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Wednesday - November 29, 2006

28 Weeks Later

I missed this 'Raw Footage Trailer' when it first hit the net around Halloween, but you can still see it on FoxAtomic.

I have to admit, I'm not a huge horror fan, but strangely I love zombie flicks. 28 Days Later was really good, and it looks like the sequel may be able to follow in the same footsteps. Next year may be a good year, with both 28, and Day of the Dead making their appearances.

Posted by jcraven at 12:38 PM | Movies & Music

Wii dangerous

So, you may have seen various reports of folks breaking things around the house when accidentally throwing their Wiimotes in the heat of gaming. Scott wrote about it yesterday.

But here's video of the carnage in action. Luckily he missed the TV though.....

And of course, PA has their own theory.

Posted by jcraven at 10:45 AM | Comments (1) | Video Games

WoW 2.0 patch coming Tuesday

According to the forums, the new content patch named "Before the Storm" will be rolled out next Tuesday, December 5th. This sets everybody up to be ready for the expansion when it hits in January. It also institutes the new PvP reward system, and talent trees. You can get a jump on the new trees, by planning them out here. I should actually get a small boost to both my damage and healing due to the changes to the talent tree. Here is my probable setup.

Posted by jcraven at 10:23 AM | Video Games

Monday - November 27, 2006

Buh-bye Chuck

Chuck the Chest is officially fired..... WRAL has the story here. After going 3-9, and losing to ECU, finally NCSU has decided to give Amato the boot. It shouldn't really be a big suprise to anyone, after the Pack's poor performance the last couple years. I don't know how much of it you can really blame on a head coach, but it's obviously time for something different.

Posted by jcraven at 10:25 AM | Sports

One down

After a 45-28 win over No. 13 Coastal Carolina, App heads to the second round to play against Montana State. You can get your tickets to the game in Boone here. Sadly, I have to work on Saturday, and will be unable to make it in person. Fortunately the 4PM game will be broadcast live on ESPN2. App has won 25 games in a row at home, and hopefully they can continue that streak. I love football season. :)

Posted by jcraven at 10:14 AM | Sports

Mmmmm tryptophan

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend, I know we did. I need to take a vacation to recover from my vacation though. We had four family gatherings, and two birthday parties to attend over the 4-day weekend. Also, Lara went shopping from midnight-8AM on Friday morning, but I think she finally caught up on her sleep by the end of the trip. I guess I need to get serious about buying Christmas gifts now.... it will be here very soon.

Posted by jcraven at 10:10 AM | Misc

Wednesday - November 22, 2006

Xbox 360 Media downloads

Today, Microsoft released Small Arms for download. This is one of the most highly anticipated original Live Arcade games to come out in a while. Overall it seems pretty fun, if you like similar games such as Super Smash Brothers for the Gamecube. Could be very fun with both local multiplayer and Xbox Live support.

The other big news today. You can now download your favorite movies and television shows straight to your 360. There's 48 movies to choose from, and about a dozen TV networks, which is decent for day 1. TV shows are 160 points for the SD version, and 240 for the HD version. Movies are 320 and 480. 80 points is equivalent to approximately $2.00 $1.00. The pricing for television is inline with similar services such as iTunes. The Movies are 'rentals'. You have 14 days to begin watching the rental, and once you start watching it, you can replay it as many times as you want for 24 hours.

I think it's a good start, but I think separating the prices based on SD/HD is a poor decision. Hopefully the selection and pricing will improve in months to come.

Posted by jcraven at 10:01 AM | Video Games

Monday - November 20, 2006

2006 NCAA Football Championship bracket

Well the bracket for the 2006 NCAA Division I Football Championship (formerly known as I-AA Football Championship) is now set. App held on to the #1 spot, and will take on Coastal Carolina Saturday @ 3:30 (televised on ESPNU). For the full bracket, check here.

Posted by jcraven at 11:16 AM | Sports

Friday - November 17, 2006

PS3 on sale

I think PA sums up today....

Posted by jcraven at 11:35 AM | Comments (2) | Video Games

Tuesday - November 14, 2006

Cisco Field

Well, I guess it's official. The A's will have a new ballpark.....

Oakland Athletics : Official Info : Press Release

Posted by jcraven at 1:51 PM | Comments (1) | Sports

Sunday - November 12, 2006

Southern Conference champs

Appalachian State secured sole possesion of the Southern Conference crown with a 31-9 win over rivals Western Carolina. They end the season with a 10-1, 7-0 SoCon record. I wish they could replay that first game against NCSU......

Tickets for the first round of the NCAA tournament are on sale Monday.

Posted by jcraven at 2:07 PM | Sports

Thursday - November 9, 2006

Hawaii Part VI

We made it home OK, after a little plane trouble in Dallas. We took a couple more pictures from the hotel and on the way to the airport before we left. Check out the last batch of pictures on pages 15-16.

Posted by jcraven at 11:22 PM | Misc

Monday - November 6, 2006

Hawaii Part V

Tonight we went to a Luau down the beach at the Hyatt called "Drums of the Pacific". The show was great, but I wasn't overly impressed with the food. The kalua pork was actually the best thing on the menu, and the poi wasn't nearly as bad as everyone says it is. Unfortunately, due to the lighting we were unable to get any good pictures, but I have two videos here and here.

Posted by jcraven at 9:11 PM | Misc

Sunday - November 5, 2006

Hawaii Part IV

Today we took a helicopter tour of West Maui and Molokai with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Neither of us have ever been in a helicopter, and this was definitely a great way to see the islands. We saw some beautiful mountains, waterfalls, and natural reefs. Unfortunately you have to take the Big Island tour to see any active volcano/lava flow. It was very fun, and we picked up the DVD of our trip for anybody that may want to see it. We have pictures on pages 10-14.

Posted by jcraven at 9:02 PM | Misc

Saturday - November 4, 2006

Hawaii Part III

Today we went snorkeling at Molokini, on the Lahaina Princess. We started off the cruise with a nice continental breakfast. About 45 minutes after leaving the harbor, we come across a large pod of 30 or so dolphins that swam alongside the boat for about 10 minutes. This may have been the highlight of the trip.

After another 45 minutes or so, we arrive at Molokini and snorkel for about 50 minutes. We have 2 underwater cameras that need to have their film developed, but unfortunately I cracked mine and water leaked in. I have no idea if the photos are salvageable.

On the return trip, they served a nice lunch with burgers, hot dogs, and chicken that they grilled on the front of the boat. About halfway back to our harbor, we stopped at a dive spot named "Turtle Town". We snorkled for another 50 minutes or so, and two huge sea turtles approached within a couple feet. Overall, this snorkel trip was 10x better than our dive in the Bahamas 5 years ago, and I'd recommend the Princess to anyone.

Morning pictures are on Page 7.
Dolphin pictures are on Page 8.
Molokini pictures are on Page 9.

UPDATE: Lara's underwater pictures here.

Posted by jcraven at 8:26 PM | Misc

Friday - November 3, 2006

Hawaii Part II

Today, we took a day-long trip to Hana on the far eastern side of the island. To get there, you have to travel along 30+ miles of the curviest roads possible. We have a lot of nice pictures, here. The highlight of the trip was the lava fields, black sand beach, and caves outside Hana at Wai'anapanapa Park. Pictures from the park start on Page 5.

Posted by jcraven at 8:12 PM | Misc

Wednesday - November 1, 2006

Hawaii Part I

You can find them here. They're all from the hotel area, except for the one from the airplane. The waterfalls and wildlife are beside the outdoor lobby and pool areas. We'll get some better pictures of the beach on a sunny day....

Posted by jcraven at 10:21 PM | Misc

We're here

I've been up for almost 24 hours straight, but we're checked into the hotel. I'll get some pictures and such tomorrow.... must rest now.

Posted by jcraven at 1:31 AM | Misc