Blizthic

Rarely do I agree with Syncaine, but I can't help but laugh along with him on his recent post: Blizzard’s new focus for WoW, just as soon as Mythic finishes it.

PS. Sorry for my silence as of late, will hopefully get some time to post some WAR-related goodies soon.

Here. We. Go.

Now the Fun Begins is the title of Jack Thompson's e-mail announcing his official disbarment from practicing law in Florida.

In a four-page written order, the Florida Supreme Court today affirmed a referee's recommendation to permanently disbar controversial Miami attorney Jack Thompson.

The action, which takes effect in 30 days, means that Thompson will no longer be licensed to practice law and may not apply for reinstatement. Ever.

And after reading the article, all I saw in my head was the Joker in The Dark Knight going "Here. We. Go.".

For some reason, I don't think this is the last we'll be hearing from Mr. Thompson. He just won't have the legal clout to back his idiocy up any longer. Essentially, he becomes like the rest of us on the Internet, no laws to hold his vitriol back. Not that he followed any laws in the first place.

Book Thoughts: Throne of Jade (Temeraire, Book 2)

Title: Throne of Jade
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate History
Publisher: Del Rey (April 25, 2006)
Quick-Hit Thought: Good read for those interested, but slow pacing in the middle.

The phrase, “it’s all about the journey” perfectly describes Throne of Jade, book 2 in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. The book chronicles the journey to the far off lands of China by the dragon Tremeraire, his crew, and his Captain; Will Laurence. Once again, Novik does a wonderful job of weaving dragons into a period of history best known for ships, soldiers, and war. As in the first book, the strength of Throne of Jade lies in the detail of dragon interactions within society and the military, boosted by the fact that this book partly takes place in a very different Chinese society.

Unfortunately, getting to the immense and interesting nation of China takes some time and by the end of the book China feels wholly unexplored. While I do appreciate a more detailed account of the journey to China, via a sea-faring dragon carrier, I can’t help but admit I was longing for Novik’s “and a few weeks later” approach of the first book. There are definite flat spots in both action and pacing, with a tacked-on-feeling action sequence at the beginning of the book.

Fortunately, the plot is solid and ties together in the end. This makes up for the boring reading in the middle. It took me a while to get through that middle, but I feel rewarded for sticking it out. Throne of Jade introduces a wonderful new enemy into the mix outside of Britain’s current nemesis of Napolean and France.

The next book in the series, Black Powder War, picks up shortly after where Throne of Jade leaves off and I am ready to see it through to conclusion. If there is any sign of a good book, it is in the Throne of Jade’s ability to intrigue me enough to pick up and read the next in the series, just as book 1 brought me to Throne of Jade.

Warhammer, I

Heartles - Badlands - Ironbreaker

Bring it bitches.

Yes, I know there is an s missing. Stupid server transfers.

Age of Commenting

Half of reading is comprehension. A certain member of the MMO blogosphere is confusing MMOs with politics, where 30 second sound-bites are all that matter. Sadly, that is the trend on the Internet we seem to be posting in as MMO bloggers. Anything posted past a good Bartlism is considered a wall of text. Every blogger wants to write a wall of text, but not many of them want to actually read one. Those of us that do, usually leave a comment and form the core of the MMO blogosphere. Those that don’t read, quote the part that caught their attention for two seconds and proclaim that the sky is falling.

This comes full circle when one religious commenter, with too much free-time, collects a few quotes, takes them out of context, and tries to make a point. All while going ‘nah nah nah. I can’t hear you’. Not having learned their lesson, they do it again. Before we know it, several bloggers are flooded by this one insignificant commenter who has no purpose other than to quote Bartlisms and go “HA! Gotch ya!”. Of course, they couldn’t have anything until they make an actual point, but that doesn’t stop them.

There is no victory to be had against ignorance and bias. The best we can do is point at them, laugh, and then slap a /ignore on them until they are blue in the face from holding their breath. Eventually they will pass out.

Without further ado, Openedge, /point /laugh /ignore