To finally complete a game 100%. To feel I got my monies worth. Yes, I am a cheap date however, I am a faithful one as well. Completing 1999 mode in Bioshock Infinite was a relief to finally see if my build of gear and strategy paid-off. I almost gave up when I discovered the near fatal error of not doing any heath upgrade before Finkton Docks. Because the enemy could wipe my shield in one shot and I lacked any invulnerability gear, plus did not upgrade the sniper, nor did I have a shotgun for Handyman. And had yet to pick up Overkill. I died a lot and reset my check-point to save money. I finally did everything "right" and timely and got past it.  I appreciate the crafting that was done in this game. It now makes my top ten and maybe top five. 1) Elder Scrolls series 2) Mass Effect series 3) Dead Space series 4) Deus Ex 5) Halo series    now 6) Bioshock Infinite   next dlc  will tell me more         I have never pretended to be a skilled gamer, but finishing a great game like BSI makes me feel like a real gamer. Not just someone who is definitely to old to play!                                                                                                      

And I return and find all kinds of "stuff" in the forums. Off topic is often slightly off-putting and flame wars manage to erupt. Thank-you to those calm heads who refuse to be easily offended and keep a meaningful dialogue in spite of those who impulsively reply upon their immediate sense of offense and start a flame war.

Thinking before you type and checking ones perceptions, giving the benefit of the doubt, engaging a healthy sense of objectivity and then entertaining the idea that one can really incorrectly sense tone and body language in text; is helpful and proper fire prevention behavior. 

Geesh! A pile of crap is still crap no matter how much perfume one pours upon it. Perfume only masks the odor temporarily and every farmer knows that improper manure management poisons our water and air. Eventually a "civil" servant will put the pile in the proper place and it will become a nutrient resource and grow more useful items.

Well, there will always be drama kings/queens among us. Take them with a grain of salt and keep the hip-waders handy. NSFW is still a necessity. 202P may be a 25+ membership but plenty younger come calling and looking over the website.

Scorching hot most of the summer. Farming has not been fun. Anxiety about our once a year paycheck sitting out there in the droughted fields. Rain has been rare and welcomed with hope and then disappointment at the inadequacy of the amount. Harvest is starting and we will see what we get. Had to laugh about the teacher's strike in Chicago, no such deal for us on the farm. Better to have insurance this year. Enjoyed watching the eclipse events this year. Great skyscapes.

Hope everyone has fun at the LAN Halo 4 launch party. Wish I was able to attend but not this year. Bought a T-shirt. Don't really know how I could pick up my new Halo 4 console on launch day....better to stay home and go get it from Gamestop. It is looking really sweet. My Gears of War SE cracked my Skyrim disk clean through. Sent it in on warranty and got it back in about 9-10 days. Pre-ordered the new console the day it busted the disk. New disk drive was put in, I think. Whatever, it works. Paying attention to the rumors about a new 'box coming in 2014.

Gave blood a couple weeks ago and have been unenergetic since. Blah, nothing fun or inspirational to write about today. Possibly due to the political ads fatigue syndrome; am I really done with listening to them! Need to go out and ride my bicycle. All is right with the world then. Depressing news out of Egypt and Africa. Extremeists, and whats crazy is they knock everyone and cannot take any hits themselves. Feel sorry for the honest, hard working people who have some common sense and have to be embarrassed by their hate crazed countrymen. In some centuries that behavior would be a declaration of war. Never saw the you-tube vid, nor do I wanna. Hope none of my relatives put it up :)   (Of course, not). We grow food, not videos. Plus we are responsible humans.

Well, time to close. Will aim for higher quality content next blog. Told you I was a no good blogger, din I??  Aye!

Well, the new site is up and running, but needs some tweaking still. Regardless, here's hoping for the best.

Bought an iPad recently and have been enjoying it immensely. (New iPad from Best Buy with 64 gigs, and their financing for 6-18 months will not last long so take heed. I do like to use the longer term, no interest at Best Buy vs paying all in one chunk when I purchase an expensive tech item. Allows time to find out if the model chosen is a good pick). Still learning the conventions of the New iPad. Absolutely does not replace the console for gaming or the laptop/desk for work. Missed a couple of FB links due to them being flash based. All in all not an issue. Like the camera for quick stuff and the graphics. Yes, battery life is shorter but still lasts all day. Since I am retired, recharging is not an issue. Apple care is a better choice for replacement warranty vs the BB replacement offer. Since my unit may be utilized in a farm tractor GPS system; I got the $100 two year replacement plan.

Teaching my octogenarian mother how to use touch screens. Learning how to use a computer is on her bucket list and I think the pad will work for this task. Used the facetime apps at easter dinner to talk with family farther away. Impressed older folks by the small footprint and fast loading times. We play table top games at family gatherings, usually the more obscure ones brought home by college kids.

Family gatherings in the midwest still focus on great food, especially family favs, multi-generational interactions and spiritual renewal. Weather was great but we need rain here in the heartland. Sang at two Easter church services this year and enjoyed the choir activities, bells, etc. No big epiphany this year, just gratitude for the family I have. And for the gaming family I have come to know on 2o2p. Peace to all.   :)

The graphics and gameplay are so good these days. Especially if you played pong back in the day, as a comparison. Now, with online service available on the big screen, 3-D and the promise of better things to come; whats not to like as a gamer?  Most people expect even greater things but isn't there a threshold where the visual cortex cannot go past and the future will be repackaging of the social revolution of the computer and Xbox LIVE networking services? I consider the Kinect to be an evolution in gaming not a revolution in gaming.

Can't wait for the holographic interface, er wait; could humans get lost there? In virtual space? Probably, based on brain addiction studies and video gaming. Kids who spend a lot of time gaming have noticeably larger addiction centers in the brain. Similar to chemical addicts. I grew up without video games, so not sure if my brain is affected this way. But what about sports fans, anyone who is obsessed with something that gives them tremendous feedback surges in brain and body? Sports, cooking, movies, hang-gliding, certain causes, etc. Maybe we just need to balance body, mind and spirit.

The last ear of corn has entered the rotary combine and the golden grain separated and sieved. Harvest 2011 is history. The year began in flooding and has ended in a drought. I and the ten year old hauled wagon loads of soybeans to the elevator and shagged wagons hither and yon. With the crop in the grain bins, I breathe a sigh of relief and say a prayer of thanksgiving that we went through it all safely. Farming is a game where the farmer gambles on mother nature and depends on a benefecent glory solely by faith. So much can go wrong and so often it all turns out right. The rhythm of the seasons is a wondrous thing. I am grateful for many unpredictable and tangible things. No wonder the Plymouth Rock settlers inspired the Thanksgiving holiday. Peace everyone.  :)

Travelled to the land of black hills, roulette wheels and presidents in stone. The folks out there are hardy and still work for bigger companies. Just like the old days when the larger mines took over the independents. Learned to play Texas hold'em in Red Dead Redemption and was looking forward to playing a little (probably naive that, but I was able to pick up the AI patterns in the game and use it to my advantage to clear tables) but our hotel only had 21. No five finger fillet, either, ha!

The prices of hotel rooms are outrageous during Sturgis ($200.00 plus) but if you find a hotel run by a company of which you are a member, you will do better. Remember to ask about rates and what the hotels can do prior to noon...they will negotiate with you more willingly. Tell them thanks and you want to look around a bit. You can get $80.00 rates off the week-end of Fri/Sat.

 The hotels rake in dinero on the slots, but I did win $200.00 and was smart enought to quit while I was ahead. I don't have an addictive personality type so, gambling is boring with annoying lights, noise, etc., unless I am figuring odds in poker. The kids had an indoor pool to play in so they were happy. Food is great but Spearfish has the kid type fast food vs more expensive hotel food. Recommend the western Heritage museum in Spearfish. If I hadn't been atending a wedding, I would have rather stayed in Rapid City or Spearfish. Missed the vanilla bean bakery in Spearfish, though.

Need to finish Red Dead and start Deus Ex...just killing time waiting for Skyrim. Busy hosting a bicyclist from Milwaukee that is biking to Oregon, more later on that.

Well, today 98 for the predicted high. Flooding has caused road closings and sand bagging in many places in Iowa. The reservoir dam releases upstream will keep the Missouri waters high. Multiple rain water ponds will undoubtedly spawn a record crop of mosquitos. Summer in Iowa. It has been a difficult choice for the Corps of Engineers and Congress t decide who gets flooded: the town or the country ( which means fields of crops that won't get to market and farmers entire yearly income lost). Towns win. If the levees break everyone gets a loss. Funny though, my farmer says we are overdue for a drought. It will come. 

The tornado that took out Joplin, MO, affected the entire midwest. Everyone here was either in their basement or tying stuff down! We have had multiple thunderstorms and hail all spring and summer, so far. Anyway, internet service and phone cell services and gaming online were affected. We Americans are so used to our "stuff" working we forget that generations of people entertained themselves without electronics just one or two generations ago. If the sun spots are bad in a year, then cell phone activity, GPS, any microwave communications will be affected. Electricity will remain and I guess thats why I like to own a disk for gaming. Steam has some great prices...but you don't get to own your dlc.

On a closing note Old Man Mafia LAN party is September 14-17th in Indianapolis. See you there?

Well, today 98 for the predicted high. Flooding has caused road closings and sand bagging in many places in Iowa. The reservoir dam releases upstream will keep the Missouri waters high. Multiple rain water ponds will undoubtedly spawn a record crop of mosquitos. Summer in Iowa. It has been a difficult choice for the Corps of Engineers and Congress t decide who gets flooded: the town or the country ( which means fields of crops that won't get to market and farmers entire yearly income lost). Towns win. If the levees break everyone gets a loss. Funny though, my farmer says we are overdue for a drought. It will come. 

The tornado that took out Joplin, MO, affected the entire midwest. Everyone here was either in their basement or tying stuff down! We have had multiple thunderstorms and hail all spring and summer, so far. Anyway, internet service and phone cell services and gaming online were affected. We Americans are so used to our "stuff" working we forget that generations of people entertained themselves without electronics just one or two generations ago. If the sun spots are bad in a year, then cell phone activity, GPS, any microwave communications will be affected. Electricity will remain and I guess thats why I like to own a disk for gaming. Steam has some great prices...but you don't get to own your dlc.

On a closing note Old Man Mafia LAN party is September 14-17th in Indianapolis. See you there?

Microsoft did a great job introducing their own IPs and show casing the cross-platform hard-core games through SPIKE TV, today. This is agreat time to be a gamer, period. Think this is my shortest BLOG ever!