Saturday, May 30, 2009

Social Networking and other internet escapes

So today I'm going to talk about how we (or at least from my experiences since this is a blog and all) try to find a way to identify and escape the mundane on the internet. There are a slew of things out there now from forums, social networking sites, blogging (yeah, that's right), vlogging, streaming audio and video; and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm not even about to go into the gaming side of things (at least in depth) when it comes to broadband console gaming, internet gambling services, and MMORPGs. This is just trying to keep it short, simple, and to the point.

(Old fart moment coming up.) Back in my day (1990's) we only had IM services and chat rooms. You wanted more, you go and make time and get the hell out and meet up with friends. Of course with me, my friends and I usually either played video games or practice in jam sessions with our instruments. We didn't have YouTube or MySpace, and you were damn lucky if you even had a webcam and another friend to talk to with a webcam over an IM through a dial-up connection (56 kbps = fail.) I'm just saying that sometimes I look back and see all this advancement; sure it's good and all and I'm an addict to it (you're reading my blog,right) and see that where's some of the personal interaction. Is are life so damn hectic that we can only interact via tweet and postings? C'mon, live a little. Go out and have yourself a good time, with people.

Such a simple concept, who know that it could catch on so much. I mean, we're even to the point of there's advertisements on Nickelodeon to tell kids to go outside, but the funniest thing about that is that there's a website that they can go on to find activities that they can do outside. WTF is that all about?!? Is is too much effort to use your brain to come up with a rousing game of 'tag' or 'red light, green light?' I mean I lived in a concrete jungle as a kid, no parks at least within walking distance from my house (for a six year old that is) and I've found time playing tag, hide and seek, and the occasional bike race on the sidewalk all the time. Now my kids, all they wanna do is play the Wii or go to Noggin.com and play there. Sure it's fine and on occasion and pending good behavior I let it happen, but I sure find time to let them be boys and wrestle on the floor, swim in the pool, or even go to the park and fly a kite. When did we become sedimentary.

Now that was just a rant about kids, don't even get me started on what we've become (and yes I'm guilty for it to so this isn't finger pointing, it's ranting, no blame on anyone.) We got a slew of networking sites for our friends, family, favorite things online and other stuff.

It even gotten to the point of where they're dating services out there to find someone else for our own personal Lonely Hearts Band. Why? Why did we get ourselves so lost into this that we have nothing to do but sign in and post a little thingy out for the world to see. Not that it's wrong, just that it's excessive. A whole friggin lot of it out there and I'm just like jaw dropped to the floor.

My wife is active in three different forums, myself barely active in 1 but not in depth. Both of us have Facebook accounts, in fact, she's the one that wanted me to create one after she made one for herself. And don't get me started on facebook, how many different apps can you cram into a site where it's man purpose was to gather friends and family for updates on their lives. Social networking is making it so hard to physically socialize that there only purpose is to make a virtual landscape and gather people together in one big old, well, gathering. Good concept, but not for a session of 24/7 constant updating crap, just to post an idea or two and then come back later. I mean, c'mon you gotta get some breathing room out there.
And the same can be said about bloggers and twitters, get a grip and let it be. It's not gonna go away, but you need to just take a breather sometime and let some fresh air in your system (that doesn't mean to take you laptop, iPhone, Blackberry, whatever to Starbucks and use their wi-fi sitting outside sipping on some Tazo either.)

And then theres multimedia snippits. Now I'll admit, that's my guilty pleasure. I frequent these places because it appeals to me. But I don't go and waste hours on end over there. I find what's new and then comment and leave. Maybe come back and see any replies on my comments, but that's about it. It's good and all, but I don't waste my day (unless I'm laid up sick at home and no way of getting outta my bed) and just devour all that is there. There's only so much crap that you can take in before you explode. Take it one at a time and then, once again, breathe. Simple, right?

Now, maybe in a future post I'll talk about internet poker (another vice of mine), WoW, and the ridiculous price of a 12 month subscription to X-Box live, but that's another day. What's needed now is for me to take a break. Back next week with more insightful ramblings.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...

So there has been a lot of things that I wanted to talk (rant, whatever) about over the past few days. So much that it as been hard set to set just one thing for itself when I have so many things on my mind to voice about, so I'll just break it down to three things at this time and listed under Good, Bad, or Ugly.

So lets start off with the good. PUNCH-OUT for the Wii. So awesome, so can't wait to get it. It's about time that the Wii puts out some great games that are exclusive to it (the first of this wave of awesomeness happens to be Madworld.) I can't wait to go and get my hands on it. There's unlockable difficulty levels depending on how you play the game and the reviews of it seems to be on the positive side. But that's all opinion based too and in my opinion, PUNCH-OUT is a knock-out.

Another good thing is the fact that I'm finally getting well adjusted to my new shift, being overnights and all. All thanks to managing sleeping time schedules and working around what, when, and where I can sleep. Since I take the bus to commute to work, not because I don't drive or don't have a car but because I prefer to let my wife have the car in case of emergencies, that I have to work on breaking down my sleep. A few hours once I'm home and during my bus trips to and from work. And I'll tell ya, that's enough to get the juices flowing for whatever may come.

Now for the bad. Getting burned by what I thought were suppose to be my friends really starting to piss me off. Me and my wife have a couple of friend that what we thought were really close. Then all of a sudden, they started acting like jackasses and stop talking. They go though this in and out phase from time to time and there would be a time where they would need our assistance and we would bend over backwards to help. But when it's the other away around and we ask for their assistance or just to try and hang out, they're total jerks about it and don't even want to acknowledge us. They even gone to the point of stealing friends (which had no prior relations to them) from us. That's bullshit. In my opinion, they're users and abusers and I don't need that kind of rubbish in my life. Life's too short to deal with the drama of others, and they'll realize that they have loss a truly valuable asset in their lives.

Finally, we've gotten to the part of the ugly. This is just random crap that I've either wanted to talk about or will eventually publish later. Remakes of childhood products: so they've done Transformers, Batman, G.I. Joe, and now in production of Thundercats, I wonder, where the hell is He-Man!?! Another thing is that I'm really into gaming and the debate of whether to play mames of classic game titles online from certain websites or playing DLC on a console. Also in that respect, the stand on modding consoles versus building gaming computers, what is the benefit of such in a point-counterpoint debate.

This is just some of the thoughts that I've had and wanted to get off of my chest. The good, the bad, and the ugliness that is BootLeG'd Ramblings.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I have a song that's stuck in my head

Don't you just hate it when you have a song stuck in your head. You try and you try and that darn thing is still playing like a pair of old men playing chess in Central Park, IT GOES ON FOR FRIGGIN' EVER!!!!!! Well, I have such a problem, but it's a little odd. And I ask if you respond or comment to this, that would be most appreciative. My problem stems from songs that don't have lyrics. Why don't they have lyrics, why are they so damn catchy, and what would be the lyrics if they had any.
This was spawned from a website that I frequent, and that one of the topics on it is remixing theme songs and adding their renditions of whatever lyrics to them (and by that I mean voicing over them with their own personal revamped lyrics.) So far, they were funny and that got me thinking, what theme songs could benefit from that. And for the longest time, I've been trying to figure out what the hell would become of the theme song for Sanford and Son if they had lyrics. It had a catchy tune in amongst itself (thank you Quincy Jones) and I just don't know what to make of it. Shaft had lyrics, Good Times had lyrics, and if What's Happening had lyrics, I'm sure it would only consists of how fat Rerun is, how much of a punk Dwayne was and how Roger always got spanking from his mom eventhough he was like 20 or something like that... what a wuss.

And another show that some might would think that benefit from adding lyrics would be M.A.S.H. But to most people's surprise, there is actually lyrics to M.A.S.H. It was in its movie and boy is that warped. The lyrics go on a morbid rant and follows with a chorus of suicide is painless, I was like WTF on that. Pretty heavy and bizarre stuff happening on that, even though it was a sitcom about war, most people sought it out as being a comedy, hell, it's final episode still reigns as the highest rated event on television. But I'm leaving the topic, people loved it and I bet you that if they actually played the lyrics of M.A.S.H on the show instead of keeping it as an instramental, it would have never lasted 11 seasons, lucky if it would have lasted the status quo of 6 episodes after airing its pilot. Pretty messed up.

Anyways, what is a song nowadays if if didn't have lyrics... and what are most theme songs nowadays, top 40 hits. I mean if I hear that stupid theme song from Friends one more friggin time I'm gonna go on a rampage to every coffee shop in the world and slapping every yuppie down that I see. I mean, that's that friggin annoying. Seinfeld didn't have lyrics, and quite frankly, I don't think it needed lyrics. Sanford and Son didn't have it and maybe for the best its not supposed to (but I think that I'll ask Q himself on that one.) It just boggles my mind, why lyrics, why no lyrics, why am I still rambling on about this... oh yeah, I know that answer, cause I'm the BootLeG sampler.., that's why and that's what I do.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Summer start, and lazy days

So Memorial day has come and passed and it's the 'unofficial' start of the summer season (in my opinion the summer season started two weeks ago during that 16 day stretch of 100+ temps. where I live, but that's besides the point), and this means lazy days for most people. Grilling, swimming, camping, fishing, and pulling hairs outta their heads cause their kids are home for the entire summer. Yeah, I'm all about that, but I'm also about remembering how we got to this point. The holiday that we all recognize as the start of the summer season but hardly commemorate what the holiday is truly about.

Memorial day is about remembering the fallen veterans of our armed services. Those missing in action and those that are continually serving and had served. Myself having enlisted four years in the United States Marine Corps have great respect for the men and women that are here and protecting us as well as for those who had. It's a crying shame that most people don't think of Memorial day as such. Instead they think of 'what deals can I get at Safeway for 100% angus burger patties' or 'who has the best deals on plasma HDTVs' or 'how crowded will my favorite spot on the lake going to be?' What have we all done to ourselves.... If we are to be so damn shallow, than why don't we just make up a holiday called "Lets be a Lazy Bum" Day. At least it'll be honest to their intentions.

That's just one of the things that I wanted to talk about. The other is that yes, summer is 'upon us' even though it's not summer until June 22 or 23, whatever, one of those days. And to have such fun is all good and all, but to have too much of it is just as bad. So I ask that hopefully (since Memorial Day is over) that everyone was safe and that the rest of their summer is safe and one helluva blast as well. Go fire up those grills, cannonball into the shallow end of the pool, wrestle that catfish down, but be careful. Also, remember what the hell these holidays are truly meant for. That is how you all got to this point of having such liberties.

BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Football Season is Upon Us...

It's getting to be that time of year again, where the gridiron gets a fresh coat of chalk, bars are paying up their NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions for their cable or satellite customers, and fans are already talking crap to their friends and family about how their team is gonna rock this year. Yes, I'm talking about Football, and I'm loving it. The Draft just ended a few weeks ago and already there's a buzz in the office on what to expect this season. Me, I'm just counting the days for the preseason games to start so I could scout my Eagles over the rest of the NFC East and the entire league. This because of me being a native Philadelphian and all, plus I'm still a little bit sore about how the NFC championship game went last year when I had to suffer to the hands of Cardinal fans out here in Phoenix where I'm living right now.

And it wouldn't be a complete football season without office pools, bets, and of course the friendly neighborhood fantasy league that a few of us are joined up to. I log into my computer, sign into my mail, and I see info for a fantasy league to join, and how could I refuse pwning some schmuck each and every Sunday (and Monday, and sometimes Thursday) for the chance to bring up bragging rights and show up "who's the man."

So I ask of you all, unless you're living under a rock, you're not going to escape the juggernaut that is FOOTBALL SEASON 2009 and just embrace it like everyone else. And on a personal matter, I don't think that Michael Vick should be admitted back to the NFL. What he did was inhumane and should not be tolerated, so it's perfectly fine in my opinion that he is ostracized from the league. Plus, my opinion with Brett Farve, get off your ass and play already. If you're just gonna fart around debating to play or not, then get up or take up a sponsorship role for Aleve pain medication and wait for your shot to call some plays on national TV and get your own lineup of video game simulators. Hell, it worked for John Madden.

This is the BootLeG sampler.. signing out...

Ramblin' Man

This being the first of many posts on this blog, I think that I should lay down certain things to clarify what to expect out of this. First off, this blog represents what the BootLeG sampler.. really is all about, random thoughts and emotions that are collaborated to make a logical sense of what is happening around my life. I for the most part will speak as if I am the BootLeG sampler.. because for the most part I am.

A little about myself. I like to consider myself a starving artist, a elitist-novice if you will. Mostly in the realm of music and cartooning. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember and some of my characters have intensive back stories in which I hope to self-produce into a comic book of some sort. I've even have gone to the extent of creating storyboards for individual issues of multiple story arcs for my characters. I hope to share some of those with you in later posts with artwork to boot, but that's for later. My other passion is music. I have been very influenced in music in my entire life. I have a special flair for rock music, although I do dabble into other genres now and then. I have been writing my own lyrics since I was about 15-16-ish and haven't stopped. I'm also very proficient in the bass guitar in which I have been playing for over ten years at this point. I have over 100 songs in my own personal catalog that maybe I'll present to you all in later postings.

Now, you're probably wondering either, why the hell do I call myself the BootLeG sampler.. instead of any other alias or even my real name. For one, I like the spirit of being anonymous in this persona. Sure if you got to this from a personal link in one of my social networking sites, then that blows the purpose of anonymousness out of the water, but for those who don't, well, you just have to chalk it up. As for the name, BootLeG sampler.., I'll at least let you all in on that. There are actually two variants to this story, the first one stems from a song I wrote in high school. It was entitled BooLeG sampler.. and I wasn't quite sure at the time where or how I got the title for that song, but it became the song that pretty much defined me. It was at the time my favorite in my catalog and I've even presented the song in written performance for an assignment in English class in high school. Some of my friends really liked it and it stuck as a nickname for myself, BootLeG sampler.. The second part of this is what I can only describe as a setup in the subconscious level. One day I brought my old gaming console to my friends house to play, it was a Sega Saturn (btw, I'm a big fan of anything Sega.) And with the console was a demo disc that contained preview and playable demos of games for that system, aptly titled 'bootleg sampler.' Thus the origin of where I've gotten the name and how I've adapted to what my pseudo-self has become.

So this blog here to let you all know I will try to keep it not run downed with useless jibber-jabber and only post maybe three times a week. Trying to keep to a schedule to show my accounts and what the hell is on my mind at the time. For anyone wanting to ask for suggestions to put into posting, please comment. Hell, that's what it's there for, and I will read all or most of them, acknowledge it, and might even feature an idea or two from it in later postings.

But as for now, I'm signing off...