Sociable insight from below eye level.

30 Days of Gaming: Day 1

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:09:00 -0500

Day 1- Your very First video game.

Well, my earliest memories of gaming take place on a Commodore 64 and Colleco Vision. Pinpointing my first game is hard, but its between the following:

Leaderboard Golf - Commodore 64

Chuckie Egg - Commodore 64

Pitfall! - Colecovision

I didn’t always have the newest systems of the time when I was growing up, but I enjoyed the hell out of what I had.

Boston Sports

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:02:48 -0500

Ok, so yesterday the Celtics traded away Kendric Perkins, Semih Erden, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels, and Luke Harangody and received the following:

2013 Second Round Draft Pick (Original Owner: Minnesota, should be a high pick)
Jeff Green
Nenad Krstic
2012 First Round Draft Pick (Original Owner: Clippers, Lottery Protected)
Cash

I have been listening to sports talk radio and I am becoming enraged by people’s inability to look at the big picture and how they focus on the past rather than the future.

Right now, the Celtics are in a position to secure a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. This would mean that they potentially face teams like New York, Philadelphia, Indiana, or Charlotte (based on current standings). None of those teams have a dominant center.

The Knicks have Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire; a solid 3-4 punch. Stoudemire has sick hops and is lethal on the pick-and-roll. He is a serviceable post defender who can get up and block shots (2.2 per game), but he is not great on the weak side. He goes from right to left quite well, but really only dribbles when he intends to score. The guy also snags plenty of boards but he doesn’t distribute the ball well (2.7 Assists per game). He is a finisher, not a facilitator.

Carmelo Anthony is a monster, but not without flaws. He plays a physical game and scores in bunches. He is not afraid to mix it up on the blocks and he has a quick first step to complement his creativity getting to the basket. He is an average shooter and defender, but a solid rebounder. He is also a finisher, just like Amare and they are both lethal.

The Celtics can handle this matchup without much concern. The Knicks are a front-loaded team without much depth. Garnett and Davis can mix it up with Amare while Pierce, Green and probably even Allen disrupt Melo. The Knicks might win 1 game from a series like this.

The Philadelphia matchup is not much to worry about. They are a sub-.500 team with some depth, but no true elite players.

Philadelphia is a joke. They have a .491 winning percentage and a team-high scorer of 15.2 points per game. Brand really isn’t a first scoring option anymore, but the Sixers only other option is Iguodala who is mediocre outside and has a weak post game. No one on this team should give the Celtics fits on the defensive end.

The Pacers actually worry me a bit. They have come alive under a new head coach and Danny Granger can drop the long ball off a catch and shoot. He has great hands and actually blocks shots. The most dangerous thing about him is he scores without disrupting the flow of the team. He gets his shots without handicapping the rest of the team and scores 21+ per game.

Indiana also rebounds exceptionally well in comparison to the Celtics. If you look back at the finals games against LA, getting the most rebounds generally meant the difference between winning and losing.

Charlotte is yet another team with a winning percentage under 50. They are 28th in the league in points per game (the Celtics are first in points allowed) and the middle of the pack everywhere else. They are currently on the outside looking in, but only by a game so they are at least in the conversation. Their top offensive weapon is Stephen Jackson who can score and defend, but doesn’t get his team involved offensively. At least they rebound better than the Celtics…

Ultimately, these trades show me that Ainge sees all of this as well. With a top 3 seed there is a chance you don’t even play the Magic in the playoffs and they are not the same team they were last year. Howard is still a monster, but he doesn’t have Gortat backing him up anymore. Its not good when your center is your top steals guy either.

The real threats in the east are Miami and Chicago. Derrick Rose is playing out of his mind and should be the MVP. Miami has adjusted so that Lebron is leading the charge and Wade is complementary. One knock against them is their ball distribution, they are at the bottom of the league in assists per game and the Celtics have had their number this year (0-3 vs Boston and Perk only played in 1 of those games).

Chicago is a scary matchup for the Celtics. They are #2 in rebounding as a team and #3 in points allowed. Tom Thibodeau brought his defensive genius to the Bulls and its a complete team. When Rose isn’t on the floor, there is no one on the team who can come close to replicating his impact (which is why he is the MVP), but they have 3 players averaging over 15 points per game and their role players are great. Their big men, aside from Asik, are undersized so Perk doesn’t really make the difference there.

With the trades they are better equipped to defend Chicago and Miami, but I don’t think the Celtics are done yet. They cleared up roster a few roster spots and players like Troy Murphy, Leon Powe, Derrick Brown, Jason Kapono, or even Samuel Dalembert rumored to be available or currently available, the Celtics can really bolster that lineup.

I was never a fan of Powe, but I suspect he will be here within a week. The real gem would be landing Troy Murphy who can spread the floor and rebound very well. His defense is suspect, but his value on the boards can’t be ignored. Derrick Brown would be a nice pickup. He has a future ahead of him as a rotation player and if he can add some bulk/strength he could be in the mix for a few years to come.

But back to Perkins. He has been in the league for 7 years and there was a chance that he would walk away at the end of the season and the Celtics would get nothing for him. He rejected the max extension the Celtics could offer under the current CBA and his health is a big question mark at this point. I think the Celtics are at a point that they needed to evolve or get left behind by Chicago and Miami and Ainge identified that and got what he could for him. If the Celtics sign Green to an extension, they get the better end of this trade in my opinion. Especially with the Clippers getting better so the first round pick could be decent in 2012.

Trading away Erden is the mystery to me. He played physically and was serviceable. Krstic is better offensively, but aside from being bigger, doesn’t bring much on the defensive end.

I think its too soon to get up in arms about these deals, wait and see how the roster fills out and asses things then. Its ok to be a fan, but look at the big picture once in a while. Don’t forge the Celtics are 33-10 without Perkins this year and only 4-3 with him.

Have you seen this man?

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:22:22 -0500

Thanks to Hollywood, when ever I hear/read about Chaucer I picture this man, Paul Bettany.

Of course I am referring to his role as Geoffrey Chaucer in the movie “A Knight’s Tale.” The first time you see him, he is strolling along naked as the day he was born. Stay classy, Paul. Nice ass.

Solid movie, I don’t care if there is modern music or not because when I watch a movie I generally want to be entertained. I never read anywhere that this movie was trying to be historically accurate, so everyone who bitched about modern music being incorporated, I bite my thumb at you.

It’s Valentine’s Day and I was reminded of Chaucer’s words from Parlement of Foules,

For this was on seny Volantynys day, Whan euery bryd there to chese his make.

Which of course translates to:

For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.

I watched this over the weekend while I was working with some clay to make a mask. A Paul Bettany double-feature with “A Knight’s Tale” and “Legion”. Most people have seen or at least heard of the first, but I suspect few have seen Legion. It is in the same vein as “Prohpecy” with Christopher Walken.

Rather than having the classic Devils vs Angels or the forces of evil trying to destroy mankind, God has lost faith in humanity and is bringing about the apocalypse. Mr. Bettany plays the angel Michael who defies God’s will and comes to Earth to prevent the apocalypse and restore God’s faith in humanity. I won’t ruin the movie too much if you haven’t seen it, but it’s not as good as “Prophecy”. Still very much worth watching, but go into it with tempered expectations.

Oh, before I forget he has a new movie coming out next year, Priest. Its a vampire movie. Here is the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8lvOWt-jp4

I hate movies in 3-D, but I will see it in a normal theater.

Rule # 6: Allow the People to Wail and Lament

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:43:00 -0500

So for those who don’t know, I run a LARP. It’s quasi-steampunk with substantial aspects from high fantasy. Not how it was originally conceived, but its how it ended up. There are 2 events left and then roughly a year off before I embark on the next game. Anyway, because I run a game with steam in it, people tend to share things with me, like this video.

http://youtu.be/gOgpdp3lP8M

I like to think that I have a diverse taste in music; I’m not to picky as long as it has a good beat. The song itself is not awful, it is more of the same from Panic, but the video is why I assume it was sent to me.

Some overt steampunk aspects in this video. Goggles, gears, brass and copper everywhere, top hats, lame accessories that don’t belong on clothing, the works.

Overall, I don’t mind this video or the song. If it came on my slacker.com station, I would listen to it without complaint. The video is even amusing, but the lip-synching of the lead singer makes me want to stab my eyes.

In other news, Cerberus Entertainment is now on twitter: www.twitter.com/Cerberus_Team

Check us out, follow us, love us.

Day One, on Day two

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:13:00 -0500

I intended on making this post yesterday, but got sidetracked with other endeavors. Hopefully it won’t happen again (too often).

Friend: “Imaginative?”

Me: “No need for a question mark, there is no wrong answer.”

Friend: “Ugg, that’s why I hate questions like that.”

Me: “You generally don’t have a problem giving your opinion.”

Friend: “But I like for there to be a right answer.”

Me: “Sorry, sir.”

This interaction took place earlier today during a conversation I was having with a friend. I was thinking about this post and rather than just giving you my opinion of myself, I thought I would let you (the reader) know what people in my life thought of me in one word.

When I endeavor to learn new things or formulate an opinion, I like to get as many sides of the story as I can. It seems only fair to extend that courtesy to any potential readers, so I continued to query almost anyone who would allow me to.

Friend: “Eccentric… Eccentric isn’t quite the word, but I think its good without thinking.”

Me: “My inner desire to be more unique than that cries at the use of that word because of its overuse.”

Friend: “Its true, I know what you mean but you’re not purposefully eccentric… Ornery! Have you gotten Ornery yet?”

Me: “Yeah, but before I told them this was serious. Admittedly, it is accurate.”

For those of you keeping track at home, that would be:

Imaginative: 1

Eccentric: 1

Ornery: 2

The first two kind of relate to each other, while Ornery just lets you know that I can be aggressive.

Me: “Pop quiz, Hot Shot.”

Friend: “HOOAAAA!”

Me: “Describe me honestly in one word. You can mention sense of humor, but I would appreciate a serious answer.”

Friend: “Side note, have you seen the google splash page today?”

Me: “Yeah, it’s Jules Verne’s birthday. [BLANK] said Eccentric with the caveat that he did not put much thought into it and that I was not purposefully that way.”

Friend: “Heh… I’m going to have to go with “genuine.”

Me: “Current tally is: Eccentric, Genuine, Ornery and Creative.”

Friend: “I wasn’t able to find something that combined Funny and Smart well enough, So the next most definable characteristic was that there’s no one like you.”

At this point I will admit it was a bit of an ego boost to have these discussions with friends. Everyone has their faults and usually your toughest critic is yourself (if you can be honest with yourself), so it was nice to see the positive side of things through their eyes.

Friend: “Say baby, do you wanna lay down with me, say baby do you wanna lay down by my side, say baby, do you wanna lay down with me, say baby, SAY BABY!!”

Me: “Say baby, describe me in one word.”

Friend: “Any restrictions?”

Me: “Not as long as you take it seriously and I will return the favor.”

Friend: “Hmm… half wants to say “stout” (which works on many levels), and the other half wants to say “lascivious.””

Me: “ooo. I like the word, but you are dirty.”

Friend: “Haha. Those were the fun words to read in the dictionary”

Me: “Haha. Typed horny into the thesaurus?”

What can I say, Lascivious and Stout. For those who have never seen me, I stand about 170 centimeters (hooray metric system) and I would say that I have sturdy frame. Stout is appropriate, but I am working on it. For breakfast this morning, I ate a banana, a handful of plain almonds and some green tea with honey.

Me: “I didn’t see you online at first.”

Friend: “Haha!”

Me: “Would you to describe me in 1 word, a serious answer. You can comment on sense of humor, but I am looking for serious answers.”

Friend: “ok”

[a couple minutes passed]

Me: “Someone said “ornery midget” and that’s not what I am looking for.”

Friend: “o.o”

[another minute or two]

Friend: “I’m confused as to what I’m giving you a serious answer….is there a question?”

Me: “If you had to describe me in 1 word, what would that word be?”

Friend: “OH describe YOU”

Me: “Yeah, just the first thing that comes to mind”

Friend: “Entertaining”

I am starting to see a theme forming at this point, but this next excerpt is from a series of text messages.

Me: “Hey, what are you doing?”

Friend: “Nm. U?”

Me: “Starting a blog.”

Friend: “Y”

Me: “Give me a reason to write on a regular basis.”

Friend: “ok why tell me?”

Me: “I need you to describe me in one word.”

Friend: “Srs answer?”

Me: “I would prefer it.”

Friend: “Charismatic”

Me: “Thanks.”

Friend: “You have to be because you are ornery as shit”

Final tally:

Imaginative: 1

Eccentric: 2

Ornery: 5

Entertaining: 1

Genuine: 1

Stout: 1

Lascivious: 1

Charismatic: 2

Creative: 4

I didn’t want to bore anyone, so I tried to take excerpts from the more amusing interactions. This seems like a solid enough basis to start a blog, so hopefully I will be able to maintain 3+ posts a week with the intent of working back into writing for me, rather than for larps.

Here’s to hoping.

-S