podcast.

I am looking forward to hearing about the following items.

1) New Dashboard
2) Rock Band 2
3) Guitar Hero IV
4) Motion controls??
5) New Halo shooter?
6) Just exactly what is Lips?
7) Price cuts and bigger hard drives

I do hope to see a new dashboard, but I don't want them to emulate the Wii or PS3's Home. Lets move beyond them and do better.

Party like its 1599

This holiday weekend we took the kids to the opening day festivities at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin. They had fun riding pony's, watching the Mud Show, seeing the Royal Joust, and just walking around seeing all the fun and exciting things going on at the Faire.

Thankfully the weather was about as perfect as could be. It was about 70 degrees out with clear skies all day long. Just a perfect day. Our 3 year old got a dolphin painted on her face and our 4 year old had a snake painted on his arm. Of course the littlest one slept or just stared at people.

It was a fun day and I of course can highly recommend the Renaissance Faire to anyone who has never attended one. Check out their site here if you are interested.

This Xbox Life

Hey gang, if you are an avid listener of the Xbox Podcast (if you are not you better have a very good reason why...and just know that there is no good reason) then you know who bjswick33 is.

First of all, dry your tears because he is not completely gone from the show. He is going to do Xbox Live Arcade reviews each week and he has also started up a blog which will also have his reviews. So if you want to keep up with Brun (bjswick33) and the things going on in His Xbox Life, then check out his page here.

Corking wine

This is from Saturday Night Live and is one of the best comedy bits I have ever seen on SNL.

Nothing like a Big Deck

I don't need to say anything today. Just hit play and prepare to laugh.

Happy Birthday

Yup, its my birthday today. So I expect everyone who reads this to send me lots and lots of presents. But if that sounds like to much work, you are always welcome to send me money in the form of cash, check, or gift cards. I accept all three.

Indiana "Letdown" Jones

Well, I went with the wife today and saw the new Indiana Jones movie and all I can say is that it SUCKED. It was a real letdown.

I am a huge fan of the series, but this movie was a letdown on many levels.

1) The stunts were so over the top that it was just pathetic
2) The entire movie looked fake. I know its not real and its a movie, but it LOOKED fake which really took you out of the movie
3) It was VERY predictable
4) Pathetic ending to this story

Needless to say, I am done with this series. If they keep it going, which they can based on what they did in the show (I won't say what as I don't want to spoil anything), I will no longer watch.

I should have gone to see Ironman or Incredible Hulk. I am dying to see Ironman but the wife is an Indiana Jones fan and not a superhero type of person so I had to compromise.

Loving me some Zune

Recently I have begun to really use my Microsoft Zune to its full potential and I gotta say that I love this thing. I have the original 30 Gig Zune (Halo 3 edition) and this thing is pretty darn sweet. I have loaded it up with tunes and video podcasts and it really helps make my long commutes each day a lot shorter.

Now instead of staring out the window of the train, I can kick back to some Montgomery Gentry, rock out to some Modern Day Zero, or watch one of the many video podcasts I pull down each day.

This really is a sweet device and it makes me drool at the thought of a Zune phone.

If they really do make this thing and give it GPS and Web Browsing, then I will buy one for sure. I love my Zune and adding phone, GPS, and web browsing would have me buying one on day one. Come on Microsoft, hook me up.

FireFox 3

FireFox 3 was released today and it looks to have some really sweet features. I love the new address bar which they now call the smart location bar. You can even add an address to your favorites with a single click in the smart location bar.

There are lots of new features and its a lot faster and safer than FireFox 2. So if you are a FireFox user, be sure to grab the new version available here

Vinyl Artist

Last night a buddy of mine came over and played Rock Band with myself and my wife. We knocked out the Endlist Setlist achievement which consists of playing 58 songs straight through without stopping. This took us about 5 hours in total but was a lot of fun to do.

Now there are still two more achievements for the Endlist setlist if I do it on Hard and Expert. But I can pretty much say with lots of confidence that I will not be going after those. At least not any time soon.

It was fun and if you have Rock Band, I recommend doing it once for the fun of it.

Anyone else upset?

Anyone else as upset over the path this show has taken? I loved Season 1, was a bit disheartened over Season 2, had my hopes and passion for the show renewed in Season 3, only to have that passion slammed down to earth, kicked in the groin, and then buried under the ground for all of eternity.

Needless to say, I am pretty ticked off over this show. Now you may ask, why are you complaining now, Season 4 ended like 3 months ago. Well, I lost so much interest in this show about midway through Season 4 that I just let Tivo record them and I finally got around to watching them.

At this point, I am about to sell the previous seasons that I bought on DVD for $1 just to get rid of them and then remove my Season Pass off my Tivo so it won't record this garbage anymore.

What the heck are they doing to this show? Nothing makes sense. I mean it never did but now we have time travelling, a million people in the cast, dead people talking to live people, people who are alive, yet dead at the same time. WHAT THE HELL?

I have lost all interest in ever watching this show again. I use to be a huge J.J. Abrams fan and this is killing me. He is dropping fast in my book.

And don't even get me started on the horrible video game that was made. That was just as bad as this show at this point.

Here endeth the rant.

Are we going back to the big show?

I can't say yet if the Chicago White Sox have what it takes to make it back to the World Series, but I can say that they have been playing some amazing baseball lately. They are on a 5 game winning streak and if they can win the next two games against the Twins, then they will have a nice lead in the division.

Yes the fall is a long ways away, but it is nice to see them playing great ball again. The weird thing is that both the White Sox and the Cubs have been playing great. If both teams can keep it up, then perhaps we will have a cross-town World Series. That would certainly make this city go crazy.

All I can say for now is GO GO WHITE SOX!

Who needs sleep anyways?

Well, I have not posted much lately, but I have been really busy. And life is about to get even more busy. You see, tonight my wife and I will be taking in a 1 year old foster child. He is the little brother to the two other kids we took in awhile ago. So I pretty much expect to get very little sleep despite being totally exhausted in the days to come.

We are pretty excited to reunite the kids with their young brother. It should be fun and rewarding, but like I said, exhausting at the same time.

We have had a blast with the two we have and look forward to the new addition. Life is so much better with kids in our lives. They truly are a blessing. But if you don't see a post from me for awhile, that is because I have fallen asleep somewhere, hopefully not while crossing the street.

Rockin Out

I have been playing a lot of Rock Band lately as my wife and I progress on our Band World Tour. We have a lot of cities completed and are looking forward to conquering them all. I still can't believe that I can get my wife to sit down and play a video game with me and two hours later she is still playing. She is enjoying the game and has actually said that she is willing to move up to Hard so we can complete the last two cities that will require us to play on hard. Now how is that for a supportive wife.

If you are looking for a game to get your significant other interested in the Xbox, then by all means, grab Rock Band. Everyone loves music and if they don't want to play an instrument, then they can sing.

You can get more info on the game at http://www.rockband.com/ and don't forget that they release DLC every week. I am looking forward to this upcoming week. They have 3 Jimmy Buffet songs coming out that will be fun to play along with 3 songs from Disturbed as well. Gonna be a nice DLC week for Rock Band.

Thank you to our troops

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all our troops and their families. I appreciate the huge sacrifices that our military families make every single day of their lives. So from the bottom of my heart and my families, THANK YOU for all you do and may GOD bless you all.

Feeling nostalgic

I have been thinking of the album Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish for awhile now. I can't seem to get this album out of my head. Not sure why it came to mind but it is a great album that I used to enjoy on a daily basis. Well after tearing my house apart and not being able to find the album (I found all their others) I decided to hit the Zune Marketplace and throw some more money at them to be able to listen to this great album again.

I am listening to it now as I write this and all I can say is....money well re-spent. This is such a great album that I don't even mind paying again for it. Man I love the Internet. If you want something, you can get it.

Long live Hootie & the Blowfish.

Out Sick

I have been sick for awhile now but am back on the mend. I will be back posting soon. In the meantime, I hope you have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Dance Fever

WOW, I picked up Dance Dance Revolution Universe 1 & 2 today and man does it give you a work out. Its actually a lot of fun. My wife even played it and really liked it. She even kicked me off one time tonight so that she could play. hahaha. Now that is something. I guess I did good with getting this game. My wife simply is not one to play video games. But this she enjoyed.

I am surprised that I even enjoyed the dance/techno songs which make up most of the music. I guess when you are playing, you don't mind it as much. But funny enough, I actually liked a couple of songs that I may end up downloading them off the Zune Marketplace to listen to on my Zune.

57 states???

Now I know that he is probably tired, but that is no excuse to not know how many states there are in the country you hope to be President of. Even in a tired state of mind, it should be pretty well ingrained that there are only 50 states. But then again, he does not know to put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem either so how could we expect him to know how many states there are?

I simply can't believe that the two best people the Democratic Party could come up with is Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It simply boggles my mind. Yes I am a Conservative, but I still can't believe that there are no better options than these two clowns.

Oh, and back to the point of this post for today. You can view the actual video clip of him saying that he has been to 57 states by going here.

Thats all for today folks. Figured I would do something a little different today. Enjoy.

TimeShift

I got this game in the mail this week from GameFly and I gotta say that I am impressed with this. The time functions of the game are pretty cool and I like how some of the achievements require you to reverse time, or even stop time.

The visuals are top notch and the weapons are pretty cool. The campaign feels pretty long so far which is nice. You won't burn through the game in an hour which is nice. They have also just released a free multiplayer map pack for the game so I may have to grab that and see if there is an online community for this game. I have not tried online yet so I can't say anything about it yet.

If you missed this game due to it coming out between Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, then do yourself a favor and at least rent this game. If you are a first person shooter fan, this game will not disappoint. See more info on the game at http://www.timeshiftgame.com/us/.

Are you looking for a Gaming Clan?

Have you grown tired of playing games in public rooms or servers? Do you have playing with 12 year olds that speak like salty old sailors or hardened truckers? Do you yearn for playing with adults that just want to have a good time playing their video games after a long days work? Then I have a few sites for you to check out.


The first site is Windy City Gamers. This may sound like a Chicago, Illinois only gaming clan, but in fact many of the guys are from outside of Illinois. I personally know some of the guys that live in Chicago and they are a great group of gamers who love their PC gaming and also play a variety of games. You will find them playing Battlefield 2, Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, Company of Heros, Nascar Racing, etc.

So if you want to find a great group of PC Gamers, check out http://www.wcg7.windycitygamers.com

My next recommended group is a HUGE group of gamers that are also all adults but look to be more console centric. They do play PC games but there is a huge following of Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers in this group.

They play a huge variety of games to include first person shooters, tactical shooters, racing, sports, etc. You name it, there is someone in this group playing it and will always be happy to join in your game. This group sticks to playing matches amongst themselves to keep away from all the noobs, children, immature people that dwell in those public rooms and servers.

Check them out at http://www.2old2kwit.net

GamerDNA

The guys from 360voice have setup a new site that is pretty darn sweet. Its pretty much a major social site for gamers. This thing has tons of features to link you with gamers across all platforms and walks of life. Be sure to check them out at http://www.gamerdna.com. It is in beta right now but you may still be able to get in by following the link.

So check them out and add me as your friend.

If only I had lots of money

WOW, I so want one of these things. I can't even really say anything other than I want one. Check out the video at the following link and you will understand. Fellow geeks will understand.
http://gizmodo.com/386007/r2+d2-projector-in-action-video-verdict-a-must-have

One of my favorite albums

Just figured I would take a minute to point out a favorite album of mine. The band use to be called Mesh STL and is now known as Modern Day Zero.

I first saw Mesh STL open for Tantric. I had never heard of them before yet from the moment I heard them, I was a fan. If you enjoy good Rock music, then do yourself a favor and check these guys out. Be sure to check out their new stuff as well under the new name of Modern Day Zero.

Their album pictured above is called Lowercase and contains the following songs.

1. I Don't Know
2. Gray
3. Maybe Tomorrow
4. Little Star
5. Contagious
6. Sunday Comes Around
7. Rather Be Alone
8. Believe Me
9. Leave
10. No end
11. Falling Into Me

You can hear sample tracks and purchase the CD from here


Some other groups I can recommend are.....

Theory of a Deadman
Fuel
Tantric
Goo Goo Dolls
3 Doors Down
Days of the New

Thats it for today. Come back tomorrow when we teach poodles how to fly.

Cloverfield

I finally got to see the movie Cloverfield the other day and all I can say is........ I loved it. I thought it was a great movie. Yeah the ending sucked but in this case it fit perfectly with the viewpoint of the movie. So I did not mind the ending.

If you have not seen this movie yet, ignore what the naysayers are saying and give it a shot yourself and make up your own mind. You may not like it, but just keep in mind that if a disaster of some sort or weird occurance like this happened to you, what would you know about it? Probably nothing just like the viewpoint of this movie.

Very action packed (once it finally gets to the monster) and it will keep you wondering whats next. Great movie. I hope there is a sequel.

Crime on the rise

Well, it looks as if everyone (those who play video games anyways) is out committing crimes. Running people down with cars, killing cops, running drugs, hijacking cars, etc. etc. And they are doing this from the comfort of their Lazy-Boys.

Yes Grand Theft Auto IV is here and its turning everyone who plays it into little deviants including me. I am not a "sandbox" type of game player. I prefer my First person shooters but as much hype as there was about this game, I figured I would give it a try. There were some things that interested me so I picked it up and tried it out.

I only have about two hours into the game so far and I will say that the story line is pretty good. The visuals are outstanding and the there is a ton of gameplay. The Single player should last about 30 hours alone and then there is the new multiplayer modes which will really extend the game.

At this point, I don't think this is the greatest game ever like many others think. Its "ok" at the moment. I will need more time to get used to the controls as they are a bit odd. I think the game has potential for me to enjoy, but only time will tell.

Anyways, I need to get back to Liberty City. I gotta go pick someone up in my car and drive them somewhere. I just wonder why the guy was worried if I was a cop or not. Hmmmm...

Can you say "Elite"

Yup, thats right. I have achieved the rank of Elite in Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Now some of you might be asking yourself exactly what am I talking about so let me explain.

Well you see, I have been playing a game on my Xbox 360 recently called Rainbow Six Vegas 2. In this new version, you gain experience points (XP) based on kills and level of hardness. I am pretty good so I play on the hardest level which is Realistic. Last night I finally gained enough XP to get the highest rank in the game which is Elite.

Now to the non-gamer this means nothing. To a gamer, this is a milestone of accomplishment. I never did get this rank in the original Rainbow Six Vegas game as it did take a LOT more time to gain. I am still only a Captain in that game. But it did feel good to finally make Elite in Rainbow Six.

So from now on, you will need to address me as SIR! Thanks for your cooperation.

Muhahahahahaha

Wings' GPS

You may have noticed that I added some links to the page. They are on the right side of the page under the title Wings' GPS. These are links to sites that I visit often or to things that I think deserve a mention. I may even through in a link to a product that I feel deserves it such as Tivo.

I honestly can't think of a better product on the market today than Tivo. I have even had non-Tivo branded DVR's and they all stink. Tivo is the way to go and I am glad I have mine.

If you belong to the generation that I do where you began your video gaming life as a child on the Atari 2600, Coleco, and Intelevision, then be sure to hit up the link for 2old2kwit. This is a group of guys that all have families, careers, lives, and a passion for virtual killing, racing, and sporting. They tend to be in their 30's and are a great group of guys to game with.

If you love reading blogs, be sure to check out Video Games and Robster Craws. And if you are a child of the 80's, then you will especially like that blog.

And last but not least, you must visit the best and most important link of all. That is the one to the greatest podcast I have ever seen or heard which is the Xbox Podcast. I am not saying that just because I am one of the hosts, well, OK maybe I am. But who cares, check out the show for yourself, say hi in the forums, and add the show to your iTunes, Zune, or RSS Downloader. You will be happy you did.

I will update the list as time goes on and I find new things of interest. Enjoy.

A few of my favorite things

I figured today I would just rattle off a few of my favorite things. They are not necessarily in order either, just lists of things I enjoy. So here we go.

Movies
1) Blackhawk Down
2) Star Wars
3) The Matrix Trilogy
4) Band of Brothers
5) Platoon

Bands
1) Gun's N Roses
2) Mesh STP who is now known as Modern Day Zero
3) Fuel
4) Tantric
5) Days of the New

Books or Authors
1) Wingman by Mack Maloney
2) Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
3) Dean Koontz
4) Dale Brown

Technology
1) Xbox 360
2) Personal Computer
3) HD from DirecTV
4) Harmony 880 Remote
5) Tivo

Xbox Live takes a dump again

You know, I really do like my Xbox 360 and I love Xbox Live, but why is it that this pay for service seems to take a dump more frequently the past six months. I mean I work with computers and understand how networks function, but something this big should have redundancy, failovers, backups, and enough backbone to handle all the traffic. It just seems like they can't handle it.

I am really surprised by the outage tonight considering they just had an 8 hour outage yesterday for planned maintenance. They said all went well, but here we are the next day with no Live service.

I really hope Microsoft can get these issues fixed before next week. I believe they will see another influx of gamers to the Live service with GTA IV hitting the streets next week. I can see it now, Tuesday will be a NO XBOX LIVE day. I hope I am wrong.

Current Xbox Live Status as of this very moment...

Status:

Users may experience difficulties when matchmaking and using client voice communication within Xbox LIVE. We are aware of the problem and working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.

Yeah, you could say we are experiencing difficulties. There is NO LIVE SERVICE AT ALL.

Oh well, I needed some sleep anyways. Goodnight.

Chicago White Sox in First Place

I know its early in the season, but I gotta say that I am pretty pleased so far with the play of the Chicago White Sox. I think everyone, with the exception of Mark Buehrle who seems to be off to a rough start is really showing signs of what this team can do. I hope Buehrle can pull it together and get back to his usual form. I am sure he will.

Like I said, its early and even Jim Thome is off to a slow start but seems to be picking it up. I am still annoyed that Juan Uribe is still on this team but I guess you have to have one guy you can't stand so it might as well be him I guess. Hopefully he will do better playing second base than he did at short stop.

I am soooo glad that Joe Crede is back as well. You simply can't replace someone of his skill. The man is a beast at third base and I feel very comfortable with him there. I expect to see some big things out of him this year and he is starting off strong as well. Way to go Joe. Glad to see you back. I hope you stay for a long time. Now if we could just get Aaron Rowand back I would be a very happy camper.

Will the White Sox make it back to the World Series this year? I don't know, but if they can stay healthy and improve in a few areas that are lacking right now, then I feel that this team may very well have the ability to get there.

But please, lose those stupid bleach blonde goatees guys because you look like idiots.

My Xbox Obsession

Well, as some of you know, I have an obsession with my Xbox 360. Not only do I play it almost every day, but I have become a host for a podcast centered on the Xbox world. You can check out the show by clicking the image below.


My Xbox also has its own blog. Here is one such entry.


You can read its blog by clicking the image below.


I have come to the conclusion that I love playing for Achievement Points. This is something new the Microsoft created for the Xbox 360 and for many people, including me, they have become almost an obsession themselves. I find myself playing bad games just for the points. Uggh, I must find a Gamers Anonymous somewhere.

Now Achievement Points can be good. What I love about them is that I find I will try various things in games such as useing different weapons, trying different stunts, or even trying to playing a football game and simply call the plays instead of controlling the QB. So Achievement Points have shown me more in games, and I have come to love some things that I never would have discovered if it was not for those couple of points. So I feel that I am getting more value for my money because of those wonderful, meaningless, points.

But as meaningless as they are, I am still hooked. Thank you Microsoft.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Well, I just figured I would quickly mention how tragic the events were today that rocked Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. There was an earthquake this morning in Southern Illinois around 4:37 a.m. that was felt all the way up in Chicago where I live.

Now I know people who felt it, but I don't think it was much because I slept right through it. It was funny waking up this morning, flipping on the news to find out I had just gone through an Earthquake not 30 minutes prior to waking up.

Thankfully it sounds like nobody was hurt, at least I hope that is still true. Last I heard things were good, just some people a little rattled.

Thats it for today. Quick and simple. Have a great weekend everyone.