Ithaca Mafia.

Our very own Duck makes a Super Bowl appearance! As Matty...

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:41:00 -0500

Our very own Duck makes a Super Bowl appearance! As Matty pointed out, ~~nine~~ 105.9 million people have now seen him (almost) naked. To those of us who have known him for all these years — this comes as no surprise.

Update: Frants has the video, in case you missed it.

Sethmonster gets sucked into some Sweeney Todd.

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:54:48 -0500

Sethmonster gets sucked into some Sweeney Todd.

Diesel Toast. Captured.

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:53:39 -0500

Diesel Toast. Captured.

60GB PS3: October 2007 - January 2010. Heed my tale, fellow PS3...

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:12:00 -0500

60GB PS3: October 2007 - January 2010.

Heed my tale, fellow PS3 owners; or you, too shall soon fall prey to the Yellow Light Of Death. My trusty Blu-Ray gaming companion died this past weekend of unknown causes. Possible culprits include a failed motherboard, cracked soldering, or overheating (likely, a combination of all).

This is the part where I plead with those of you who still enjoy your older (60GB) PS3’s to protect yo-selves:

1.) BACK UP YO DATAZ. Over the past year or so, I would occasionally think to myself: “Self, you should really back up your PS3 data. You’ve got a lot of saved games and DLC. What if something happens? You’d lose all of it, you knucklehead.” Then, I would be distracted by a dog with a fluffy tail and forget all about my backup plans. Without a doubt, this is the most painful part of my PS3 death. ALL of my data — from 2.5 years of playing games — is likely gone. (Unless, of course I manage to find a heat gun and thermal paste and discover a heretofore unrealized skill as an electrician.)

2.) CLEAR YO VENTZ. Electronics get dusty. The PS3, with it’s shiny, happy exterior, is a veritable dust magnet. Over time, more and more will pile up inside your system, creating dirty little clouds that literally can choke the life out of it. Use compressed air. Vacuum it out. Cleanliness is key.

3.) LISTEN FO TROUBLZ. When I first got me PS3, it was quiet, stealth-like beast. Only rarely did I hear the fan come on to cool things down, and that only lasted for moments. More recently, it’s taken to run the fan more often. Over the past few months, it would be run on high — sounding like a jet engine — from the get-go. This is a sign that things are overheating. Make sure the system is well ventilated. If it is ventilated, and it still runs hotter than a mofo — well, prepare for the worst. It could be the death knell of your PS3.

In terms of backing up the data, you’ve got two options: 1.) An actual System Backup option in the XMB. This will copy all of your data that is not copy-protected (for some asinine reason, certain companies don’t allow you to back up your saved data — Rock Band being one of them) to an external drive of your choosing. The other option was just released a few months ago: it basically clones your hard drive to a new PS3. You connect them via ethernet cables, and all your old stuff (including your copy-protected data) moves to a shiny, new system. (Not included: Shiny, new system.)

For me, I’m going to have to get a one of those new systems; and, thankfully, the “PS3 Slim” doesn’t suffer from YLOD. I will to have to start all my games over again, and will have to re-download everything I’ve ever purchased from the Playstation Store. Needless to say, not looking forward to it.

The one blessing is that I won the Mafia Fantasy Football League this year. My winnings should just about cover things.

Once Diesel pays up, of course.

Junior High Student Arrested for Doodling in Class.

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:45:00 -0500

Junior High Student Arrested for Doodling in Class.:

Yikes. And to think, when I was in 3rd Grade, I got a pink slip and proceeded to feign illness for a week, staying home just to avoid the dreaded school punishment (standing in the hall with your nose to the wall for an entire recess).

Something like this would have given me a nervous breakdown.

"It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to..."

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:35:00 -0500

“It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do… We have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity – theirs as individuals, and ours as institutions.”

- Admiral “Mike” Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Timeline of the 'Lost' Universe

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:53:44 -0500

Timeline of the 'Lost' Universe:

Excellent ‘Lost’ Timeline in the NY Times — complete with commentary and clips from the show. Good precursor to tomorrow’s season premiere.

Mac and Chee night. Nom nom nom.

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:06:56 -0500

Mac and Chee night. Nom nom nom.

"That is what friendship means. Sharing the prejudice of experience."

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:30:00 -0500

“That is what friendship means. Sharing the prejudice of experience.”

- Charles Bukowski

Beard progress: two months, two weeks.

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:09:25 -0500

Beard progress: two months, two weeks.

Reactions to the Original iPod.

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:02:13 -0500

Reactions to the Original iPod.:

Wow, reading this is pretty amazing. (Regardless of whether the iPad is the Next Big Thing or not…)

Woah.

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:45:15 -0500

True Story: We’re all eating lunch here in the office this afternoon, and The Boss poses a trivia question. “Where did JD Salinger get the name for Holden Caulfield in Catcher In The Rye?” Nobody knew the answer, and he revealed that Salinger was walking and saw a movie poster for “Dear Ruth” — starring William Holden and Joan Caulfield. Their names were on top of one another, and it he ran with it.

This led to a few minutes of joking about what would make a good character name off of posters from today. Clooney Zeta-Jones was a popular one. My favorite was Pitt Fishburne.

Naturally, we had some doubts regarding the story — and so, after lunch, I took to find the poster:

Lo, it appears to be true.

Then, an hour later, news broke that JD Salinger died. Creeeeeepy.

Snowy commute, with those awesome fat flakes. Soaked my beard...

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:21:27 -0500

Snowy commute, with those awesome fat flakes. Soaked my beard but good.

Pickmeup.

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:28:16 -0500

I’m walking to work on a somewhat cold, somewhat dreary Tuesday, about to cross Seventh Avenue. On the opposite corner, I spy a young kid (three-ish?) with his back to me, looking at his shadow and dancing madly like only little kids can. Shaking and twisting and watching his shadow do identical crazy things. A nice moment that put a needed smile upon my face, though the little man will never know it.

Of course, his mother then scolded him and dragged him across the street (all the while yammering on her cell phone).

Nikon recently had a festival where users had to submit videos...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:57:54 -0500

Nikon recently had a festival where users had to submit videos capturing their day in 140 seconds or less (140 characters being the allowed limits of Twitter and Text Messages).

This one was the Judge’s Winner. Cute stuff.

Excellent visualization of browser usage. (2002-2009)

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:38:50 -0500

Excellent visualization of browser usage. (2002-2009):

Frightening that 13% still use IE6, to say nothing of any IE version.

Oh, diner jukebox, I want to play you — but who has a...

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:14:43 -0500

Oh, diner jukebox, I want to play you — but who has a dollar (or two) in quarters?

My gyro will be eaten in silence.

LOST’s plane crash, a la 24. Very well edited. The final season returns in less than...

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:30:00 -0500

LOST’s plane crash, a la 24. Very well edited. The final season returns in less than two weeks…

The Guys Who Made SOCOM + 256-players at a time = Huge...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:25:17 -0500

The Guys Who Made SOCOM + 256-players at a time = Huge potential. That said, it’s going to have to get a good collection of people willing to communicate and good design to work as well as Modern Warfare. So, while there is promise, we’ll wait for the reviews.

In the meantime, however, we can continue to enjoy the hilarious stream of “Dear Playstation” PS3 commercials. Freaking brilliant.

Stevie C. and Kate, who met ten years ago, today. Long live...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:09:31 -0500

Stevie C. and Kate, who met ten years ago, today. Long live Cronin and Phelan’s.