Life and Beans

The hipster takeover

2014-01-28T21:53:00.002-05:00

Hello internets, as you may have noticed the subject of today is hipsterism in all its hipster goodness (insert sarcasm here). I have been bitching over the past years on hipsters and most of what they stand for. Although I hate admitting that they are the ones that have been the pushing force for this artistic renaissance that we have been experiencing lately. They have also on the other hand brought forth the douchiness that comes with it all. Like everything in life, it is shades of grey, some good and some bad.

I have to admit that I am deep down a critic, I love criticism and all its aspects. Some people might think that a critic is just a glorified word for "hater", but it is deeper than that, it is analizing both positives and negative aspects of the subject you are observing. And today my friends, it is the hipsters that are in the spotlight.

As I mentioned before, some good comes out of these hipsters. The sense of nostalgia that seems to be their driving force has brought forth a more manual style of art that I personally appreciate. Things being more hand drawn and more accents on being craftsman instead of mass production. The whole living locally movement has been greatly influenced by it also. By this I do not mean that they were initiators, but pushers of this type of lifestyle. Also what this nostalgia factor has brought forth is retro gaming, which in a great way has helped the gaming industry with indy gaming. Giving us throwback to older styles of games that were for the most part forgotten into the scene. So on a creative level, this culture has pushed for good things.

But now comes the flipside. To me, they have brought pretentiousness to a whole new level. And that is why when I see hipsters, I cringe, because of the underlining of the "artist" mentality. And by artist mentality, I do mean the frame of mind most artists I know have (including myself, but I'm working on it). That sense of entitlement that you have because you are a creative person. Therefore better than others. And that is just plain wrong. But that just comes with the territory I guess. But again, I do say artist mentality, because real artist I feel never consider themselves anything else than creators. They just do what they do regardless of what anyone thinks of it. But that rant is for some other time.

Nostalgia, or a false sense of it is the biggest thing that identifies a hipster. Always choosing vintage over new. I mean, I love some old things, architecture, cameras specially from the era of the 30's. But to go and live my life as if I came out of a Hammet book is just ridiculous. I mean things change and evolve for a reason. I also hate the fact that now beards and tattoos are mainstream (tattoos have been for a while) but in such a way that it is excessive. Maybe it is just me, but how unique are you when you have the same stupid ironic mustache tattooed on your finger like all the other ones. And I hate being the guy that sais this, But beards used to be for men, I mean manly man. Not these weak, heroin addict looking guys that wear them now. I know, who am I to judge, but this is my blog so deal with it.

Last but not least, I feel that this movement has brought up stupid events to the forefront. It started with movember. Sure, it was for a good cause, but it has brought up to the dumbest celebrations. For example, this week is apparently poutine week, a week where you eat poutine. Why is this even a thing? I mean I am from Montreal, love poutine, have it a couple times a year (its really bad for you). But to make an event out of this is, simply pointless. And I feel that it is the way this culture is going, towards pointless things. Celebration of the mediocre brings forth mediocre things.

All of this, to say one thing. I am not fond of the culture we are living in. But it's not all bad. But for got sakes (and the sake of your testies) buy jeans that fit you young man.

Xbox One or PS4

2013-10-26T23:27:00.004-04:00

I was going to write a post completely dedicated to the Xbox release (I have been a Xbox player for since its first generation) but with the similarities being so close with this upcoming generation I have felt that it would be detrimental to only mention one of the two. I do have to specify only those two consoles because it is my belief that Nintendo is out of the running with the Wii U.

Now comes the age old question, which one should you put your money on?

But before I answer that question, lets go a bit back in time. To when I was a child and a Nintendo fan-boy. It was a similar battle between the NES and the Sega Genesis. Both sides had defenders that would argue to the death the superiority of their favorite console.

So we are back to the age old question, which side should I go on? The answer is quite simple. Which service are you already paying? Because the difference between both consoles will not be that big (besides the extra 100$ for the new knect). The matter of the fact is that with similar hardware, and similar programming method, the difference between each will be very minimal. And if you want to play online, a premium service is now required for PS4. So no more talking about how Xbox is the only one to charge.

Another factor that will come into play is the console exclusive games. Depending on the titles you may want to play should dictate which console you should get. Another factor is that was the main factor for me between the PS2 and the first Xbox is the controller. I was on the fence on getting the Xbox because of the first monstrosity of a controller, (reminds me of the Dreamcast), but once it came with the S controller, it has been Xbox for me ever since. I simply prefer the way it feels in my hands. And the thumbstick layout is optimal for me. But again if you prefer Playstation, you should stick with that.

In other words, all I am trying to say is that for this upcoming generation, I don't believe that you can make a wrong choice besides being the first in line of getting them. Yes, I do not think it is a good idea to get a new console within the first year of its launch. I am far from being an early adopter because in most cases, the products always have a flaw in them that gets fixed as time goes by. Plus, there wont be that many games out there for it to begin with.

There is still a good amount of good games to play with on the current generation and I still have a lot of catching up to do. And who knows, maybe these new consoles will not be as great as they advertise them to be. Only time and trial will tell.

If you have the disposable income for this, and you cannot wait for it, then get them. Otherwise I suggest you wait until we hear more about these consoles, with their positives and negatives. But more important, a decent library of games to choose from. Because there is nothing worse than to have a bran new console and no good games to play with.

All I know, is ill be on XBL with my 360 for a good while. "D4rk Saphyr" out!

Big things to come!

2013-01-24T00:02:00.000-05:00

Hello internets!

The subject of today is a bit of a continuation of the New Year resolution post. By this it is simply what will be in the works for 2013 and hopefully for the years to come. Like I mentioned a few posts back, the hardest part is getting off your ass. There will always be a good excuse to come in the way of your productivity. Whether it is because you get home tired from a grueling day from work, or that one last level you wanted to do. And yes, those examples are taken directly from me, I am a hard-core procrastinator and avid gamer. But I have been able (not all the time) to push myself to go further. Because in the end you are in control of you own destiny.

Now it’s time to talk about what is in the works for 2013.

Some of you out there might know that I am a graphic designer (specialized in print), but I am adding a long needed sting to my creative bow, web design. I have taken a few contracts, and hope to get a few more in the times to come. I know what most of you might be thinking, it should have done this a long time ago. But the transition is not always easy, web and print even if similar (actually parallel universes) have a ton of differences, and to start from scratch is never a light task to undergo. But steadily and surely these two will merge and become great compliments to my skillset. And be sure that having web added to my portfolio (www.roguedestiny.com) will look great. And it will help me revamp the look of my work, and update my ever changing style.

Project number two, PODCAST!

Yes people, this egocentric / attention whore will be making love to your ear canals. And you will enjoy every filthy minute of it. I know this sounds horrifying to some, but for others I am sure this will be a worthwhile experience. I have been talking about doing a podcast to my friends for years. And it finally happened. I now have recorded my first podcast and it will be airing sometime next week on http://radio.beatfarm.in/ (site will be fully functional soon, or so I am told). The show is pretty much a free form conversation with my friend and cohost Vince ( http://vincentfurege.com ) . It will also be available on RSS and Itunes (I will keep you posted on that one). And for the airtimes and when it is ready for you to download, follow me on twitter @ScreensandBeans. But do be advised, the content of this podcast will be highly immature and the language will be unclean to say the least. I sure hope you will enjoy it, and spread the word about it if you do. If you don’t, spread it anyways to spread the trolling.

Last but not least.

If you do not know this about this, shame on you! I am an avid paintball fan/player, and I am working on an armour for the game. I cannot give more details, but I can say that I am working with an engineer on this project and cannot wait for the end result. If all goes well, I will have a prototype and will shop around for potential customers, and worst case scenario, I will have a badass suit to go playing with. But that will be revealed later on, I will not say any more since the project is still in its baby stage. But you will have the scoop of it all when it is finally done and ready for the world.

Now these are the big things that are in the plans for the year to come. And can I add that there is no greater motivator than to actually work on something. In this DIY era you have no excuse not to do it, you have most resources at your disposition. So go out there, get your hands dirty into whatever project you are passionate about and go for broke. There is no shame in failing, only in never trying.

New year resolution

2013-01-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

I guess we all made it passed another pseudo apocalypse. And we now welcome the new year with hope for better things to come. But there is a pretty strange tradition that comes when the new year comes. We all know what I am talking about, the damn "resolution" (if you did not see this coming it's because you did not read the title of this blog).

We all do these. We all do those big promises of grand proportion for the year to come. They usually are these, get in better shape, travel more, earn more money, and the dumbest of them all "live more" (what does this even really mean!). These are thing we should all want constantly for each other and all achievable if we don't expect extreme results. Well, most except living more, I would understand that coming from a vampire or a zombie, but what can we really do? Take two breaths extra a minute? I don't know!

Even when you say that you will not get into all this resolutions BS, you know deep down you still do. Lets take me for example. I pretty much let myself go after I got a job (and by this I mean I stopped creating). And I promised myself that I was going to do way more this year, and be more. By this I mean I want to better myself, be a better writer, artist, entertainer and person in general. And the time we live in actually allows us to do such things. There is no reason not to try to reach for the starts in any thing you want to achieve, whether it might be losing a few pounds (Which I have to thank my girlfriend for my loss), or to simply put yourself out there for to world to see what you can do. There are so many different ways to achieve those goals. You just have to find the right one for you.

On those words, I wish you a happy new year internets!
And there are great things to come!

Radio Sucks

2012-11-12T21:56:00.001-05:00

For the longest time i wasn't exposed to radio and their supposed "hits". I always had access to online radio and and my personal music. And I was fine with that, but now that I work in a store I get to listen to the amazing selection that pop radio has to offer.

I do not hate all the song that come out there. But I must admit that after hearing the same 20 songs over and over again is quite horrible. Sure, the labels are paying for the constant airtime. But the questions is if the selection is always the same, then why are there even dj's (if they actually DJ). And sometimes I wonder if anyone is really amused at their stupid rants. And there is obviously the "news" on those stations. I mean do we really care which celebrity married whom and what they were doing earlier that week (I guess a lot of people do because otherwise we wouldn't be in a society that glorifies celebrities). There are more important things out there, And if you want to be a station that concentrates on entertainment, at least give some content with some meat behind it. But in all honesty, nothing disappoints me as much as the selection.

Pop music has never been my favorite genre, There are some songs that are great and become classics, but most is just garbage. And can anyone tell me what happened to lyrics? In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, it was a string of words put together that told a story through melody. But now it seems that plain repetition of words is enough to entertain the ADD generation. Lets take the latest Rihanna song (the one about diamonds). That crappy track has no lyrical impact whatsoever. It is just a simple idea, repeated with a mediocre beat attached to it. But since she is a "superstar" in the music industry, anything she craps out will be on heavy rotation.

Not all music on the radio is bad (there are no absolutes in the world). But I listen to that crap every day of the week. And with the amount of music available it is quite horrible to think they play the same 20 songs (if 20) at all times of the day. And there are very few radio stations out there that actually gives us a decent selection. And to those give props to. But for the big commercial radio stations, I am sorry, but they have no love for music. Otherwise, they would give more of a damn on what plays on their stations.

The Blank Canvas

2012-10-31T09:31:00.000-04:00

Hello internets! Today we shall talk about the blank canvas (look at me, i sound like a high school teacher!), or page or whatever it is you want to call it depending on which creative field you work with. This is the horrible event, when you want to create, but nothing comes out (kinda like this blog when i think of it lol). The reality is that it happens to all of us.

There is little to do about it if not only one thing, And that is to work through it. You have to start grinding at it and just do something about it. But it is the hardest part though. Getting off your ass and actually doing something. The problem is all the distractions around you. The internet being one of the biggest. We all have done "research" online and then drifted off onto either facebook, imgur or youtube to name a few. Turning something productive into the most futile waste of time you might have (reading this blog doesn't count as a distraction). It is extremely hard to do so after a hard day at work, you come back home you are tired and all you really feel like doing is to turn off you brain and play Battlefield for an hour or two (XBL gamertag D4rk Saphyr). But life is about balance. And to create will make you feel a bit more fulfilled.

It is true when people say what it is while you are doing something that the ideas and the will to do more comes. I am a prime example of someone who has been on the other side of the spectrum, no motivation to write or paint. Hours spent in front of the boobtube (tv for you younger folks) and simply wasting away. Time is precious. I am not saying to just work (that is insanity) but to manage time better. I will have to cut down on procrastination (its going to be hard) and produce more. Because so far, I have not done half the things I want to do in my life. And it is always better to try and fail, than to never have tried at all.

I hope to hear from your projects as well.
You can post them in the comment section.

And I would love to thank all the readers for keeping this blog alive with over 100 000 views this year. I honestly am speechless about it (and we all know how hard it is to make me shut up).
THANK YOU ALL!

Sex Nerds, yes... we do it better!

2012-06-18T14:47:00.002-04:00

Hello internets, you must have been wondering where I have been the last few weeks (or not), well it is quite simple. I have been having LOTS of great sex with my new girlfriend (and in case you are wondering, I am nuts about this girl). But this brought to my attention to the different sex I have had depending on the partners I had in the past. And I hate to admit it, but the geekier the girl was, the better the sex became. But I guess that might my luck, but since this is my blog, my word is law (hmmm.... I wonder if I take myself too seriously sometimes).

Do you remember that line in revenge of the nerds : "Jocks only think of themselves, and all we think about is sex". Well that line is full of shit, because all men ever do is think about sex, it is part of our DNA (hell even priests who took vows of celibacy are caught doing the nasty). But I do have to admit that we (yes even a geeko like me [check a couple posts back to find out what geeko is]) have a tendency to appreciate sex more.

In my experience (and yes I used to be a whore, but not in the literal sense....well.... sometimes) I have figured out that for you to enjoy sex you should actually enjoy the company of the person you are with. I know, this sounds like dumb advice, but hear me out. We all know that men usually go for quantity over quality, almost every guy out there has been through that phase. And I guess that in some level that is the training for something else part of your life. So go nuts, experiment. This is the time in your life when you will find out what you like. It is the time to be a bit selfish and just have fun. And once you are sick and tired of fucking around you will attempt to put that knowledge to good use on serious relationships.

I know it is a lot easier dealing with men, since touching our cock pretty much gets you a gold star every single time. Women on the other hand, that is quite a lot trickier, the one thing you have to remember is to listen. And when I say listen I do not mean her moans. But to be attentive to the way she moves, squirms, breathes when you are doing what you do to her (him). This is single handedly the best advice you will ever have, and trust me when I say that it works.

But remember internets, this does not mean that only because you are a geek that you are good at sex. There are a bunch of newbie mistakes that you must avoid at all costs for your partner to achieve the maximum level of pleasure. And this will make the experience a lot more enjoyable on both parties.

Little tip! (hehehe... I'm immature)
If she says OW, Stop whatever the fuck you are doing and reevaluate the situation. Think to yourself, what brought her pain and what can I do to fix the situation. I know it sounds dumb, but to some this advice will help. Because porn has skewed our P.O.V. on sex in general. We have too much access to it, and most of it is hardcore. This is not an example to follow (unless she is into it) in every day situations. Pain should only be part of the mix of both parties are in. And this is also real for you women, although men might not be as obvious about showing their pain to too by fear of passing for a total wuss (whatever happened to that word, why did we stop using it... I'm bringing it back... or not). So men, if she is using teeth, tell her, her future boyfriends will thank you for it.

Cardio
And last but not the least. Work on your cardio people. It has a very direct correlation to your performance
Which is great, because once the cow of my ex left, decided to work a bit on myself, and ohhhh my did my ... performance.... became a lot better. And the perks of this is that if you last longer, it will become an even stronger workout that in return will make you more fit. So everybody wins.

Sensuality VS Sexuality, WTF is she talking about?!?!?
This is when you have having more than one night stands. It is the simple factor that might be the difference from average sex and earth shattering orgasms. Sensuality is the your best ally. So enjoy your partner, but all the way. And remember, FOREPLAY!!! lots and lots of foreplay. Take time to discover each others body and you will have a great time.

On this I will end for now, but like always thank you for reading. And enjoy a good healthy sexual appetite internets. And remember: Don't be a fool, wrap your tool (Van Wilder).

BACK TO WORK!

2012-06-18T13:51:00.001-04:00

Ahhh.... Hello dear interets, did you miss me?
I missed you too! I took a little vacation from writing my blog but you will be glad to know that I am back, in full strenght and ready to type till my fingers bleed (ok maybe not that bad). But this means that you should be expecting new content extremely soon both here and on my review blog (http://screensandbeans.blogspot.com/).

I will keep you posted on twitter (@screenandbeans).
So lets have a great summer and enjoy the posts!

Life is good

2012-05-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

Morning internets (or whatever time you read this). It is time for me to talk about my life yet again. I know right.. it is as if I use this place only to talk about me (yet you still read it). But after that fiasco of an ex that I wrote about two posts back (4 and a half years together and only one of them was good), I am finally exiting the tunnel and see the light. It is as if I was able to breathe again.

I know, bad news or angry rants are usually funnier to read, but I guess you'll have to deal with a gayer post this time (and yes I mean gay in the real sense of the word, go open a dictionary, shit... where do you find those... type dictionary on the browser and then gay, otherwise you might not get exactly what I'm talking about... wow this was a long between quotes explanation). Because lets face it, life can be good.

Alright, a little recap should be put in place here, I had no job, gf left me for another man and took everything. And by everything she took the dogs, the towel racks and the sugar. And to top it all off my employment insurance ran out. So as you can see life was pretty shitty.

But in the last couple of weeks I found a new job (which pays pretty well), my family and friends helped me out refurnish my appartment with the essentials. And honestly, do we need more in life (besides the big ass LED, but id settle with a LCD)? New professional associations are starting, which involve two of my passions, filming and paintball (but lets keep this on the down low people, it is still in the concept phases). And if things were not good enough, I met this awesome girl who simply makes me smile. I would not dare to overshoot things this early, but she's the kind of girl that simply makes me smile. Let's just say she is really cute and somewhat nerdy, which is always a plus for me. But for now, let's take things slow, one step at a time. By this I am not only talking about the girl. But all the projects. Going to play this smart, but my flow is good now (it was about time).

So with this, I say, life is good people. If you let it. Take poisonous people out of your life because they will bring you down and crush your creativity and will. I am the proof, that life can sometimes do a 180 and go from shitty, to great.

Enjoy life. It's a great one and the time is too short!

The world of the flat screens

2012-04-27T07:46:00.000-04:00

Hello internets! Today we will talk about a subject that I need to vent on, televisions. For the better part of this millennia (and yes I am being a bit overzealous with this one) we have in general done the switch to HDTV's. And if you were like me, did not find the change to be as big as an impact as they said they were. I even though to myself: "pffff this is practically the same thing". But that was until I plugged in the HDMI for my Xbox that I finally saw the difference. But even then I thought that my old TV did the job.

It wasn't until the she devil of my ex took the TV with her when she left that I missed the TV. But even then, since I rigged it all with a PC screen, the resolution was nice, It was until my friend gave me his old TV, (Thank you Paul for the help man, it is really appreciated) that I noticed the real difference. And It all has to do with crispness. I mean I can barely read any text on the damn thing, and to watch it for too long give me a light headache. And the dead noise it has a moment, you know what I mean, there is no real noise but at the same time there is something audible. To be completely honest there is nothing wrong with the TV, it is just a matter of different technologies. But I have to admit that trying to play games on this... Skyrim is simply not the same. And I have trouble finding out targets on BF3 (forget trying to read the mini map). But it will have to do for now.

The real question is what will I get next? Although I know for sure that I will not get a plasma. Even though the image quality is the best out of the 3, they as simply way to heavy. And I want to mount my new TV on the wall (I kept the wall mount, the bill is under my name HAH!) and since I rent I do not want to take the risk of the wall crumbling under the weight.

So the the issue remains, LCD or LED. I know it seems obvious to go for the LED. Sharper image and lighter weight. And lets not forget that it spends less electricity than the LED (even though it is almost negligible). What it will all boil down to is price. LCD's are cheaper than the LED. And I guess that will be the only deciding factor in the end. This unless I find a great deal on a 46" LED. Ahhhhh to hope for a sharper image. But if you are going to buy a new TV you should keep all that in consideration. If you want light weight and low power cost, you can't go wrong with either the LED and LCD. If you don't mind the weigh and want sharper blacks, go for the plasma (also the cheapest). Me I live on the third floor, so the hell with plasma.

Now this was a huge rant about TV's. But I do a small post (or link my twitter once I have that shit ready.
Until that day though.... Im stuck with OG tv's.

Mass Effect 3 Ending (spoiler alert)

2012-04-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Alright, I just finished Mass Effect 3 last night and after all the controversy that followed the games ending I was expecting something horrible. I can honestly say that I do not understand what the fuss was all about. It seems to me that this whole movement was a huge nitpick out of the gaming community.

Could the ending have been better? Yes! Could have they explained more? Sure! But the thing is that the whole game was the closing chapter and to me the ending does not take away anything from the game. Sure, some would prefer an open end to the game. Something that allowed them to have a different story line. But the matter of the fact is that this was one consecutive story from start to finish. The only difference was the meat in between. And for obvious reasons this infuriated the players.

Sure the ending could have used more work, I do not deny it. But tell me honestly which game has a perfect ending? And to this they did a competent job (I did not say great). And for the people who complain about the green ending. The thing about individuals working together becoming obsolete because they become one and the same. I call bullshit on that. It is not because each species moved forward due to this that they will loose their individuality. To me it simply means that they will reach a new level of understanding of the universe. That Shepard's ultimate sacrifice was for the unification of the galaxy. Not to make them all into one. But giving all a unifying gift (that's my point of view on that). And I did say one spoiler on the title and this is it.

As for the rest, I believe it is just preferences of the gamers. Whether you liked the ending or not, it is undeniable that this is one of the best games I have played. And it deserves all its praise. If you have not yet played this game I cannot stress you enough to go and put this on your console and play the living shit out of it. It is not perfect. But it certainly deserves a place in your collection.

Single life

2012-04-13T19:06:00.001-04:00

Hello internets, some of you might have noticed that I have not written for a good while into this blog. Some might call it an extended vacation, but I rather call it a month of hell. I wanted to about this earlier but I was still shaken up and I was not ready to put this to the world. To be honest with all of you I was in a relationship for over four years (yeah, this potty mouth over here had a dame, and I use that term loosely). And a month ago she said it was over, a week later was dating someone else, a week after that fucked him in my presence and moved out to his place last week. Yes, that was fucked up, and there is no way around it.

The thing is, I am not bitter about this, not anymore, in the past i have fucked over women, and I guess karma just got me back for all the womanizing I did in the past. But this opened my eyes, I will be better on my own. Able to go back in my old ways (with some restraint) and get back into the playing fields. I have to admit that the old ball and chain felt exactly like that. Only when i started thinking more about myself that I regained a bit of my former self (this blog also helped) and I guess that was bad from my relationship.

The fucked up part about being in a poisonous relationship is that you do not notice it. It is only until the shit hit the fan that you start to realize how bad that person was for you (the opposite might also be true). But the reality of the fact is that I got fucked over for too long. And in the end of the whole thing, she left with absolutely everything we built together. Isn't kind of ironic when someone moves in with you she gets you to get rid of your shit, to buy new stuff. And when she leaves, all of it his hers. Well... good for her, at the very least I kept my apartment and got my shit together (well as best as I could).

The great thing is all the friends that were driven apart by that devilish woman came to give me their support. It seems that everyone around me knew that she was no good for me and that she was only bringing me down. I guess love really does make you blind, because no matter how shitty she treated me, and the lack of passion she had for me, I still loved the bitch (do not intend to offend women, but she took the dogs so I will not be soft spoken when talking about her). But even broken up we were planning on remaining roommates for a while. Since there was still mutual respect and it made sense economically, but she decided that since she was only a roommate she was still allowed to see other people (let me remind you that this was less than one week after she broke up). The fucked up part is that after she started seeing him (the first night they kissed actually) we had sex. I guess it was to mess even more with my mind. But she decided to bring him over, night after night, and day after day I was loosing it more. I couldn't handle her bringing him over and she knew it, but she kept on torturing me.

This went on until the fifth consecutive night she brought him over, and they fucked, in what was once our room, loudly. I went to the bathroom twice, flushed, and the kept at it. I can honestly say that it was the most horrible thing a woman could have ever done to me. So the next morning I called the landlord, told her she was going to be out of the lease and the apartment. And told her that she had until the end of the lease to move out. Which she did after a week, because it apparently became unbearable to live with. And last week moved in with him. She took the TV, the couch, The appliances, almost all the kitchenware (left me the fridge), towel racks and the milk jug. I mean, We spent 4 and half years together, and to take everything was horrible. But now I realize that she will live with him in OUR things. And I get to start over.

I might have been a bad boyfriend at times, not attentive or not the right man for her. I understand her reasons, but to treat me like shit after all I have been through for her, is simply disgusting. Even after all this, I do not wish her any harm in any way possible. But karma is a bitch, and it will come back to bite her in the ass.

The good thing about all this, is that I finally get to go forward with my life. And eventually find a woman that is right for me.

And Vanessa if you are reading this, thank you for leaving.
But also, go fuck yourself!

Launch day DLC... WTF??

2012-03-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

Alright, I have to bitch about something and where else than my favorite place, the interwebs. As you may know already (and you don't it is because you have not read my other posts, and shame on you for that) that I am an avid gamer. Although I love playing games there is something that is bugging me a lot. That thing is DLC, although I understand and love the concept I do believe that the gaming industry is being a bit of a dick to it's costumers when they have launch day DLC.

The thing about the DownLoadable Content is meant to enhance your gaming experience by adding content to a previously purchased game. And by all means, that is a fantastic idea. But when they release said content on the day or early weeks of release I do have to admit that it simply seems as shameless money grab. And this is something that is happening more and more.

My latest example is Mass Effect 3, although I adore this game (and the franchise), I hated seeing that on the day of release there was a new character, campain, weapons, and other things available for you to purchase. All this on the date of release, which means that it was ready, programmed, and polished on the day of release. I mean why couldn't they simply wait a month or two, or include it in the game. It simply sounds sketchy coming from such a huge entity like EA and Bioware. For this I kind of miss the days of the older gen consoles. Because the games you bought was all you would get. And I feel that they had to give you as much bang for your buck as humanly possible (Remember KOTOR?).

And do not get me started with fighting games. I honestly dont even bother with them anymore because it does not matter what game you buy, you know for a fact that you will not get all the characters unless you dish out some coin. And for this, I do believe CAPCOM is the worse of the lot. Not only do they add DLC every 5 seconds to get a new fighter. But they release a new version of the same game a couple of months after the original was released, and even worse, they are not compatible (now that is just being a complete asshole CAPCOM). I mean are they seriously expecting people to buy 2-3 versions of the same fucking game? They must take their consumer base for total idiots.

But there are a few examples out there of decent DLC dealers, and for those I have to give praise for my top two publishers, Bethesda and Rockstar. These two companies usually give you a great experience from the get go, and later on work for added content. So far I have not had to bitch about those companies for releasing DLC too soon or getting boned in the ass with a half game. Usually their DLC is worthwhile and I do not mind paying for more gameplay (yes I am looking at you GTA, Red Dead Redemption and Fallout 3). That is why this is not a rant against DLC, but against the quick money grab that other companies attempt.

So if like me you believe that their business model is broken and that they should stop with their cheap ways. You should stop buying them on their date of release (the downloadable content). It might make them think twice about only releasing part of a game for us to enjoy and leaving out a section for them to profit.

The invisible children and Kony 2012

2012-03-16T21:48:00.001-04:00

Unless you have only been following my blog (and why shouldn't you) you have at least hear once of KONY2012. If not on Facebook or Google+ (I would have said other places, but honestly I do no know anyone who still uses HI5), then you might have seen it on Youtube. And if by any chance you have never heard of the invisible children then I hope I will be able to inform you a bit before you go and do your own research about it.

The invisible children is the name of a short documentary made about the child soldiers of Uganda. The beauty about this video is that it is using social media like never before to spread awareness around the world. All this towards one goal, to bring Joseph Kony (Leader of LRA) to international justice and pay for the crimes committed against humanity.Now this event is not "News" since it has been under the radar of most media for the better part of the last century. The honest truth is that we do not care about Africa (and by we I mean the powerful countries), if it does not have any economical benefit, then it is not worth the time and money. The fucked up thing about this is that if this happened here, it wouldn't take long before this guy got arrested or taken out. But since it is all the way over there, it doesn't really matter. To give a short intro onto what the LRA does to the population is: murder, mutilation, rape, pedophilia, they kidnap children for child soldiers or sex trade (often both), taking supplies and destruction of vital infrastructures. Nice resume right!?! There is no reason why governments around the world allow this to continue for as long as it has. But they do.

The thing about this Kony2012/The invisible children movement is about putting pressure to governments around the world to arrest this man (the second in command did get arrested and passed trial). But using social networks to pass the message. When I saw this I said to myself: "Finally, Facebook is being used for something better than reading idiotic update statuses (OMG!!! System Of A Down à Heavy Mtl en août...!!! Hapiness in my heart!!! :D ..... this is the latest one from my feed)". It is arguably one of the most original campaigns that use social media to spread and actually apply pressure on our governments (the other one was against SOPA). I have always hated the way Africa has been the forgotten continent, and never thought any of the movements out there had enough power to shove some sense into great powers. But with this, literally millions of people can be added to a cause. I believe that because of the internet today, we are on the brink of a worldwide social revolution. Just here, on this blog, I see people from all over the word read my thoughts. This is an important issue. Check out the video linked below. And wether you care about it of not, try to put yourself into the shoes of the ones who suffered, and wonder how you would like the world to react if it was you. I am not the softest MOFO out there, but I do believe that this shit has to stop.

http://www.youtube.com/user/invisiblechildreninc?ob=4&feature=results_main

Letting Loose (It's Personal Part 2, electric boogaloo)

2012-03-08T23:46:00.000-05:00

Now where Was I.... AH yes! College. I was hanging out with the artsy crowd but still wanted to make my father proud so when time came to go to university I went into History. I was going to say that I chose, but lets face it, with the debauchery of the past 4 years I did not have the grades for it. But I did love history, had great teachers back at Vanier, and loved the way we got to discuss and analyze history. Since I was sure that I was not going to be able to get into law school due to my grades I took the obvious. And it was something that I knew I liked and I was so far good at. I had great teachers in CEGEP and had a good average in most history, plus I loved learning about everything.

But I hate to admit that University was the downfall of that love story. And due to one teacher, messed up my GPA and got onto academic advising after a semester. I cannot blame the teacher that much, it was simply that we had different points of view on what happened in that specific period of Canadian history and did not follow the golden rule (it does not matter what point you might bring to the table, if it doesn't mesh with your teachers P.O.V., then your fucked). That was my main problem, I have always been someone who is opinionated and out spoken about it (for example I took a women's study class and decided to defend male perspective in it, got to piss off a lot of those women), but I have never been someone that has been close minded. If your argument out validates mine, then I will it to you, but if I feel that what I am saying is pertinent, I will defend it and discuss it. And that my friends was how I became a college dropout (yes just like Kanye). But I did take some interesting classes and met great people during that year. But my most memorable classes were my film study courses, again I was more attracted to the arts. But even back then I had no real knowledge on what film could bring to me, it has now become something more than a simple form of entertainment. But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

It was during this period of my life that I met Paul Woods Lafleur (singer from Without Will) in Irish history class. Little did I know that he would become a great friend and bandmate. When I first met him I had a pack of rice crackers (tomato flavoured if I recall correctly) and was offering them to all the white people in my class. I just remember me saying "Would you like a CRACKA" and this black guy on the other side of the class cracking up. When I looked at him (Paul) and offered him one I recognized him from Vanier (he used to be a rapper there with the name Prophecy) and started talking music. We clicked, and became quite fast partners in crime. We had a similar sense of humour and enjoyed doing shenanigans together, we thought of starting our own little musical project called "Micks and Spicks". But later on after countless times of partying, drinking and playing the silly game of "Sack Attack", he called me up because this new band that was forming up was in dire need of a bassist. And that is when I became the early bass player of FTP (later renamed to Without Will).

Me from back in those days

I was the wild one on the band. I have to admit that I was borderline insane back in those days. I was down for any prank, challenge at any time. In other worlds I believe I personified the punk rocker attitude to its fullest back in those days (hell I even had blue, green and plum hair). At first the band was like any other basement/garage band that only made covers, but me, Paul and John were more keen on making original music. But we had a snag, our lead guitar player, Mike (also John's older brother) rather be a straight up cover band, plus he did not like him all that well. So it was no surprised that he pushed for my expulsion of the band. Even though I have to admit that I was wild and rough around the edges (but at least I got to be witness at a bandmate fucking his cute redheaded ex and me massaging her naked body / revenge is better served cold motha fucka). That is ancient history though, to my great satisfaction he was also kicked out later on because he was cockblocking the success of the group. Now I am happy to announce that I am buddies with the band and still good friends with Paul. Plus I never had time to go to the shitty gig we had on tuesdays due to me attending design school. But this will be for another time.

On that note, have a great one internets.
And don't forget to follow my review blog which will have bran new reviews soon.
http://screensandbeans.blogspot.com/

Racism today?

2012-03-03T16:19:00.001-05:00

Lets be serious for one second here, in today's world there is no metropolis that has a homogeneous society. We are all from different backgrounds with different views on the world. I would love to believe that racism is an issue of yesterday. But let's be honest, racism is still an issue, maybe not as intense as before but there are still some bad apples out there.

I know that for a lot of people this is a sensitive issue that can get preachy to a certain point. But I do believe that the more we talk about it the less this issue will occur. It is normal that we might have prejudices about cultures unknown to us, but to hate another due to our own personal ignorance is another thing. I am not trying to preach but to give my uncensored point of view.

Even though most people that you will encounter will not be racist towards you but there are always those mother fuckers, you know who I am talking about, those PC cunts that say everything that is racist without saying anything racist. The ones that always start the sentence with: "I have nothing against ..., but..." Those people I cannot stand, I rather you be a straight up racist than be that fake of a person. But again, this does not mean that being a racist is acceptable. I have to admit that sometimes these people try to have a good reason for being prejudiced towards a group, but in the end, ignorance is just not an good enough reason for me. I have an example, a guy gets jumped by a Black guy and a Latino, afterwards he is afraid of them and feels uncomfortable around them. Yes this person has a reason for his fear, but to make an assimilation between criminal elements and the general group is simply stupid. Most serial murderers are white (it is a fact), am I scared of white people because they might chop off my body and eat me. BUT NOOOOO, I love white people (specially women), and have no trouble hanging around them (just don't fall asleep, otherwise they draw penises on your face).

I know I went into a stereotype, but I do not feel that stereotypes are racist. I believe it is more observational humour. As a Latino I am not immune to racist comments, but as I grew older I knew how to identify the ones that were meant as jokes and the ones that were meant to hurt. As with almost everything in this world I live in the grey area. I consider myself one of the least racist people around yet I do not shy away from joking around with racial stereotypes. I am a firm believer that a joke that you cannot dare to say in front of the people it makes fun of should never be told. I have been called a beaner, a Mexican, immigrant among other things. And in return I have said nigga, cracka, mick, chink and other racist terms. The only difference is that in my instances was always among friends of different ethnicity and we were always making fun of each other. If you might catch the conversation from the outside you might thing that this sort of behaviors was awful, and to to that I would have to reply for you to mind your damn business.

Another thing I hate is racist within your own spectrum. Let me explain, my little sister calls me a coconut due to me liking rock music, skateboards, paintball and other "white" things. But what she fails to see is that her "Latino" ways are wrong and only representative of the gang members of the Southern States. By this I mean that her perception of a Latino is only the minority of us, when you think of Latin America there is almost (if any) the thought of Cholos. Those fuckers only came from the hoods of East LA (and seriously, the early 90's are long gone, it is time for you idiots to change your style), and are not representives of all Latinos, same as for gangsta rappers, rednecks and other extremists. You are simply fueling the negative stereotypes.

I have friends of every colour, and I am confident enough to be proud of my culture and where my origins are from. Whether you are black, white, brown or yellow is not something of importance to me, as long as you are not an asshole (and we all know there are a lot of those out there). There are racists in every race and don't let their negative thinking bring anyone down. Do not be afraid to speak up. And also, enjoy whoever's company you want. Life is too short to let trivial things such as race, religion (I have a lot to say about that) come in the way of enjoying it.

Thank you for reading.
And if you like what I write, click on an add. Takes 5 seconds and helps me keep on doing this.

Dubstep, the debate?!?!?

2012-02-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

Alright, I have been noticing this huge trend on the forums, facebook and other formats about dubstep. some people defend it, other attack it and the rest of the normal population simply doesn't care about this quarrel. So I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and give you my insight on this genre of "music" (hmmmm... I wonder what the POV will be on this one). I will try to be as impartial as I always am (I smell sarcasm).

First lets talk about this dubity step. Do i like it, no. Do I hate it, neither. The thing is that I do not understand why this "music" is so polarizing. People that like it should honestly stop saying that this is the second coming of Christ and people that hate it should stop saying that it is one of the signs of the apocalypse. The reality is that most of this dubstep is mediocre at best (cant wait for the comments on this one.... seriously, do comment). I have seen some interesting things done with the genre but nothing that I would say revolutionary or time worthy. And to say that dubstep is a new sound is ludicrous. I have heard sections of dubstep in electronic songs for a great part of the 90's. It would be the equivalent of taking a guitar solo and extending it to a full song, sure it has interesting things to it, but it becomes boring after a while.

By this I am not taking away from the DJ's and say that electronic music is not real music, on the contrary they can be quite intricate. But on the other hand I do believe that dubstep is more an exercise with reverb and distortion than actual musical creation. It has elements that justify it as music but I cannot call it one of the best genres out there as the fanboys keep shouting.

And the fanboys, honestly you are harming your favorite music style by being, well... fanboys. There is nothing more annoying than hearing bitch and shout that this is the greatest thing to happen to music since the first drum. Come on, lets be honest, you like the fad and there is nothing wrong with that. But it will only be a fad, you will not see this stand the test of time. Electronica in general does not have a long life shelf except in movie scores and the hearts of true fans (The Prodigy #1) and I am sorry for all you fans, but this is no exeption (remember how you used to talk about house?).

To finish this up, Dupstep is good for one thing, making liquid, pop lock and robot dancers look good. Enjoy whatever you are listening to, but stop annoying us with your praise and your endless bullshit. Because at the end of the day, nobody wants to be that guy.

Love is in the air... sort of

2012-02-08T01:36:00.003-05:00

I guess this is as good as any time to talk about my views on love and relationships and courtship (kinda opportunistic due that Valentines is only a few days away, but I love being read). So bare with me and my view, and if you have different opinions and tips, do not be shy to comment. There is always place here for discussions and different POV's. Gay people you will be more than welcome to give your input, since this is only the perspective of a hetero dude.

I guess I have been blessed (or cursed) by having been in most stages of relationships in my lifetime (except marriage) and to have been in every single little position as man towards a woman. Also I have been through most stages going from outcast, popular, the crazy dude over there, the "I can't stand that guy", to the funny guy who hangs with anyone. But I will try to keep this as clear as possible and divide it into little sections.

I'm invisible and want you to notice me

Haven't we all been there? If the answer to that question is no then you must be a lucky bastard, or I guess you came out of your shell at a really early age. This must have happened to me a ton of times in my early teens. Specially when it came with cute girls, well... actually any girl. The thing is I was a fat nerdy kid (still kinda fat and nerdy... guess what changed) and lacked confidence in myself. I thought that I was not good enough for girls therefore just admired them from afar, and you know what.... I wasn't good enough. Let me explain before you start saying how bad of an influence I am. The reason I believe I wasn't good enough now are no the same reasons I had then. I did not have the confidence and the self esteem to go after the girls I wanted. And if you cannot accept and learn to love yourself, then how can you ever hope to attract a girl towards you. The most important thing for attraction (as "cliché" as it may sound) is confidence. Do you always wonder how come that girl is dating that asshole, well guess what, that asshole is confident. And nothing ever gets accomplished by feeling sorry for yourself. If you have a negate view about yourself, either accept it and move on, or change it. Once that is done, and you start building that confidence in yourself, then you will get better, that is a guarantee.

REJECTED!

Yes it hurts. It makes you feel like utter shit. It crushes the confidence we worked on earlier. But this is a natural path for men. Remember that most of the women you will ask out in your early ages will be busts. That is just the way it goes. Now the worst thing you can ever do is be a dick about it, remember that women network. If you ask a girl out, be a gentleman, and take that no like a champ, you will earn some respect points, and trust me when I say some other girl will hear about it. But if you act out and behave like a tool, you wont imagine how quick that network communicates and you wont get to even attempt to get close to any women in the surroundings. Just remember that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and that at least that girl knows you are interested to be more than just friends.

Which brings me to THE FRIEND ZONE

Oh god, this is the worse place you can ever be. Back in college there was this girl I dug so much, but I let it linger. In my inexperienced mind setting my pieces well so I can get a checkmate. But I waited too long, and I remember this like it was yesterday, at her place, her head on my lap, when she looked at me and said that she felt comfortable with me around. And my dumbass gloated to my older sister about it, when she told me: "Oh that sucks". That is when I finally understood what comfort meant for a girl. It is not bad once you have established that you are dating. But before that...your screwed. And I am sorry if you are in the friend zone, but those are hell because it is virtually impossible to get out of them. Trust me, I tried. And in the end, the friendship will not work and you will have to part ways.

MAKE A MOVE

Anytime your gut feeling says to make a move, MAKE IT. I was 18, had a couple dates with this beautiful Ukrainian girl, everything was going smooth, take her back to one place one afternoon, at the lobby of the apartment complex. Grabbed her by the hips one kiss on the cheek, another on the other, and BAM..... time slowed down for a second, and i kissed her other cheek. That was my moment to make a move and blew it. After that she was done with me, and whatever we might have had disappeared. I had been straightforward and confident until that moment with her but at that moment, I guess she saw the crack in my game. So that is why I have to insist, do not hold back, better to try and fail, than to miss out on everything altogether.

OBSESSION

This is a really dark place to be at. When the only thing you can think of is the other person. It is kind of cute at first but can really turn weird. Myself have been obsessed about this one girl in high school, it never went into a weird stalkerish kind of way, but it did take a lot of focus out of what I should have been doing (like school and girls that might have been interested). But I do have one of those stories, and it is about the girl who popped my cherry. It was this Chilean chick, went on a couple dates, was younger than me, we broke up, then she came to my place and we had the worst sex in the world (If you say you were good your first time you are a LIAR). But I thought we were cool since we weren't together anymore and it was just a sexual thing (ohhh how wrong I was). She made threatening calls and crank calls to my house for 4 fucking years (isn't that just sad). I was 20 when I finally manage to talk some sense into that crazy bitch (no offence to women but we do agree that this mofo was a crazy ass bitch). I mean how much did I suck to deserve that kind of punishment. But hey.... we all learn (that was the first and last Latin woman I dated), now I am a good at detecting crazy eyes which is always a plus.

Single and ready to.... BANG (who the hell sais mingle anymore)

Let's face it, once you learn how to talk to girls and how to charm them, the last thing that is on your mind is a steady relationship. You want to test the waters, see where this crazy sex filled journey takes you (always protected otherwise your dick will fall off). And GOD have I had those fun times. I guess I only really came out of my shell into my early 20's and that is when I became a man-whore. I never had a relationship for more than 3 months. If I was talking you up you could be sure that there was at least two other girls that were getting the same shtick, and to top it all off I abused of the word love to get in your pants. I was a horrible human being, but an amazing wingman. I simply used women to get that primal urge out of my system, and if they stuck around long enough for seconds all the better. I was all about improving technique in and outside the bedroom. I was an emotionless prick (no pun intended.... well... maybe a bit). I wouldn't care if a girl wanted me for something more than a fling. I might have been an asshole when it came to relationships but I was always a fun time. I loved women, just a little bit at a time. And lets be honest here, there is nothing wrong with that. That is if everyone is clear about the situation. If you are not looking to be involved and are just looking to have fun, then have all the meaningless sex in the world and enjoy it.

OMG I THINK I LOVE YOU

I have said those words far too many times. And for semi right reasons. The thing is that most of the times when you say those words it is because you really like the person and you feel a connection. But most likely it is just a fling. A short lived romance that burns really intense at first, but once the first real fight erupts it dies and you are devastated for a short while. Those are usually the relationships that only last a couple of months. And that you feel devastated afterwards. They are short fun and great in retrospect. You learn about being with someone else a lot of the time. And you become that dumbass you hate to watch when you are single. Still a lot of fun and should be enjoyed every single second of it.

The RELATIONSHIP

After all that meaningless sex, comes the relationship. Strange thing this is, at one moment you think you are just having fun kinky sex, then it becomes a bit more every time. No one really knows when it starts but it is a roller coaster of emotions. When love becomes involved (and i mean love and not infatuation), you will fight, argue and bicker more than ever in your life. But the thing is that it becomes a second language to a long lasting relationship. But it doesn't mean that love is not there, it is just a different way to communicate. You have said all the shit that could be interesting to one another. And there are no more stories to tell since you are probably now living together and know every single moment of your life. You do not go after grand gestures anymore but learn to appreciate the little moments of life with each other without becoming the bumbling idiots of the category above you. It is hard to explain what love is. I guess the best way to put it is that love is in the details of every day life. This is where even the worst fights can be resolved and a gesture can mean the world. It is still something that I have to work at to try to be the best at it as I can. It is no easy feat but if it where then it would not be worth it. The thing about serious relationships is that they require some work, at least in my opinion. There is nothing better than reaping the rewards of that hard work, and that reward is sweet sweet love.

I want to wish you a happy Valentines, and remember that whatever stage of your life you are at. This is not a holiday about being in a relationship or not. It is about recognizing the people who love you.

Take care and enjoy!

This time its PERSONAL!

2012-02-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

I guess it is time for me to do a an introspection on the man I have become so far. It might be a bit of a catharsis but bear with it, you might find a bit of entertainment in it, hell maybe some a life lesson or two. So here goes nothing....

First of all I would love to say that I am not here to preach. I am more of a storyteller, and the story happens to be life and the way I view things. If you find similarities all the better (and I am kinda scared for you), and if it differs all the better since it it always a great way to see other perspectives. The thing about me is that I admit to be slightly mental and highly mature in my immaturity. As you may have noticed by my writing style, I am kind of a wild dude, I am straightforward and unapologetic. What you see on the surface is mostly what you get, therefore you can trust that I am honest in whatever I say. And that my internetians, interneters (is there an actual term for this?) .... READERS (goddammit) is why how you read it, is just the way I would say it.

Time for you all to know a bit about myself. I have always been inclined into the creative mold of life, even though my father would have preferred for me to be a lawyer or an engineer (and lets face it, which parent wouldn't prefer their kid to be a successful element of society), but I chose the hardships of trying to create things (or did it choose me?.... now this is some deep stuff). And the thing about me is that I could have become a great litigator or a semi decent number cruncher, but the drive for these things faded quickly after my first taste of the arts. I think it all started with wood shop and theater in high school. The simplicity in being able to make something with your bare hands and the ability to be someone else simply blew my mind. That was when I fell in love with the arts (specially acting).

Then came CEGEP (mandatory Community college style thingy only in this province), where best 4 years in a two year program of my life. As you might suspect, an aid for such a long stay in this place was a good friend Marijane, which got me stuck on those school benches for wayyyy to long (but the habit did not stick with me past that place). Here I studied social sciences, a completely fruitless endeavor which allowed me to explore other paths, such as creative writing classes, screenplay courses, theater workshops and history. History would be the main attraction for me, taking as many courses as I could on the subject and getting to analyze our reason for being. Plus the creative was not far behind with theater. In that place I hung around first and foremost the pot smokers, the thinkers, the poets, the musicians and the actors. It was a place that I would later recognize as my true inspiration in the creative arts. It was during those days that I picked up playing bass and learned how to skateboard. Towards the end of my stay there I joined up with an MC and a guitarist and formed "All In One", a fusion band that incorporated rock a bit of blues and hip hop. Our first concert was the Night Of Nations at Vanier, a talent show that incorporated different acts from different cultures and whatnot. The crowd was roughly 500 and we were 4th to go on stage. Our rehearsal was shitty, but the show was memorable, we got a standing ovation and managed to piss off the organizers because we went completely off the rails. They wanted our rapper to stay in place with a mic stand (we managed to get him a wireless one and he went off stage into the crowd), we had a set time, we kept on playing till after the curtains closed and did en encore (which everyone loved) with a crazy guitar solo. That feeling of everyone cheering you on clapping and screaming, is something that cannot be forgotten or topped by anything else, it was at that moment precisely that I knew that I wanted to do something where I could show off and have the approval of people, as shallow as that may seem, that was and still is the starting point of what I wanted to do.

You know what... I don't want to go too long on this, I will keep the other part (university, punk band, design school) for some other time. Hope you will read, because the wild part of my life is about to begin.

Later Internets!

Internet Piracy - The grey Area

2012-01-20T23:01:00.000-05:00

With the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) stopped in its trail I have to admit a lot of joy that the internet community fought this bill with all its might. The thing is that a law against pirates is not a bad thing, they are breaking laws by doing so. But this bill was a simple sham for content control of bigger companies to have a better grasp on their market. By this I mean that if they wanted to, my blog could not be accessed by the people of the US if they saw anything that they didn't like in it (specially my review blog Screens And Beans) finding something that would violate their copyright laws. And these methods would hurt more than anything creative people and online businesses. So for this it is great that this law was stopped.

But now lets talk piracy.
Is it wrong? Yes.
Should it be illegal? Now this is where the gray area goes. What really constitutes piracy. Have I ever met anyone that downloads movies or TV series? Of course I have, I would even say that I have if it were not incriminating. So I have never pirated anything. Hmmm, now this is going to be tricky. EUREKA!

-The following is fiction, none of the statements are true and therefore cannot be held as proof in court-
I have downloaded tons of movies on torrents and a few albums. Is it wrong of me, of course, but am I a criminal for it? Absolutely not. The deal is the reasons I do download some of my movies is due to economical reasons. I can honestly say that it is more for research purposes, and I never get a bootleg of a movie in theaters. That is quite honestly insulting for both the film maker and myself. If I want to hear chatter during my movie then I will simply go to the theater. And why would I waste time watching a shitty cam version of a film. The real reason why I download movies is that sometimes, the films I want to watch are not out on DVD where I live at the moment (attack the block) or that is something that I have to watch absolutely before I purchase it (yes I buy DVD's, I have over 400). And the pirated films count for about 10% of what I watch, and if you want to add to this argument, I own half of the films I downloaded on DVD. Plus I pay for movie channels on cable and Netflix. The same goes for music.

-End Scene-

Remember cassettes (some of you might be puzzled right now), did you ever record a song of the radio? If you did than you were a pirate. How about VHS, I used to record Saturday morning cartoons (its true, they don't have those anymore) and stand up comics later on. Or recording a movie you watched on TV and left the commercials on because you didn't feel like pressing pause every 15 minutes. That is exactly the same thing. The only difference is the scale at which we are able to do it nowadays. But the concept remains the same. This is why it is such a grey area for people, what was the difference between back then and now. But I cannot be here and listen to Hollywood and the music industry bitch about online piracy. Sure they loose millions of dollars. But the home market and the movies are making profits like crazy. And the music industry ... OK they are fucked and they know it, the music industry bubble burst and they are trying to hold on as hard as they can.

The issue with piracy can be fought easily if these industries decide to wise up. The first thing they have to do is lower the prices for digital downloads. They cannot really believe that people are willing to pay the same price as a physical copy. The reason for this is that they are cutting all the middle man. Disc price, labeling, casing, shipping, distributing, all that goes out the window. So with all that cost gone, how can they really justify the same price. With music, 1$ a song, a bit steep if you think about it. The reason is because they follow CD model and average out the cost per song. But if they lowered it, a lot of people would purchase a lot more singles from different artist. Maybe making discoveries, which is one of the good things about pirating (specially with music) you get to discover new groups and become less conservative with your musical taste. Therefore opening opportunities to gain new fans and in the same train of thought, new customers. Another new model is the donation, I have in the past donated for a song that was available for free. Radiohead did it, and trust me when I say they are not kicking themselves for doing it.

Of course there is the other side of the medal. Corporate espionage, stealing movies before they come out, same with music and abuse of other peoples properties. It is wrong and there is no other way around it. But to call someone a criminal for watching a downloaded movie or listening to downloaded songs is a bit extreme. Pirating has always been part of our social collective. Getting counterfeited stuff when we could not afford the real (remember that fake Rolex back in high school).

What I am trying to say, if you have the means to get it legally, then go ahead and get it. But do not make a huge fuss about small things. Although those pre-release stuff I am completely against.

It is hard to know where it is acceptable and where it isn't. Just follow your instincts and you should be alright (unless your moral compass is totally fucked).

Gamers VS Hardcore Gamers

2012-01-13T22:15:00.000-05:00

At first I was going to call this Console VS PC, but after more reflection on this I figured out that I was going the wrong way about this. I'm a Gamer, used to be borderline hardcore but managed to keep away from that hellhole. I used to believe that the problem was PC games (MMORPG to say the least) but the more I thought about it the more it came to my mind that it was the person and not the game that was the problem. As we all know people are plagued buy different addictions, meth, gambling sex and video games. But the last one I have to admit has some of the greatest weirdos around.

Lets start talking about me. I was a bit obsessed when I used to play video games a couple years back. Hell, I even managed to get to a date 4 hours late because I was playing Mass Effect (but it was sooo gooooood). I used to be the kind of gamer that could pull an all nighter playing a specific game. And the thing is, they were not all RPG's I used to play till the break of dawn to such games as Halo and Half-Life, but I have to admit that I was never alone in those ventures, I was accompanied by my homie Carlos throughout these adventures. Before Xbox Live I never used to play (almost never) shooters by myself. The prerequisite was coop play, if it didn't have a way to play with friends, then there was no interest in purchasing it unless I was really into the game. I also have to say that the console for me killed playing on PC's it was annoying to have a game and not be able to play because the computer was not up to specs. and once you did, you couldn't play the latest one because it needed more power. A never ending cycle that made me say "FUCK THIS SHIT" when I got my first console. Well... not the first console but the first Next Gen. I got the Xbox and loved it. Hell, I have about 100 games for that thing. And the beauty with those is that you did not have to sacrifice much to have a similar (lets face it sometimes better) experience than the PC (and yes Mac is not included, I mean come on... there's only like 8 games for the damn thing, and they still sell Call of Duty 2 at full retail price). So in a nutshell, for me, it was console from then on.

From that point on I thought to myself that I was the greatest video game nerd out there (I might be over stating it a bit) and I had the games and hours behind them to prove it. That is.... until I became a video game tester. That was the day I noticed that video games for me are simply a pastime. I mean these people.... they are a strange bunch. To set an example, my collection puts the average Joe to shame, I like to have a good variety of games depending on my mood. I actually see my games as a collection that I can play every now and then, and sometimes enjoy with friends (fighting games and NBA Jam are best for this). But I had to tone it down on my own because it was getting out of control. I do not have an addictive personality, but these games might be the only thing that I can get hooked, specially since there are some great titles out there.

But then there is the other side of the medal, the "hardcore" mofos. Now I am sorry if anyone feels insulted at this, but these are sad mother fuckers. They live their lives virtually and are completely hooked on games. Their attitudes towards this is the same as alcoholic or junkies. And this was best represented when I was testing at VMC, there was this guy, during lunch break, his teeth were all messed up and he was talking to this other "mutant" (sorry, but that's exactly what they looked like, not trying to be mean, just painting an image) and he mentionned how he just put in 3000$ worth of parts in his PC, not buying a 3000$ PC but adding to a gaming PC, I was astonished at this. And being the kind of person I am I turned around and asked him why he spent all this money on this, and not onto something else like a snowboard or something (I was really into snowboarding and didn't want to be too much of a dick and say, GO SEE A DENTIST). Worst part was, I knew the guy had been there a while, and the company offered dental. And he replied in a dickish way "I don't insult your hobbies so don't insult mine!", boy was that dude sensitive about that, I simply asked a question and he felt insulted. The thing is, yes I might have been out of place, but when someone decides to spend money on a thing other than health (and yes this was a health issue), but that is a true step of addiction.

Just like alcoholics they have the obsessive need to play a game. And it happens most of the times on PC games, which have the crack of these kind of games. By this I mean the MMORPG's and the RTS's. Which I admit to stay as far away as I can from. I'm just the kind of player that isn't able to play a game for 14 hours in a row for no specific reason. My games have to have some story and a solid gameplay

So in a nutshell what I am trying to say, is that the real difference between gamers and the hardcore type is simply addiction. The hardcore ones have a problem. And if you are reading this and feel pissed off at me. Then I guess I stuck a nerve. Leave me a message. Or comment, I am always ready for a good discussion. But remember, when your a gamer, you control the game, and not the other way around.

Am I a hipster?

2011-12-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

The quick answer to that question is no. If I had to label myself would be a a ghetto geek (or is it GEEKO? Hmmm sounds like a Japanese Demon so I'm coining it) which means I love geeky stuff, but I'd smack you if I had to. But who I am is really not the discussion here. It is more about labels that society puts on people to identify specific groups of interest. Because lets face it, we cannot put a label on your whole personallity, otherwise the accronym for the mix would be too ridiculous (dont knock the geeko though cause that is just plain awesome). But instead blends in together a group of interests in which someone can identify itself.

Now lets start with the basic, why do I mention most of the time geek and not nerd. Simply because there is a huge difference between them even though they are almost the same. Let me explain, a geek is someone that has a great interest into a subject such as sci-fi or comics. These are only examples, you can be a movie geek as much as you can be a sports geek or cars or cooking. But the nerd gets passed that that normal interest and goes into an obsession, they become really picky about said subject to the point of being anal. Let's take me for example, I am geeky about video games, music and history. But I have to admit that I am nerdy about film (I have a blog mainly dedicated to reviewing them http://screensandbeans.blogspot.com/ ).

Then we have the jocks, or how I like to call them sports and cars nerds. The only difference between them and others are interests, but the thing is those labels classify who we are and who we hang out with. It sucks, but that is the way the world works. We might hate to admit it but sometimes the surface is all we see even when we think that we are the most liberal person around.

I personally have almost no problem with any of the groups besides hipsters. And even there there is a thin line into who is a hipster and who isn't. Because for us there is a straight up definition of them...

An image is worth everything

But even there I have a buddy who is one of those dreadful people. And I do not blame him, I blame his parents for allowing him to pee sitting down. But when he had the pedophile beard I had to tell him that that shit had to go. He was a van short of being on a watch list. The whole thing about hipster is that they do everything out of a warped sense of irony (hell they coined the "ironic mustache" almost as quickly as i coined GEEKO). And the whole movement if I can refer to that simply seems unimaginative. I mean, if the whole thing is about cheap gimmicks and trying to look like hobos or weak people, then I cannot embark in it. Call me old school but a man would look like one and not like a skinny lesbian who forgot to bleach her mustache. And WTF is up with the lens-less glasses, that is just fucking retarded.

If you think that I am judgemental, then you know what... your right. But so are you and everyone else in this crazy world. I try to be as tolerant as possible with everyone (and I do that by teasing everyone) but I never hate anyone until I get to know what they are all about. That is the beauty of actually not being afraid to start a conversation with a stranger. You get to learn if they are an asshole or not. Trust when I say this, most of the times, I am that asshole. But that like life, is a work in progress.

Hope you enjoyed. And I will be writing back here every once in a while. But I will be writing reviews more often, So don't be shy, follow and comment on both blogs. and don't forget to share!

Horror and Fake boobs

2011-10-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

Hi there internets, Its been a while since i wrote on this blog, but I have been really putting in the hours on the review blog. So if you haven't checked it out yet its time you do. go to http://screensandbeans.blogspot.com/.

Now that the plug is out of the way lets get into the topic of the day, girls with fake boobs in horror flicks.

Yes you should all know by now (if you checked my other blog) that I love horror flicks, and since I'm a dude, I love boobs too. But one thing that I am not fond of is fake boobs. Never have, probably never will (unless we live in a dystopian future where natural boobs are made illegal, then I guess i wont have a choice other than motorboat the fake ones). I do not want to seem harsh on them and I do understand that it is a personal choice and sometimes in some situations is a must (breast cancer). But in general, my preference is always natural breast. Actually natural everything. I do believe that all women are beautiful in their own right and uniqueness. And "enhanced" breasts, at least to me is not as appealing. Specially when they are done cheaply.

Now this last point is completely real in horror movies, I mean by this is that we see those big water ballooned bimbos all the time. And I wonder why this happens. This is even more a reality in low budget horror. By this I do not try to take anything away from the actress that decided to get GG size breast. But more at the casting. Why do they feel the need to put in the fakest of breasts in their flicks. Does it cost less to hire someone who went under the knife than to get naturally gifted ladies? To this I have no answer. Or maybe on the other side of the spectrum, these are the kind of women that these directors are attracted to.

So I ask you readers, to leave a comment. On your thoughts on why fake breasts are so rampant in horror movies above all other genres.

I cannot wait to read your answers.

Shiva and Kali and other info

2011-08-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

In case you are wondering who those are, I would recommend you brush up on Indian religion and mythology. I mean seriously this should be general culture people. I cannot understand why our educational systems are so closed minded impeding us to learn from other cultures. What I mean by that is that no knowledge is pointless, ever!

But as most tangents I tend to go on this is neither here of there. Shiva and Kali, although names of Indian Goddesses, are the two pups we got at home. They are a cross between Boxer and Boston terriers (and probably something else). I was supposed to post this back when it was news but it stayed as a draft for the longest time. But better late than never.

So months after the death of my Labrador we decided to get not one, but two crazy bitches.

Damn, I know I promised to write more but times have been hectic for little old me here. So where should we start. Mainly the reason of why my presence has been almost null on the Internet in the last couple month. This is mainly due to my new job. In case you were curious about my old job, I was a cellular game tester for EA mobile. I know right.... glamorous and made all the women want me. Some decent people, laid back job (specially for me) but shitty pay and no benefits (besides the fact that everyone there was disposable). Now I am a graphic designer at Cassi Design, finally working in my field. The pay is better, I am actually proud of saying what I do for a living (instead of saying, contract analyst on mobile softwares). But I'll be moving on up as a responsible adult (LMAO).

Paintball... you all know i love it. But.... I busted my marker (aka Gun) I have to send it to the shop to see if its salvageable. My barrel got stuck. So the last game I went to I had to borrow my Gf's Tippmann A5, Which I would like to say worked like a charm. A bit less accurate than mine (I blame the paint of the field) but so light and accurate (the T9 is just a monster in accuracy). Also I was killing it on the field. I had never played that well but unfortunately had to stop because I injured my good knee, So I will be out for a little while. But I love this game more than ever.

This was a quick update of where my life has been this summer. Hope you enjoyed yours!

2010 in a nutshell

2011-01-26T23:32:00.001-05:00

Ok lets just face it, I will not be able to keep up to date my blogs. But I can promise that I will try my best to come with things that are interesting and truthful about me and the way I am.

But that is neither here or there. I wanted to take time tonight to tell you a bit about how shitty of a year 2010 was. And how I hope this year will be a lot better now that most of that bullshit is out of my way. First and foremost I would like to mention me working at EA mobile, a place where your schedule is never secure and the pay is... well lets face it, less than adequate. I had promised myself to find something before my end of a 1 year contract there. And when time finally came... guess what. Nothing, I had to use something called Employment Insurance (EI) and I have to admit that I hated it, not only was the 600$ a month less than enough to keep my head above water, but I also felt useless and without any real sense of value to myself.

Now we all know by now I am a graphic designer, And I have had some contracts here and there but my most recurrent client was my old band (Without Will) but we fell out of sync after a while, the way I figured it out I was let go because I bitched to much about trying to find different ways to represent them instead of recycling the same look all the time. On my defense at the price I was charging I would have loved to create challenging concepts. But I guess they saw it some other way (BTW you should really check they out, they do great music).
But This was not the biggest blow I was about to get, far from it. My sister and her husband needed branding for their marble import company. And I gladly came up with their logo, branding and business card. But then came the challenge of the website. This is by far my Achilles heel, therefore I asked a friend whom I knew had at least half a dozen websites under his belt. I came up with the look and how everything should be placed and all he had to do was pretty much coding and making sure it all worked. But unfortunately for me had a woman (who was engaged at the time) in his sight. And with promises that he would be done in only a couple of days, I left him a couple of weeks for him to do it. And call after call he kept on saying he would get on it. Due day came, and nothing. I asked for an extension and got it, an extra week. When he finally handed me what he had done, the finish was disgusting and the site was not functional. With that I swallowed my pride, called my sister and apologized for wasting her time. Now you see, that contract did not only come with a nice sum of money, but most important opportunities to open doors upon other potential clients.
With that said lets just say that Mastercard was happy about my 7 months of unemployment (yep, that is a long ass time).

Then came my biggest fuckup during the summer. I was bored out of my mind therefore I went on this chatting site called Badoo. I had become a member to post my work initally, but i got in contact with a girl, and that almost destroyed completely m relationship. I could be here hours discussing the reasons why I did what I did, but that does not matter now. All I have to say is that I was a complete fucking asshole about it and that I am lucky it did not go any further. Otherwise it would be one lonely man writing to you right now and who knows what would be in my blog. It is true what they say, trust takes a lifetime to build, but can be lost in a moment.

My paintball gun broke later that summer (o-ring burst).
the following items broke: iPod, macbook and cellphone

And the worst in October. My Dog died... Saphyr, my black Labrador. He was about to turn 11. And according to the vet it was a massive failure of all his organs. He could not stop soiling himself. Wouldn't eat and whined all the time. It was horrible to see. He was suffering so much I had to take him to stop it. I had never been so devastated by the death of someone. I know he was only a dog, but he was mine. The closest thing to me that had been there since my teenage years. If you have never had a dog for a long period of time it would be hard to comprehend but this was, my friend. I loved him to death and held him until the last breath left him. I saw that dog grow and die in my arm. Picked him when he was a couple of days old, he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. When a bond that strong is taken away, something leaves inside of you. And it never comes back. But I will remember him for the great dog that he was.

Oh and I also got a root canal.

So lets just say that 2010 was not the best year for me. But this one is looking a lot better.
For starters I have two pups at home that take shits everywhere.
Went back to EA (pays bills and the people are awesome)
I fixed my paintball gun.
Paying off my depts.
Things are a lot better with my girlfriend.
I finally figured out the design for a woman's paintball vest.
And i got a new Android (and yes its better than the iPhone)
Now if I can only land a job in a design agency everything will be tip top!

Now all of you take care. And remember: Nothing is ever given for free, you must earn it all!