Per RayRay's request, I'm doing a follow-up on my initial Xbox One review.
For the most part, I'm as happy with it today as I was the day I set it up. I'm still pleasantly surprised with the quality of the voice commands, but I must admit that it annoyed me when my older daughter decided to mess with me by saying "Xbox pause" during the middle of my favorite shows. That little prank was short-lived though, when she realized that two could play that game.
There's also a cool smart phone add-on called Xbox One SmartGlass, which allows you to control the Xbox from your smart phone. My favorite use of this so far was to randomly pause Netflix when my brother-in-law was watching something. That, by the way, was a one-time prank... I wanted to play a practical joke, not piss him off.
On the downside, there's a severe shortage of split-screen games. Though we use Xbox one as our media hub, I miss playing split-screen games with my kids. Hopefully this will work itself out as more games are released. (I considered Forza 5, but I'm not going to spend $60 on a game that effectively requires you to buy add-ons through micro-transactions. Note to the gaming industry: If this is the way you want to go, I will NOT be buying your games!)
My last complaint seems to be working itself out. For a couple of weeks around Christmas, we were having problems signing on to Xbox Live, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. This isn't a big deal for me, because I use my PC as a backup method of connecting to Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime. It was, however, inconvenient and irritating... especially when it acted up after I went to bed and my daughter woke me up because she couldn't watch her favorite shows. These inconveniences, however, should be expected when you're an early adopter of a new technology. Let me correct that... it SHOULDN'T be expected, but it's an unfortunate fact of life.
Overall, I'm still pleased with the XBox One. I just bought my second game (Battlefield 4) and when it comes to gaming, I still believe that the Xbox One is a major improvement to its predecessor. There are several games I'm looking forward to purchasing and playing.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
The Justice System is Flawed
I lost a large portion of what little faith I had remaining in the criminal justice system this week.
Back in 2011, my daughter's sleazeball ex-boyfriend was charged with first degree burglary and several other charges. Based on what I've been able to learn from public record, his entire family (meaning dipsh!+, his parents, and his minor sister) broke into an area business and stole five to six figures worth of cash and merchandise. Jack@$$ agreed to a plea bargain, and pled guilty to first degree burglary. In exchange for his guilty plea, all other charges were dropped, and he will be on probation for three years and be required to pay fines and restitution. Assuming that he complies with all conditions of his probation, his record will be expunged. Generally speaking, I would not have an issue with this. Everybody makes mistakes, and everyone should be entitled to a second chance. But in this case, I disagree. For those of you not familiar with this lowlife, let me give you a little more information that will convince you too that he should be behind bars.
Since originally being charged in early 2011 (just shy of three years ago), he's exhibited an unwilliness and/or inability to limit his behavior to legal activity. In June of 2013, he assaulted me, breaking my nose. In July of 2013, he ran over my daughter with his pickup truck, breaking her wrist and ankle. Later that month, he and a friend were charged with first degree theft after stealing over 10,000 worth of merchandise.
His behavior has been bad enough that DHS became involved; he has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, a drug abuse evaluation, to submit a family history sheet, submit to random drug testing, and he is only allowed two one-hour supervised visits with his son per week. Despite claiming that his son is "the most important thing" in his life, Dipsh!+ has missed approximately 1/3 of his scheduled visits, only complied with the court orders after being forced, and has failed urinalysis tests.
The final straw, in my opinion, is his contempt for the court system. After agreeing to the plea deal, he skipped his sentencing three times. Each time he skipped, he was arrested and ordered to pay an increasing amount of bail. So... the guy commits first degree burglary with his family... breaks my nose... runs over my daughter with a truck... fails court-ordered drug tests... and skips his sentencing. Like I said, everyone deserves a second chance, but this guy blew his second... and third... and fourth... chance before he was sentenced.
I realize and support the rationale for his sentencing. Everyone is presumed innocent, and remains so until proven guilty. I understand that he's not yet been convicted for the three subsequent crimes. I just hope that the system is serious about enforcing the terms of his probation. The fact is, sleazeball ex-boyfriend doesn't give a sh!+ about anyone or anything except himself, and he's unwilling to behave within the confines of the law. I believe that he's unredeemable. It's in society's best interest to get his @$$ to jail. Unfortunately, I am skeptical that anything serious will occur, except for maybe a month or two in jail, more fines, and longer probation.
Back in 2011, my daughter's sleazeball ex-boyfriend was charged with first degree burglary and several other charges. Based on what I've been able to learn from public record, his entire family (meaning dipsh!+, his parents, and his minor sister) broke into an area business and stole five to six figures worth of cash and merchandise. Jack@$$ agreed to a plea bargain, and pled guilty to first degree burglary. In exchange for his guilty plea, all other charges were dropped, and he will be on probation for three years and be required to pay fines and restitution. Assuming that he complies with all conditions of his probation, his record will be expunged. Generally speaking, I would not have an issue with this. Everybody makes mistakes, and everyone should be entitled to a second chance. But in this case, I disagree. For those of you not familiar with this lowlife, let me give you a little more information that will convince you too that he should be behind bars.
Since originally being charged in early 2011 (just shy of three years ago), he's exhibited an unwilliness and/or inability to limit his behavior to legal activity. In June of 2013, he assaulted me, breaking my nose. In July of 2013, he ran over my daughter with his pickup truck, breaking her wrist and ankle. Later that month, he and a friend were charged with first degree theft after stealing over 10,000 worth of merchandise.
His behavior has been bad enough that DHS became involved; he has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation, a drug abuse evaluation, to submit a family history sheet, submit to random drug testing, and he is only allowed two one-hour supervised visits with his son per week. Despite claiming that his son is "the most important thing" in his life, Dipsh!+ has missed approximately 1/3 of his scheduled visits, only complied with the court orders after being forced, and has failed urinalysis tests.
The final straw, in my opinion, is his contempt for the court system. After agreeing to the plea deal, he skipped his sentencing three times. Each time he skipped, he was arrested and ordered to pay an increasing amount of bail. So... the guy commits first degree burglary with his family... breaks my nose... runs over my daughter with a truck... fails court-ordered drug tests... and skips his sentencing. Like I said, everyone deserves a second chance, but this guy blew his second... and third... and fourth... chance before he was sentenced.
I realize and support the rationale for his sentencing. Everyone is presumed innocent, and remains so until proven guilty. I understand that he's not yet been convicted for the three subsequent crimes. I just hope that the system is serious about enforcing the terms of his probation. The fact is, sleazeball ex-boyfriend doesn't give a sh!+ about anyone or anything except himself, and he's unwilling to behave within the confines of the law. I believe that he's unredeemable. It's in society's best interest to get his @$$ to jail. Unfortunately, I am skeptical that anything serious will occur, except for maybe a month or two in jail, more fines, and longer probation.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Xbox One Initial Review
Let me start by saying I don't consider myself a Microsoft Fanboy, despite owning every version of the Xbox that Microsoft has produced. My goal here is not to gush about the virtues of the Xbox One, while overlooking any shortcomings. Instead, I plan to give you a quick write-up of my first day of experience with the new Xbox offering. My motivation for purchasing the Xbox One was not a need or desire to be an early adopter. The deciding factor was significantly more mundane... my 360 stopped reading my disks, leaving me with the choice of buying a new 360, or upgrading to Xbox One. Since I'm writing a review on Xbox One, my choice should be obvious.
Let's start with the setup. It was straight forward, with no glitches or gotchas. There was an immediate software update required, which 500 meg, and took a bit to finish. In fact, the initial update doubled the time needed for the setup. The first boot-up, and the one immediately after the software upgrade seemed slow, when compared to the Xbox. After the updates, I migrated my settings, which was a snap. I simply had to enter the email address and password associated with my existing Xbox 360 account, and everything was transferred. This migration was something that Microsoft got 100% right! I do not know, however, if you can go back to the 360 after migrating to Xbox One. It does, however, look like you can sign on to a different Xbox (at a friend's house, for example) and access YOUR downloaded games, music and movies. (I haven't verified this firsthand though.)
Next, I spent some time playing with the Kinect and voice commands. I was very impressed with how well the Kinect recognized me as an individual. My wife walked in and out of the room several times, and each time, the Kinect recongized me. I was also impressed with the voice commands. I'm not going to say it was flawless, but I will say I suspect that errors were based on my misunderstanding of command synatax, rather than the Xbox failing to understand my speech.
After spending some time with Kinect, I downloaded Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Once again I was impressed... Netflix and Hulu settings transferred with my profile. All I had to do for Amazon was enter the username and password. I was initially a bit concerned that these apps might not be ready on launch day, but was happily to see them. In fact, I'm pleased to see the wide array of available apps.
Finally, after a brief eternity, I got around to trying out the gaming, which in my case is Ryse. I didn't spend a lot of time playing the game... my goal was to have everthing up and running when the kids got home. But I will say this... I like how the controller feels. I like how the game looks and plays. I do not, once again, like how long the game took to install and load initially.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Setup was a breeze; all of my must-have apps were available, and gameplay looks to be very immersive. The only issues I have are with install/update speed.
Let's start with the setup. It was straight forward, with no glitches or gotchas. There was an immediate software update required, which 500 meg, and took a bit to finish. In fact, the initial update doubled the time needed for the setup. The first boot-up, and the one immediately after the software upgrade seemed slow, when compared to the Xbox. After the updates, I migrated my settings, which was a snap. I simply had to enter the email address and password associated with my existing Xbox 360 account, and everything was transferred. This migration was something that Microsoft got 100% right! I do not know, however, if you can go back to the 360 after migrating to Xbox One. It does, however, look like you can sign on to a different Xbox (at a friend's house, for example) and access YOUR downloaded games, music and movies. (I haven't verified this firsthand though.)
Next, I spent some time playing with the Kinect and voice commands. I was very impressed with how well the Kinect recognized me as an individual. My wife walked in and out of the room several times, and each time, the Kinect recongized me. I was also impressed with the voice commands. I'm not going to say it was flawless, but I will say I suspect that errors were based on my misunderstanding of command synatax, rather than the Xbox failing to understand my speech.
After spending some time with Kinect, I downloaded Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Once again I was impressed... Netflix and Hulu settings transferred with my profile. All I had to do for Amazon was enter the username and password. I was initially a bit concerned that these apps might not be ready on launch day, but was happily to see them. In fact, I'm pleased to see the wide array of available apps.
Finally, after a brief eternity, I got around to trying out the gaming, which in my case is Ryse. I didn't spend a lot of time playing the game... my goal was to have everthing up and running when the kids got home. But I will say this... I like how the controller feels. I like how the game looks and plays. I do not, once again, like how long the game took to install and load initially.
Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Setup was a breeze; all of my must-have apps were available, and gameplay looks to be very immersive. The only issues I have are with install/update speed.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Reflecting on my Enlistment
Tomorrow, November 10, the U.S. Marine Corps will celebrate its 238th birthday. As is the case this time every year, I make a point to watch the Commandant's message, and inevitably, I end up reflecting on my own service as a Marine. Year after year I reach the same conclusions...
First, I stand in awe of today's Marines. I enlisted as a peacetime Marine. I never expected to be involved in any conflicts. And when I was tapped for missions, they weren't like the Afghanistan or Iraq wars of today. I was asked to participate in Operation Earnest Will, which was essentially mine sweeping operations and oil tanker escorting in the Persian Gulf. Later, I was a participant in Desert Shield and Desert storm. Desert Storm was, to borrow a phrase, "A Splendid Little War." We walked over an unwilling, demoralized opponent. Today's Marines are combatting highly-motivated guerilla-style opponents. If Desert Storm was the Spanish-American War, then today's Marines are fighting something more like Korea or Vietnam. Furthermore, all Marines serving today knew what they were getting into when they raised their right hand and swore "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Compared to today's Marines, I had it easy.
My other conclusion is that I am a better Marine today than I was during my actual enlistment. As I said earlier, I joined the Corps as a peacetime Marine; and though every Marine is a rifleman, I didn't really take that creed to heart. I did my job well, but I had a difficult time submitting to authority. Furthermore, it was difficult to be promoted from Corporal to Sergeant; instead of knuckling down and doing my best, I became discouraged. I let my hair grow longer than regulations allowed. I quit PT. My uniform was clean, but not crisp, and my boots were buffed but rarely spit-shined. I (mistakenly) believed that I was a lot smarter than my peers and my superiors. I loved my actual job, and I loved the idea of being a Marine, but I knew that I wouldn't be making the Marine Corps a career. It took me two decades to truly appreciate my beloved Corps. Today, I voluntarily keep my hair short (partially because it's receding). I regularly exercise and if I took a Marine Corps PFT today, I would likely get a first class score. I take pride in my appearance, though not to the point of vanity. In the face of adversity, I tackle the problem without becoming discouraged. I don't fight authority just for the sake of being difficult (but I also don't simply submit to authority because they say so).
My enlistment in the Marine Corps entails less than 15% of my total life experience. But now, having some distance and perspective, I acknowledge that the Corps has had an oversized influence on who I am as a man today. The Marine Corps gave me a great many experiences, and it instilled or developed several positive character traits. I am proud to be a Marine. But again, I stand in reverence of those who have followed in my footsteps, and I freely admit that I'm a better Marine today than I was twenty-five years ago.
First, I stand in awe of today's Marines. I enlisted as a peacetime Marine. I never expected to be involved in any conflicts. And when I was tapped for missions, they weren't like the Afghanistan or Iraq wars of today. I was asked to participate in Operation Earnest Will, which was essentially mine sweeping operations and oil tanker escorting in the Persian Gulf. Later, I was a participant in Desert Shield and Desert storm. Desert Storm was, to borrow a phrase, "A Splendid Little War." We walked over an unwilling, demoralized opponent. Today's Marines are combatting highly-motivated guerilla-style opponents. If Desert Storm was the Spanish-American War, then today's Marines are fighting something more like Korea or Vietnam. Furthermore, all Marines serving today knew what they were getting into when they raised their right hand and swore "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Compared to today's Marines, I had it easy.
My other conclusion is that I am a better Marine today than I was during my actual enlistment. As I said earlier, I joined the Corps as a peacetime Marine; and though every Marine is a rifleman, I didn't really take that creed to heart. I did my job well, but I had a difficult time submitting to authority. Furthermore, it was difficult to be promoted from Corporal to Sergeant; instead of knuckling down and doing my best, I became discouraged. I let my hair grow longer than regulations allowed. I quit PT. My uniform was clean, but not crisp, and my boots were buffed but rarely spit-shined. I (mistakenly) believed that I was a lot smarter than my peers and my superiors. I loved my actual job, and I loved the idea of being a Marine, but I knew that I wouldn't be making the Marine Corps a career. It took me two decades to truly appreciate my beloved Corps. Today, I voluntarily keep my hair short (partially because it's receding). I regularly exercise and if I took a Marine Corps PFT today, I would likely get a first class score. I take pride in my appearance, though not to the point of vanity. In the face of adversity, I tackle the problem without becoming discouraged. I don't fight authority just for the sake of being difficult (but I also don't simply submit to authority because they say so).
My enlistment in the Marine Corps entails less than 15% of my total life experience. But now, having some distance and perspective, I acknowledge that the Corps has had an oversized influence on who I am as a man today. The Marine Corps gave me a great many experiences, and it instilled or developed several positive character traits. I am proud to be a Marine. But again, I stand in reverence of those who have followed in my footsteps, and I freely admit that I'm a better Marine today than I was twenty-five years ago.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Another Fitness Goal Achieved
I hit another physical fitness goal today. This was the last of my original goals that I hadn't yet achieved. Today I finally managed to do a set of 50 push-ups. When I set my original goals, I estimated that I'd hit all of my goals within six months. It took me a bit over a year to be able to do 50 push-ups. I should clarify though, that I have NEVER done a set of 50 push-ups, so I'm not upset about needing a year to hit that milestone... I'm happy that I achieved it at all.
Now, it's on to my next goal, which is to do 50 push-ups, a First Class Marine Corps PFT, and swim a mile in one mega-workout session. I can realistically do two in any given session. I hope to be able to hit my next goal within the next six months (which means that it may take another year).
Now, it's on to my next goal, which is to do 50 push-ups, a First Class Marine Corps PFT, and swim a mile in one mega-workout session. I can realistically do two in any given session. I hope to be able to hit my next goal within the next six months (which means that it may take another year).
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Of Volunteering and Veterans
My church did something really cool today. Instead of preaching and learning the word of God, we put it into action by volunteering throughout the community. I was tasked with mowing the lawn for a Vietnam-era Army veteran who has a bad hip and is awaiting hip replacement surgery.
Originally, I was slated to share the job with another guy from my church... a guy who happens to be an Air Force veteran. Being a Marine veteran, I thought the whole thing was really cool... two vets helping out another vet. Shortly after finding out the scope of the project, a third guy from the church showed up. His job was to take pictures of the various volunteer projects in action. Being a doer, I fired up the mower and started tackling the task at hand. The photographer/videographer took a few pictures of me mowing while he was talking to the Air Force guy. After the flyboy and the photographer chatted for a few minutes, the photographer said that he was going to his next site. Flyboy then informed me that I appeared to have things under control, so he was going to hit a different volunteer site. Amused, I finished the job by myself, realizing this was a perfect analogy for the US Military.
-The Army can't complete its mission and calls for help.
-The Air Force shows up, but as soon as the photo op is over, they're gone.
-The Navy is nowhere to be found.
-The Marine Corps accomplishes the mission with no fanfare, because the press has left.
Originally, I was slated to share the job with another guy from my church... a guy who happens to be an Air Force veteran. Being a Marine veteran, I thought the whole thing was really cool... two vets helping out another vet. Shortly after finding out the scope of the project, a third guy from the church showed up. His job was to take pictures of the various volunteer projects in action. Being a doer, I fired up the mower and started tackling the task at hand. The photographer/videographer took a few pictures of me mowing while he was talking to the Air Force guy. After the flyboy and the photographer chatted for a few minutes, the photographer said that he was going to his next site. Flyboy then informed me that I appeared to have things under control, so he was going to hit a different volunteer site. Amused, I finished the job by myself, realizing this was a perfect analogy for the US Military.
-The Army can't complete its mission and calls for help.
-The Air Force shows up, but as soon as the photo op is over, they're gone.
-The Navy is nowhere to be found.
-The Marine Corps accomplishes the mission with no fanfare, because the press has left.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Getting Fit - A Year in Review
It's been about a year since I started exercising, so now is a good time to look back and see how I actually did as compared to how I expected I'd do.
When I chose to start a regular exercise program last year, it was done after numerous false starts over the years. I'd never been a big fan of working out or running, but surprisingly, those are the core activities of my routine.
I made three major deviations from my past attempts that I believe helped make this attempt at a healthier lifestyle a success. First, I actually spent some money. I went out and bought new gym shoes, gym clothes, and swim attire. I did this because I don't like to waste money. The second change was to NOT have a workout partner. Historically, I figured that a workout partner would help me stay motivated to continue. In reality though, if either one of us voiced any desire to skip a workout... well, you get the picture. Finally, I brought music. I have a workout playlist on my smart phone, filled with upbeat music that helps keep me focused. (No eye of the tiger though.)
With all of my aforementioned false starts, I knew that not sticking with it was a real possibility. But when I started this time, I didn't envision that. I did, however, envision more muscle mass, and more strength than I actually have. I know that part of the reason I'm not quite as developed as I expected is because I missed so many workouts during the summer. The overwhelming majority of this was unavoidable. (The point is that I never quit.) The other reason I haven't progressed as much as I thought is that I simply underestimated how difficult it would be to put on muscle mass as a middle-aged guy. (That, and the fact that I've always been on the slender side.)
I still haven't reached all of my original goals. I can't do a set of 50 perfect push-ups. And though I have successfully completed a first class Marine Corps PFT, I usually end up about 10 points shy of a first class. I can, however, swim a mile without much effort at all. I'm not breaking any speed records, but speed was never part of the goal.
Regardless of whether or not I've progressed as much as I envisioned a year ago, I've stayed with it. I look better, and I feel better. I'm pleased that I've made it a year. I've been doing it long enough that I can confidently say that I've actually made a more active lifestyle change.
When I chose to start a regular exercise program last year, it was done after numerous false starts over the years. I'd never been a big fan of working out or running, but surprisingly, those are the core activities of my routine.
I made three major deviations from my past attempts that I believe helped make this attempt at a healthier lifestyle a success. First, I actually spent some money. I went out and bought new gym shoes, gym clothes, and swim attire. I did this because I don't like to waste money. The second change was to NOT have a workout partner. Historically, I figured that a workout partner would help me stay motivated to continue. In reality though, if either one of us voiced any desire to skip a workout... well, you get the picture. Finally, I brought music. I have a workout playlist on my smart phone, filled with upbeat music that helps keep me focused. (No eye of the tiger though.)
With all of my aforementioned false starts, I knew that not sticking with it was a real possibility. But when I started this time, I didn't envision that. I did, however, envision more muscle mass, and more strength than I actually have. I know that part of the reason I'm not quite as developed as I expected is because I missed so many workouts during the summer. The overwhelming majority of this was unavoidable. (The point is that I never quit.) The other reason I haven't progressed as much as I thought is that I simply underestimated how difficult it would be to put on muscle mass as a middle-aged guy. (That, and the fact that I've always been on the slender side.)
I still haven't reached all of my original goals. I can't do a set of 50 perfect push-ups. And though I have successfully completed a first class Marine Corps PFT, I usually end up about 10 points shy of a first class. I can, however, swim a mile without much effort at all. I'm not breaking any speed records, but speed was never part of the goal.
Regardless of whether or not I've progressed as much as I envisioned a year ago, I've stayed with it. I look better, and I feel better. I'm pleased that I've made it a year. I've been doing it long enough that I can confidently say that I've actually made a more active lifestyle change.
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