I’ve wanted to buy stock in Blizzard since I got addicted to World of Warcraft (over two years sober, thank you very much). But it was stuck inside Vivendi Universal, diluting those profits. Soon it will be stuck inside Activision, making it the biggest game company around – slightly bigger than EA. Since Activision is responsible for games like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, this seems like a good bet, and its stock has been skyrocketing. I’ll probably drag my feet like I did with Google and curse myself afterwards. Every once in a while, procrastination has it’s disadvantages.
Category Archives: BTW
Heroes, 30 Rock, The Office Hits Netflix
Variety reports that Netflix will be offering Heroes, 30 Rock, and The Office the day after being broadcast. It appears you’ll be able to view them on your PC through Netflix streaming or rent them on DVD. You can already view them at NBC.com, but with commercials you can’t skip (and rewinding will play them again). I’m assuming the Netflix versions will be commercial-free. I already watch these via DVR, but it’s a nice backup plan if I miss one.
Politicians Against Video Games
Variety reports that some democratic politicians (including Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden) are again attacking the game rating entity ESRB over Manhunt 2. The game was originally Adults Only due to violence, but it made some changes and is now Mature. They cite an FTC study that shows 42% of kids under 17 can still buy Rated M games. They’re also saying that you must consider whether the game will be released on the Wii! If it is, they believe it’s actually instructing kids how to kill. Probably doesn’t affect any readers here, but an interesting viewpoint. Like the MPAA, the ESRB was created to avoid gov’t regulation. If they don’t improve enforcement, they’ll fail. Of course, considering how awful the MPAA is, maybe gov’t regulation would be an improvement. And I don’t like big government!
The Ten
So for the very first time, I actually clicked on one of those text ads. It was on Facebook, and it was for a movie I hadn’t heard of called The Ten. I still have no idea how this got by me. It’s essentially from the The State/Stella, and stars Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Liev Schrieber, Rob Corddry, Gretchen Mol, Famke Janssen, and Oliver Platt. That’s a lot of people I like and/or lust after (I’m talkin’ to you, Paul Rudd). And I loved Wet Hot American Summer, which these guys also did. Anyway, it’s been in and out of theaters so add it to your Netflix queue. It’ll be released on DVD on 1/15/08.
Free Rice
If you’re looking for a good way to kill some time, check out FreeRice. It tests and improves your vocabulary while donating rice to starving people. So you improve your vocabulary, raise your karma, and procrastinate all at the same time!
Seinfeld vs. Larry King
Some are calling Seinfeld arrogant for this, but I find it pretty hilarious. Of course, I am arrogant, and I have nowhere near the success he has.
Set Your Computer Clock
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Internet Time Service has a little program you can run to sync your computer’s clock with the national atomic clock. It’s just an executable (no installation), but of course you need to be connected to the Internet.
TV Schedule Update
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia premiered Thursday (9/13) with two new episodes. You gotta love a show not afraid to tackle sensitive subjects like dumpster babies. I’ve added it to the fall television schedule along with Reaper, which might not suck (Kevin Smith directed the pilot).
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Updated the fall television schedule to add Curb Your Enthusiasm (so now it’s not just network television). If anyone knows of a good guide to cable shows premiering this fall, please post a link.
Sunny Sneak Peak
The first episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will air on their MySpace page a month early. More at Variety.