Updates, Updates, Updates.....

So...

My laptop has been making some rattling noises, so I'm gonna have to go get that checked out sometime soon..... Hopefully everything turns out alright.... Anyways, onto this weeks topics.


1. Minecraft stuff

2. My life and whatnot

3. Interesting thoughts / questions.


So, first up is some Minecraft updates. Minecraft 1.5 came out recently, and I must say, WOW. This update has been entitled the "Redstone Update" for a reason. For those interested, here is the changelog.

+ Added Redstone Comparator (used in Redstone logic)

+ Added Hopper (collects items and moves them to containers)

+ Added Dropper (similar to Dispensers, but always drops the item)

+ Added Activator Rail (activates TNT Minecarts)

+ Added Daylight Sensor

+ Added Trapped Chest

+ Added Weighed Pressure Plate

+ Added Block of Redstone

+ Added Nether Brick (item)

+ Added Nether Quartz and ore

+ Added Block of Quartz, with half blocks and chiseled variants

+ New command: /scoreboard

+ New command: /effect

+ Containers and mobs can have custom names

* Inventory management has been changed, for example you can drag-place items over slots

* Texture packs now have separate images for each block and item, and can have animations

* Nether Quartz Ore now spawns in the Nether

* Smooth lighting now has three settings (none, minimal, maximum)

* More detailed death messages

* Some hostile mobs now are harder in Hard difficulty

* Many, many, bug fixes

- Removed Herobrine


The first thing I want to touch upon is the addition of Quartz. Not only do I absolutely LOVE Quartz, as it makes for AMAZING pillars and Roman / Greek Structures, but I am also glad that the Ore was made to generate only in the Nether. This gives an actual reason to go mining in the nether, as you can now find something useful, not just and endless amount of Netherrack. I would be further impressed if they added even MORE Ores and such into the nether so that I would have even more of a reason to build a base and survive in the nether.


The next thing I want to talk about is all the new redstone! Oh my gosh, is there a whole lot of new stuff! Hoppers, Droppers, Rails, Carts, and MORE! Now, I'm not the best at explaining Redtone and how it all works, but I can tell you this. The implications of all these new Blocks is huge. For example, with the Comparator, the Jukebox is now a power source! Depending on which music disc you put in, it gives off different strength signals! It's so ridiculously awesome.



This next section isn't really a "topic," just more of a "Hey, this is what's happening."


So anyways, my job has been starting to give me more hours, which is nice, but I still need more... And also, my grandmother fell and broke her hip, so I'm thinking about going to see her. But other than those 2 things, a relatively boring week...


I also want to take this time to say sorry for my lack of blogging skills, I have never done this type of thing before, so forgive me if I suck.... I'm trying, ok?


For now, I'll just leave you with this question:


"If happiness were the Global Currency, what job would make you the wealthiest?"

Post your answers in the comments!

WOW. I completely forgot that this was here.

Well guys and gals, the man with no plan is back and on the attack, and I plan on continuing this blog for a while yet. So, onto some interesting topics.

1. I moved states. I am now in the Lone Star State, aka Texas!
2. Got me one a' dem girlfriends.... :D
3. Got back into MineCraft and all of it's glorious wonders!!! :O
4. Met some epic awesome new friends and got a nice job (that I would like to get more hours in, but hey, who doesn't)
5. Games. Lots of new games.

I want to talk about the games, first off.
I have 3 reviews to do, even if a couple of them are half-a-year old games. For now, I'll start you off with my favorite.

Halo 4 :
Halo has always been, and will always be, my favorite game series of all time. I love everything that is Halo. And Halo 4's campaign did not disappoint. From the get go, I was completely immersed in the story-line, wondering to myself "What's going to happen next?," "Where are the WEAPONS?!," and the occasional "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME IS THAT THING?!" Along with a healthy dose of screams and adrenaline, of course. I played on Legendary when I first got it, and this deserves to be said about Halo games, I would even say it NEEDS to be said. The Halo series has ALWAYS had the absolute best difficulty system, in my honest opinion. Halo 4 just blew my mind and managed to step it up another notch. The Legendary Difficulty on Halo 4 provides an incredibly tough challenge, even for Veteran Halo players, such as myself. On Legendary, the Prometheans DOMINATE the Battlefield with their even MORE advanced Tech and Weaponry, which is, I might add, very nicely designed. Not only do they look foreign and advanced, they feel it as well. The story didn't progress at a pace too fast for character development and there were quite a few little events that I can honestly say I did not see coming. And the ending...... Oh. My. God. The ending was just pure amazing-ness. I cannot find the words to describe how ecstatic I was when I saw the ending. I was literally squealing like a little girl. I can't say anything about it without spoiling it (for anyone that might not have played it yet). So if you haven't played it yet, GO GET IT AND PLAY IT. NOW.

As much as the Campaign is awesome, the multiplayer is just as impressive. Delivering a nice diversity of weapons and vehicles, along with new gametypes and a wide variety of maps, few of which are similair to any of the other maps, AND all the new Forging? There is just so much material to go through, I don't what where to start..... I guess the best thing to say is, go get it and play it.

Campaign Score : 10/10
Multiplayer Score : 10/10
Overall Score : 10/10



As I said above, I have a lot of new things to get to, and I'll spread out all that information across this upcoming month. There is one more thing to say though. Minecraft. If anyone has it and would like to join me, my in-game name is dthmadness and I play on mc.eternalcraft.net. Come play with me! See you all later!

(Sorry, no Food for Thought this week, I don't know any good questions and I am honestly a little brain dead at the moment.... Sorry!!)

RAGE Review (Among Other Things)

So I just finished RAGE, and I must say, it leaves much to be desired... The story seemed a little too repetitive and progressed too quickly. The graphics were good, the game-play was fun, and the integration of racing / driving and shooting was nice, and that brought it's overall score up a good bit. But as I stated before, the story is too repetitive, it literally didn't change. Do a couple of things that involve protecting people at the start, then race, then fetch some items, then help some more people, rinse and repeat. The amount of enemies (no matter how similar they are) made progressing from one section to another difficult at times, but challenge is appealing, in my opinion. I would go into more depth about the game, but then I would be spoiling things, and I loathe spoiling things for people. Well, to people I don't know at least. If it were my close friends, I would most likely spoil some things.

Anyways, enough about RAGE. There are 2 more topics that have drawn my attention over the past week. The first being StumbleUpon, which, surprisingly enough, I stumbled upon, haha. I recently found StumbleUpon and I have been using it quite a lot, and I fell upon a site the other day that piqued my interest. This site showcased a video called I Believe I Can Fly (Flight of the Frenchies), and jumping jehosaphat are those Frenchies brave! If you ever get the chance, and I urge you to MAKE time to watch their documentary, go to http://www.sebmontaz.com and be amazed by the pure epic-ness that is this documentary.

Now onto the last, and personally, my favorite, topic, the final book in the Inheritance Series, titled Inheritance. For those of you who haven't read this series, DO SO ASAP! This was, by far, one of the BEST and most enveloping series I have ever read. The ending leaves you in such a mish-mash of emotions that, quite frankly, will leave you in a state of pure astonishment. There is absolutely no way I can describe how I felt when I finished the book through words. In my personal opinion (and most likely the opinion of most, if not all, of the readers of the Inheritance Series) that the author, Christopher Paolini (who is one hell of a great writer), should make another series that occurs after the endo of this series, or another book that adds-on to the story, or SOMETHING! I would explain further, but again, spoiling....

There wasn't much by way of brain-teasers today, so I'll end it with something to get your brains going. Ponder these questions:
Why do we say that something is 'out of whack'? What is IN whack? And for that matter, what is a whack?
Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
When someone asks you, 'A penny for your thoughts?,' and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Everything has a beginning..... Right?

This is a blog where I dish out some knowledge to get the minds of the readers thinking about things in a new light. I'll often post interesting (and relevant) facts, mind-boggling facts / questions, and other such things in order to engage the minds of those reading (however small the number of readers at this moment is). Look forward to my first post in a few days time!