The Miscellaneous Files

I have seen a few movies as of late - The Martian, Hateful Eight and The Revenant. If you care to read further, the following are my reviews. I like to scale moves on a 1-10 weight system with 10 being that you would go out and buy the movies to watch over and over, not just to collect dust. The Martian was a mix of Apollo 13 and Cast Away to me (also two excellent films to own). It had technical ingredients (Apollo 13) and survivor ingredients (Cast Away) paired nicely with science and math leading the way. It did not hurt that with these normally dry subjects, science and math, came humor that Matt Damon delivered right on time. Although I do not own it at this writing - I give it a 10! The Hateful Eight was a good story-line (you can hear the but coming can't you?), BUT, the movie was too long and like the Director's previous movies contained the "N" word I do not care for - among other foul language. Really the movie could have been sliced in half ti...

Hackers, why do people have to be that way? Their answer is "because we can". That is not good enough for me. I have the ability to pull a pistol out and shoot you in the head, but that does not mean I should - just because I can. People like this are "short-cutters" in life. Any way possible they are looking for not only the path of least resistance, but also a way to cheat the system for max benefit. One of the things that bothers me is the idea that these hackers are receiving goodies that us "normal Joes" work hard for. Case-in-point is the hacking of video games. Even though players have different styles of play, like slow-and-methodical or rush-through or somewhere in-between, there are those who are going to by-pass the regular way of doing things. Whether this by-passing makes them feel special, elite or invincible - not everyone is privy to this mindset and skill-set.  There are many that have a mindset or skill-set that hold an advantage...

Many ice-breakers have the question of - What are some of your interests? - included in the mix to get things started. I have many interests. Some are hobbies, which I consider interests that I come back to from time-to-time. Then there is the Healthy Hobby. The Healthy Hobby to me is the more serious interest one may have in his/her life. It is something that we do a whole lot more regularly than the standard hobby and it stands out because it is good for you. For example, you might walk or run on a regular basis, but if you had a particularly rough day at work, you might take that regular run/walk and spice it up and do it in a State Park or somewhere special or with someone special. Cooking and singing are other examples of Healthy Hobbies that help keep life going in a positive direction and aide in relieving stress. So, if you haven't already, I encourage you to find a Healthy Hobby and enjoy it to the fullest. What? Mine? Well, thank you for asking...mine is singing.

To me one of the most addictive games I have owned, The Division is a love/hate relationship. In my experience with the game, I have lost track of how many times the servers have booted me from the game and sometimes all the way back to my Playstation screen (with the option to report the issue). I see Delta , Mike and other named errors in my sleep because they have been so frequent. Why does Ubisoft make such glitchy games? Why can they not get their product right or closer to right the first time? I understand with games there are going to be some patches, no matter who the developer is. However as many issues as this game displayed, it leads me to believe that there was a "rush job" on the front end. Ubisoft is in danger with me and I would venture to guess, sarcastically, a few more - of potentially losing some followers if they don't get their act straight. Highly acclaimed AC Unity and now highly praised Division are strike one and strike two in my book again...