murfSTUFF

It’s no secret that I’m fan of space science, space travel and NASA in general. While I revel in the robotic missions out to the far reaches of our backwoods corner of the Milky Way, there is always a special place in my heart for manned space flight. From Mercury to whatever will follow our now-ended shuttle program, I cheer for those who brave the wilds of cold uncaring cosmos. Those brave and curious few who dare to dream that we may travel among the stars. However, these upcoming days always brings to light the dangers that we sometimes forget are present in the pursuit of our journeys to the unknown.

The most major space-related disasters of the United States space program have anniversaries within one week of each other. It is a humbling and difficult time for those, like me, who see the cosmos as the next great adventure for humankind.

On January 27, 1967; during a launch rehearsal an electrical fire within the cockpit of Apollo 1 claimed the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

On January 28, 1986; a faulty o-ring caused troubles and the disintegration of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the deaths of its crew of seven.

On February 1, 2003; during re-entry the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated and cost seven more lives.

Many others, from other nations, have also given their lives in this great experiment.

For all those who have given their lives in the pursuit of our dreams of yearning to explore; my heart, sympathy and thanks are given with utmost gratitude.

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Filed under:Personal Tags: apollo 1, challenger, columbia, nasa, sacrifice, space

Remember way back when last week when the internet got is panties in wad over something Congress wanted to pass called the Stop Online Piracy Act? And sites like Wikipedia, Reddit and others (including my own) shut down because we weren’t going to stand for the nonsense that bill was going to try to do?

Letter from my Congressman.

Well, not only did I knock my site out in protest (thus inconveniencing all 2 of you out there), I wrote to my representatives: Senators Mark Warner [D, VA] and Jim Webb [D, VA], and Congressman Robert Hurt [R, VA-5]. Warner was already opposed when I wrote, and I still haven’t heard from Webb. Today though, I finally heard from Rep. Hurt. Unlike Warner who just sent out a mass email, I actually got a physical letter in the mail. That was a nice surprise.

Over the years, I’ve gone from apathetic youth to involved citizen. This is the first time I’ve written to any of representatives. Each year, I try to make my point of telling people to vote as it is the very least one can do. Now that I’ve participated and truly voiced my concerns, I may try to keep this up.

Thank you Rep. Hurt. I may not always agree with you, but thank you for taking the time to listen and show me that for all the problems with congress, that my voice isn’t just lost in the crowd.

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Filed under:Personal Tags: congress, politics, SOPA

How many times do I fail at keeping this thing updated? How many times have I come back with the promise of content and then fall off the face of the web only to resurface at some much later date? I really want to know. I’ve lost count now.

Alas. Once again, here I come in with the promise of posting content once more. Probably not the art or comics of years past as somehow that aspect of things that I do has died down, though I do want to get back into that. Anyway, I digress.

Now that I’m done with the whole getting married thing, and the holidays are over, I want to get back into writing on my blog (and maybe try to help my buddy revive GeekLore). I’ll be frank, I like writing. It’s fun, keeps my lexicon and grammar skills sharp and it’s a great way to dump my brain driblets out for the world to see. I likes it. So I’m really going to attempt to post at least once a week. And not like the Friday Five once a week. Though I’ll likely revive that feature as well. But post some rambling, news commentary or other assorted items of interest. No set days, no schedule, just when I’ve got something to share, I’ll share it.

So, here, my few readers who are out there. I ask of you: What would you like to comment on?

• Gaming?
• Science?
• Technology?
• General nerdiness?
• What I had for dinner?

Let me know! I’m interested to hear what you like. I want to open up the dialogue with my scant amount of visitors.

Also, did you know murfSTUFF has a Facebook fan page? There’s a handy widget box to the left where you can “Like” murfSTUFF, or you can visit the page on Facebook proper. It’s a great way to keep up with when I post new entries. Anyways, pass that along.

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I dislike getting overly political on my blog. Today, however, is different.

Shortly, I’ll be installing a plugin which will blackout my site for the day in protest of pending two Congressional known as SOPA (for the House) and the PROTECT IP Act (for the Senate). These bills aim to curb online piracy, which in itself is not a wrongful goal, but the means by which they are attempting this action can best be described as “Scorched Internet.” I won’t get into details as others have said far better than I, but these bills would essentially kill the internet as you know it, chill innovation in the internet industry, stifle free speech in the modern era and most concerning to me of course, that these impacts could affect millions of jobs in the internet sector, including my own.

I know hardly anyone visits my site. I know this would barely register as a drop in the pond, but I feel the need to take part and get word out, even if only one person hears it.

Do you part, help save the internet, call your representatives and tell this bills is no good.

You can learn more about these bills, and what you can do please visit FightForTheFuture.org

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Filed under:Soap Box Tags: PROTECT IP, protest, SOPA

I was browsing Reddit, when I came across a post in /r/nintendo asking if other members of the community if they ‘find being a Nintendo fan depressing‘ and then made the point of how he had to defend his decision to own a Wii over a 360 or a PS3 and how he caught flack from fans from those camps.

The following, was my response to his question:

———-

Never have I been ashamed or depressed in my Nintendo ownership. Nor do I intend too. Nintendo has its ups and downs in hardware, but it still reigns in the world of software.

As long as Mario, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox and others continue to be made solely for a Nintendo hardware platform I will follow. It’s the same reason people get attached to specific authors, musicians and film directors. You as me who makes the best hardware, and that’s its own debate. You ask me who makes the best games, and I will tell you Nintendo every time.

Few companies have the track record of consistent hits and well-beloved franchises that Nintendo does. Sony and Microsoft can have their silly little guns and military machismo. Give me a sword, a horse and green tunic and floppy hat and I’m a happy man with a grin stretching from ear-to-ear. I play games for escape and fun and the vast majority of games on PS3 and Xbox aren’t really my cup of tea.

For what it is worth. My 360 and Wii are gathering dust at the moment (waiting for Skyward Sword to come out). But my 3DS sees nearly daily usage, though a lot of that stems from the Ambassador programs and reliving my childhood (again).

Nintendo has its faults and its issues. They always have. But as long as they churn out top-notch first party games, I will wear “Nintendo Fanboy” as a badge of honor because Modern Call of Honor: Halo Gears of Warfare Duty does not appeal to me in the slightest. Though Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect have recently scuttled into my list of franchises I like, but that’s why I have a PC.

I go where the games I like are. Nintendo has those games.

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Filed under:Soap Box Tags: gaming, nintendo

My Proton Pack

Did you know that my favorite movie of all time is The Shawshank Redemption? Great film. Love it. Can always watch it. It has a majorly uplifting finale, but it also has come down moments as well. Sometimes, you need a fun movie to sit at the top of your list as well. What kind of geek would I be if my number 2 film wasn’t something appropriately nerdy? You may expect it to be the standards such as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but you would be incorrect. Of all the nerdy films to grace this world, my favorite by an insurmountable measure is Ghostbusters.

As a child of the 80′s, I was quite fond of the Saturday morning treat that was The Real Ghostbusters. I also would watch the movie as well on home video, but since I was only one year old when it came to theaters I never had the opportunity to see it on the big screen. I saw Ghostbusters 2 in theaters when I was about 6, which back then was totally awesome. Ghostbusters fell off my radar for a long time, but was always an unshakable foundation of my youth. Eventually, I was brought back around again when I bought the DVD. Ghostbusters was back in my life, and all was well.

Fast forward to 2009. I move into an apartment with my good friend John Coleman. We jokingly talk about build a proton pack since John is one of those awesome people who likes to build awesome things. It took a while, but it paid off as I soon came into possession of my own Proton Pack thanks to John’s remarkable work despite my best attempts to have him dial back somewhat. So for the first time last Halloween, I donned my pack and my flight suit and stepped into public as a Ghostbuster. Every where I went, people were amazed and some even took pictures. Awesome times.

At the Theater

So… imagine my delight when I heard last month that the original film was coming back to theaters in a really limited re-release on three Thursday nights in October. Imagine my greater surprise when I found out that somehow one of the rinky-dink theaters in Charlottesville (which has no good theaters by the way), was going to playing at least one show. You could be damn sure that I wasn’t going to miss that opportunity even if meant trudging back to my teenage days working at the very theater showing the film.

So, of course, I head to the show all decked out. Sadly though, there really couldn’t have been more than 20 or so people in attendance. I blame the rain and a lack of proper advertising. Then again, it was barely a month before the shows were announced, and they weren’t really advertised all that well. But what few people were there took the time to be impressed that someone in Charlottesville had that level of devotion to Ghostbusters. A few pictures were taken, good laughs were had, and it was fun time regardless. I’m especially thankful for my fiancée who puts up with my strange indulgences.

There is another showing next week at the same time. I may not watch the movie, but I may go back to at least show off again and meet fellow fans. Besides, I could use some practice being the center of attention what with my introversion and upcoming wedding.

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Filed under:Personal