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Song of the Week
[ 1-7-01 ][ 2:10 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

Addenum (1-8-01, 12:57 a.m. pst):
I found better Xbox shots online thanks to Tech-Review.com. The previous ones I posted were kinda fuzzy, and the controller shot was really ugly. These new ones are super hi-res. I'm talkin' 100k+ compressed JPG's. Yeah, baby!

"I'm falling even more in love with you
Letting go of all I've held onto
I'm standing here until you make me move
I'm hanging by a moment here with you"

--> Click! <--

Go git 'em, tiger. =)

This will probably be the last update of my winter break, which isn't as dreadful (supposedly) as it sounds. Instruction for me officially begins Monday, and per usual at the beginning of each quarter, my resolution is to attain the Holy Grail of report card grades. Then again, I'd probably have more luck winning the state lottery than getting straight A's, but hey, the point is I really should try to make luck the least significant factor. Good luck to the rest of you that's starting (have started or will be starting) next quarter (semester).

I'm working on a pretty big gaming article that will roundup and countdown the top PC games I've been exposed to in Y2K. I'm also (in collaboration with Gerry) compiling a list of the best and worst movies we have seen this past year. There's been quite a few that has slipped past us, though, so please by no means be offended if we didn't include your favorite (or least favorite) flick on the list. Pity neither of us has caught John Travolta's stinkfest Battlefield Earth. Perhaps we should be grateful that we didn't blow ticket money on it, but when a movie has been nominated for worst film of all time by more experts than any other movie, it naturally stirs ones curiosity.

"Waargh! I am John Travolta, and you will bow down to  the Church of Scientology!"

There's a hilarious thread on Slashdot.org a while ago that detailed just how horrible it was. This was by far the funniest post.

I'll close this update with a little something unveiled at the Vegas Consumer Electronic Show called the Microsoft Xbox. Perhaps you've heard of this? ;) Click to enlarge, guys.

Quake III: Team Arena & Football
[ 1-2-01 ][ 3:58 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

"Team Arena is a rather self explanatory evolution from Quake 3 Arena. It's basically Quake 3, but more focused on team play. There's traditional CTF, plus you have three new game modes geared towards that goal..."

--> Click! <--

You know, while playing the single player aspect of this game, I was once again amazed at the mediocrity of the bot code in Q3. They're as dumb as dead wood, and if you increase the difficulty setting, they'll just aim better. When I drop a flag, I expect my bot teammates to pick it up, not run right around it! It also further enhanced my appreciation for the Unreal Tournament bot code. Steven Polge is a god.

I also updated my NFL playoffs diary. A lot of favorites got knocked out this past weekend. I never thought I'd be saying goodbye to Indy, St. Louis, and Tampa all on wildcard weekend. Wow.

While we're on the topic of football, anybody following the College Bowl games? UCLA got wiped out early on in the Sun bowl. Damn, I swear we suck. The rest of the Pac-10 did really well on New Years day. Tuiasosopo of the Huskies was snubbed in the Heisman race as Washington humbled Heisman finalist Drew Brees (overrated) and Purdue in the Rose Bowl. And Oregon St. mopped the floor with the Notre Dame Irish. Watch for the Beavers running back to be in the Heisman race next year.

Tuiasosopo leads the 11-1 Huskies over Purdue.

Speaking of which, if Michael Vick returns to VT next year, he'll be the easy favorite to win. He dominated Clemson in a lopsided victory. I hope he returns, he's only a sophomore! One more year in college will do him good. Then, he'll go to the NFL where he'll be what Kordell Stewart was supposed to be: football's next generation prototype QB.

Nebraska really got snubbed by the bowl schedulers when they got assigned to the lowly Alamo Bowl. They took out their frustration on Northwestern in a record setting 66-17 game. I hope the bulk of their running offense returns next year. Eric Crouch and company is fun to watch. I love the option play when a good QB is running it.

Eric Crouch is a black dude trapped inside a white body.

Tomorrow's (or later today's) Sugar Bowl is only interesting for the results that'll come out of that game. If Steve Spurrier's Gators can knock out the 'Canes, Washington has a chance at the national title. Of course, if Oklahoma can hang onto an Orange Bowl victory (I don't think they can), then they're the undisputed champs. Heisman winner Weinke will put on a good airshow, but FSU was more fun to watch when Peter Warrick was aboard.

Computer games and football out the wazoo...... man, I'm loving this Winter break. =)

Happy New Years!
[ 1-1-01 ][ 3:10 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

This is it! The new millenium is finally upon us. So how does it feel? Exactly the same, huh? Heh heh.

I think for us students, the true significance of a new year doesn't quite yet register. You see, we're living in a school's schedule. I keep a mental calendar of my year around the significant dates of UCLA. For me, Christmas and New Years are just events that occur in the middle of my winter break, and soon, I will inevitably return to the purgatory for 10 more weeks before spring vacation. *Sigh*

Perhaps when we step into society and work year-round, the holiday season will have more impact. Or maybe we've already outgrown the age when holidays meant something. I remember when I was young our family always went vacationing during this time of the year. Sometimes to the East Coast where we have relatives or whatnot. We would have big Christmas dinners and a festive atmosphere. The adults would stay up late in the dining room talking while the kids would romp the basement and play Nintendo.

Flash forward and now we've grown up. We're young adults trying to figure out which path we should take with our lives. Our parents are in the stage inbetween when they had to entertain us when we were children and when they will be hosting the large family gatherings when we bring our kids over.

Time is funny this way. You never seem to notice it passing by, but when you peer into the rear view mirror, you start to see how things have evolved. It's kinda deep, in a way... something to think about while staring at the ceiling before falling asleep.........

What does the upcoming new year hold for us? What kinds of changes will subliminally occur that contribute to the ongoing evolution? We hope for good things, no? Hope that we'll be accepted into Engineering school, hope that our grandma's will live to see 2002, and hope that we'll find something new and stimulating to learn and experience, right?

Perhaps that's what new years is about. Or at least part of what it's about. Hoping for the best. It's what makes this world and life so beautiful.

Happy new years, everybody. =)

Song of the Week
[ 12-30-00 ][ 7:02 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

"This is the story of a girl
Who cried a river and drowned the whole world
And while she looks so sad in photographs
I absolutely love her
When she smiles"

--> Click! <--

After (another) short haitus, the Song of the Week feature is back! It won't be strictly per week, however, because I don't keep up with music as zealously as I should. I thought about renaming the article, but I decided against it. And another thing: Gerry won't be commenting in it directly anymore. Instead, thanks to the Readers' Comments section, everyone can put include their inputs if they choose to do so now. =)

One more thing: if anyone else has suggestions for future Songs of the Week, the Readers' Comments section is the place to voice it. Otherwise, you'll all be stuck with my generally alternative / rock tastes.

Okay, that's it. Cheers!

NFL Playoffs Diary
[ 12-26-00 ][ 5:52 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

As a mucho fan of football, I'll be reporting each week the progress of the playoffs until Super Bowl XXXV in the Playoffs Diary article. It'll encompass the upcoming matchups, some notes, and my predictions as well. I even took the time (about an hour) to fashion a little bracket of my picks to help those visual learners. =) Check it out: click!

[ 12-25-00 ][ 4:01 a.m. pst ][ By Rice ]

Hey all. Hope you guys enjoy a very Merry Christmas today. =)

It all seems sort of anti-climatic, doesn't it? For the past two weeks (or more), you've been scrambling to buy gifts for friends and family, soaking up all the holiday cheer that the marketing industry's throwing at you, knowingly spending $100 or more total in gifts, and in the end, we're treated to..... well, this day. Seems just like every other regular day to me here in SoCal.

Maybe it's the snow, or lack thereof I suppose. Bloody smog infested ratpen of a city, Los Angeles is. We can't tell the difference between Christmas day and Summer Solstice. Bah humbug! Once I'm free from the grasp of education, I'm moving to a place where it snows in the freaking winter. Canada sounds nice. =)

I'm only half kidding. I love this time of the year. Why, 'tis the season of giving! You never hear of war during winter. Those kinds of things are put on hold while people around the world celebrate. Not Christmas, per se, but the concept of it. Peace, love, and happiness. If we can achieve world peace for a few months in the year, what's stopping us from keeping it going perpetually?

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one."
-- John Lennon, Imagine