Brent’s Thoughts

This is probably old news to a lot, but I just wanted to say that I thought this was a great speech, that does a really great job of showing a lot of sides of the issue. It also attempts to get people to realize that this crap is just a smoke and mirrors show to keep the people from looking at how messed up other things are in the country.

I pulled a dump of the old forums off of maxx’s server and dumped it into a database on one of my servers at work. I spent a little time pulling some of the posts out of it and putting them into this method of blogging. Unfortunately, there was really no way to pull the comments too, so on most of the ones that actually had comments I have just posted a link at the top to the old thread.

Continue Reading »

Pauline, some of her friends and I went to see Carlos Mencia at WKU last night.  It was a great time and I think that he is probably the best comedy show that I have seen so far.

Ron White, Lewis Black and Ralphie May were all great shows and I had a good time, but Carlos was the first comedian that made me think he felt privileged to be there.  Him and his opener Josh both talked about things at WKU and BG throughout their acts.  It made you feel like he actually took some time to learn about the place that he was coming to.

Of course he talked a lot about different races and stereotypes and how they can be correct and wrong.  How Political Correctness is killing this country and tons of other stuff.  It was very funny AND very thought provoking, which is always a sign of a good comedian.

At the end he had them turn up the house lights and he spent some time just taking questions from the audience and answering them.  For most of this part he was actually being more like his actual self and less like his “character”.

The show lasted about two and a half hours, so it was pretty long.

Definitely a good show.  If you get the chance to see him, I would highly recommend it.

Somethings you never think to say until it is too late. Sometimes you never take the chance to say them until the chance is gone. I don’t want to wait until that has happened to me.

I want to say thanks for every time that we played catch, and every time that we shot baskets. For every game of one on one and every time we messed with Legos. Every time we worked on the Commodore, to every time that we raced slot cars. Every time that we went to the lake to every time that we cut down a tree. For every memory you left me in these photo albums to every thought you share with me on these comments. Every time you watched out for me (sometimes even when I didn’t think you made it there in time). Every game of chess. Every talk. Every story. Every vacation, and every time you just sat and watched me do something completely stupid and said, “Good job”. Every answer to every question and every “lesson”. Sometimes I didn’t know I was learning and sometimes I didn’t know I wasn’t done learning.
For every ride on a roller coaster to ever pull behind the boat.

All these things and more, I cherish and am glad that I have gotten. I know sometimes I get caught up in my life and sometimes I don’t spend as much time with everyone that I can. Someday I will probably look back and wish I had spent more, but I am glad for the memories that I already have and the memories that I continue to make every time I am around you.

Thanks Dad for being my dad and thanks for so much that I have in my life.

Happy Birthday.

I have a friend who has this on her site and ever since I read hers I wondered what would go on mine, so I thought I would scratch down some bits and see what it says:

* I was born a redhead, through my childhood I was almost white headed
* My CB Handle is Shotgun
* Todd and I walked to school the last day of our 6th Grade year carrying a bag full of water guns. It rained half the day once we got there.
* I didn’t go to prom
* I didn’t get senior pictures
* I have shaved my legs three times
* I wore a kilt for four years
* I once got in-school detention for signing my name
* I am left handed by use scissors with my right hand
* I weighed less than 100 pounds my at the end of my freshman year of high school
* I was six feet tall when I started high school
* I have saved 4 people from drowning
* I have helped to teach over 100 kids to swim
* I once had to tread water for 45 min and then rescue float for 30
* I worked at a racetrack before I was 12 years old
* I have a picture of me going over Niagra Falls in a barrel
* I have been to Disney World
* I used to work in a cage
* I have three best friends
* None of my best firends live closer than 250 miles from me
* The song Someday Never Comes by CCR upsets me
* I have jumped off a cliff
* I used to average swimming around 5-6 miles a day
* I could swim a mile in less than 19 minutes
* I have built five decks in my life
* I have been lost on a four wheeler before
* I have thrown away my report card before anyone could see it
* I have dressed up like the devil twice for Halloween
* I have less than 20 people on my buddy list
* I read the The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 4th grade
* The nickname Diablo has nothing to do with any of the games of the same title
* I didn’t pick Diablo, someone else did
* I have almost had my nose broke at a party before
* I downloaded Mp3s before it was cool and before Napster
* I have never successfully written a working Linked List implementation
* I once started a Tribes clan
* I have helped at 5 accident sites
* I have helped bring one person back to life

In incredible news breaking in the US over the weekend, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has made an application to the Federal Communications Commission requesting easy access to all forms of Internet communication, including Microsoft�s Xbox Live and online PlayStation 2 servers.

If the request is granted, all US-based Internet Service Providers will have to make radical changes to their systems in order to accommodate a backdoor listening post for FBI agents.

The request includes all forms of digital online communication, from instant messenger services to voiceover IP communications, and mentions gaming services such as Xbox Live.

“The importance and the urgency of this task cannot be overstated,” says the proposal, which is co-sponsored by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration. “The ability of federal, state and local law enforcement to carry out critical electronic surveillance is being compromised today.”

However, this raises the point of how many arrests per day would come from tapping into the Microsoft gaming service. The constant stream of abuse, coupled with the endless threats of violent reprisals, may be too much for the US law agency to handle. Is it illegal to threaten the safety of someone’s family over the outcome of a Project Gotham 2 race?

We�ll find out soon enough…

http://spong.com/x?art=6442

Can’t find a link to a more mainstream outlet, but I would like to comment on this a bit.

Is anyone going to stop this stuff? I mean seriously, how far does the goverment have to go, before people as a whole are going to realize that they are taking away our freedom? What has to happen before some people stand up and say, “Hey what the hell are you doing reading all my conversations with everyone?”

Public safety is one thing, but it seems that after Sept. 11 they have really went out of control. Immediately after it they were power snatching, but at least they were doing it in the daylight, now they are doing it and no one is even reporting it.

Then you have stuff like this http://www.echelonwatch.org/ Where Australia has admitted it exists and that the US is in it, but the US won’t. Could be overhyped theory sure, but what if it isn’t? What if it is overhyped like the stealth figher/bomber rumors were overhyped?

I have had a copy of this for a bit, and I have been meaning to post something about it, but I just kept forgetting. Here it is….

NASCAR Thunder 2004: Some of you might be saying well I already own a NASCAR game why should I get another one. Well EA’s theory on it is that since they have added pack intelligence you should. What does that mean? Well it means that if you hit someone, they get pissed at you and then the next time they get a chance they pay you back for it. Even if it is in another race. Doesn’t that sound cool?

Yeah it does until you play the game, then it becomes a real bitch. Here is why. To make someone your friend you have to share the draft with them. A process which requires you to line up behind them and hit the A button to start sharing it. Now all you have to do is stay in line with them and watch them start to like you. The only problems? Well that pretty much means that you can’t pass unless they do (which they rarely do) and your reputation increases with them at about the rate of 2 points per 2 seconds. That sounds like a lot until you realize that everytime you tap them your reputation drops by about 30 points. So what does that mean? Draft behind someone for a minute and then they slow down for a corner and you hit them, and then they hate you. I am sure that pretty much mirrors real life, but it makes it a real bitch. No so much on the super speedways, but on the short tracks it just sucks.

If you wish to see what it is like for me playing then go into work and punch everyone you see in the stomach. Then attempt to get them to do something for you. That is about what it is like. This is mainly due to the fact that on the short tracks I hit everything except the pace car. Well that isn’t exactly true. I don’t really hit the leaders much, since I can’t ever catch up to them.

Honestly, it is a pretty fun game. The career mode allows you to research things to get better cars and hire crew members and all kinds of other stuff. This rival/ally thing is tough though.

Original thread from my old forum

I spent Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway watching the Brickyard 400. It was a good time with the family. We took Pauline and it was cool to see her eyes light up over some of the stuff. I don’t think she got into it really that much, but that is a hard track to really get into the race at since you can only see parts of the race.

I think I am going to try to get her to go to a short track sometime in the near future so that maybe she might be a little more interested in it, since racing seems to be such a part of my blood.

I’ll try to post some video clips from the race. Dad got one of Earnhart Jr’s pit stop up close and I got one of another one of his from a little different angle. I’ll get those up soon I hope.

Apex is a great game. Probably the best racer for the Xbox. The control is nice, the graphics are great. The game physics are done quite well and quite accurately. The only thing I don’t really like is the lack of ability to trick out my car with upgrades and such. I took some notes will I was playing lets take a look:

1. Damn this game is sweet.

2. Wow, that was an awesome powerslide!

3. Bastard!!!!

4. HAHA teach you to cut me off.

5. Damn wall!

6. Grrrrr!!!!

7. SWEET!!!!!!

8. Hey look at those sparks!!!

9. Man it I wish the sun would get out of my eyes!!!

10. WOW!!!

11. WOOOHOOO!!!

12. Holy $HIT!!! THAT WAS FSCKING AWESOME!!!!!!

That is pretty much how a typical race goes. Some of the stuff needs explaining I guess. 1 and 2 are fairly obvious. 3 and 4 are because the other racers in this game have no problem driving in front of you, or pushing you into a wall. 5 is due to the wall, which I hit all the freaking time. 6 is from where I lead a whole lap and then screw up and get put back in last place. 7 is when I get back up there. 8 is because the graphics are so great in this game, sparks flying off a car that is two cars in front of you can hit the car in front of you, skip off of it and spray off of your car, which I think is just an awesome effect. It shows the attention to detail that was put into this game. The only thing that isn’t real about this game is that when you fly over a hill and wrap your car around a light pole, it will still run and you can still win the race (which I have done). 9 is also a cool effect, where when you are driving into the sun it actually glares across the windshield and makes it hard to see. 10, 11, 12 are just the results of awesome racing.

Atari has made a great game with Atari flare for the different. They business aspects of it aren’t exactly what I had hoped for, but it is a cool system. The receptionist for the company must have been designed to compare with the DOA girls, because she is stacked. The voice for your production assistant and her lines sound like they were taken from a phone sex line. My favorite one is, “You are a racing GOD!!!!”

There is one other thing that I am not mentioning is DIRT. Man you can be tooling along the track at an easy 150mph hit a patch of dirt along the side of the road and BAM 45 mph. That sucks. Now I can’t say that I have ever hit 150 mph and then ran through a pile of dirt, but I don’t think it would effect you quite like that, or at least not that fast. Of course I could be wrong.