I decided to cleanup my YouTube channel a little bit this week. My Batman vs. Bane video was getting too many views and comments that I couldn't keep up. So I decided to hide all of my non-RPG videos. I started the channel for Kingdoms of Amalur bugs, so I want to concentrate on the RPG genre which tends to have an older audience anyway. I also want to keep the content original, so my Kingdoms of Amalur videos won't cover walkthroughs or loot locations. Other people have already done that and done a great job.
If you want to watch some of my non-RPG videos, you can still get to them from this blog. Just click on "Video Games" in the right navigation. They're still up, just unindexed by YouTube's search engine.
Showing posts with label About. Show all posts
Showing posts with label About. Show all posts
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Thursday, March 19, 2009
About Blu-ray
Since I bought the PS3, I've been shopping around for Blu-ray movie deals. The movies must be ones I'd watch repeatedly and ones that I think would benefit from the 1080p resolution.I'm going add a new stat called "Blu-ray" when I review Blu-ray movies. It'll rate the overall clarity and worthiness of the movie being released in the high resolution format. Just being in Blu-ray format doesn't necessarily make things great. Some companies do a better job than others converting them to the proper format. Some Blu-ray movies don't look that much better than an upconverted DVD and others are so precise in detail. A 10 means the details are very noticeable. A 5 is average... borderline whether it was worth buying or not. A 1 means there's little difference from the DVD and it wasn't worth buying at all.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
About Sports
A bunch of friends and family have been following this blog and a few people asked why I don't have any posts about baseball or basketball. That's a fair question because much of my life revolves around the New York Yankees and Chicago Bulls schedules. I watch nearly every game and I love both teams. One reason is because there are already many sports blogs out there. If I write about the game, chances are, someone else already wrote the same thing. The other reason is because I don't want this to be a sports blog. If I started writing about the games, the number of posts would easily overshadow the rest of the content. I would definitely be overcommitted if I wrote about each game. I really only have time to post 2-3 items per week. The concentration of this blog is travel, Queens restaurants, DVDs and stories from the past.
Somewhat related: I also keep reviews of Manhattan restaurants to a minimum because they're already covered in guidebooks and on major sites. I want to promote Queens because it's a center of culture and has some great restaurants that many people don't know about.
Somewhat related: I also keep reviews of Manhattan restaurants to a minimum because they're already covered in guidebooks and on major sites. I want to promote Queens because it's a center of culture and has some great restaurants that many people don't know about.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
QM2 Dress Code
QM2 has 3 dress code categories for the sit-in dinners:
I think these were just presented as a general guideline as they were not really strictly enforced. I saw many passengers that didn't follow the dress codes. I actually broke the code slightly tonight because I didn't have a collared shirt under my jacket. My parents mentioned that the rules were more strict on NCL and they actually turned passengers down who didn't follow the dress code. I was surprised by that because QM2 is classified as an "ultra-luxury line." I guess they just wanted passengers to be comfortable and didn't want to embarrass anyone.
Some people took it too far though. I saw people in King's Court wearing pajamas & bathrobes for breakfast. There was an 8-year old boy running around naked in the pool area... not cool!
- Formal = tux or suit w/ white shirt & black tie; evening dress; military awards
- Semi-formal = jacket & tie; cocktail dress; no jeans
- Elegant Casual = jacket; dress or skirt; no shorts or jeans
I think these were just presented as a general guideline as they were not really strictly enforced. I saw many passengers that didn't follow the dress codes. I actually broke the code slightly tonight because I didn't have a collared shirt under my jacket. My parents mentioned that the rules were more strict on NCL and they actually turned passengers down who didn't follow the dress code. I was surprised by that because QM2 is classified as an "ultra-luxury line." I guess they just wanted passengers to be comfortable and didn't want to embarrass anyone.Some people took it too far though. I saw people in King's Court wearing pajamas & bathrobes for breakfast. There was an 8-year old boy running around naked in the pool area... not cool!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
QM2 Prologue
The upcoming trip won't be be first meeting with Queen Mary 2. On Friday, April 23, 2004, she slowly sailed down the Hudson River, passing by my office. Those with window seats lined up by the windows and alerted everyone else in the office. I think it was Trista that got me as she had just taken pictures from outside with her camera phone. I quickly ran out with the department's outdated and underpowered 1.3 MP PowerShot A50 and was able to get some good shots as the gigantic ship passed by the park behind the Wiley office. Several helicopters were also circling the ship for security and they looked like tiny flies in comparison.
QM2 Stats
Length: 1,132 ft
Weight: 150,000 gross tons
Passengers: 2,620
Crew: 1,253
Top Speed: Approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph)
Power: 157,000 hp
Click here for my 2004 photos
Related: Cunard, Frommers.com
QM2 Stats
Length: 1,132 ft
Weight: 150,000 gross tons
Passengers: 2,620
Crew: 1,253
Top Speed: Approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph)
Power: 157,000 hp
Click here for my 2004 photos
Related: Cunard, Frommers.com
Sunday, April 6, 2008
NOTE: Camera Date Error
My cousin, Rosemarie noticed that the dates in my Picasa Web albums are wrong. So I just looked at the date/time settings on my camera and it was off by 1 year & 1 day. For example, Andy's Wedding was on 3/29/2008, but the meta data from my camera says 3/30/2007. For all of the photos on this blog, please go by the Picasa Web album date and not the meta data date (which can't be corrected). I always label the albums with the date of occurrence even if I'm uploading the photos days after. I just corrected the camera settings so all future uploads will be correct and match up with the album date as well.
Thanks, Rosemarie!
Thanks, Rosemarie!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
About DVDeals
So far I've been posting entries randomly, so I wanted to come up with something I could write on a regular basis. Each week, I check the local circulars for new DVD releases, so I'll give that a shot. Sometime during the weekend, I will post my DVD recommendations for new releases coming out on Tuesdays and any older titles that are on sale for the week.
Life Cycle of a Movie
These days, DVDs get released only a few months after a movie's theatrical showing. DVDs get released every Tuesday, which is the best time to buy them if they are must-haves. From Tuesday through Saturday of the release week, movies will cost around $12-15. The following week, they jump up to the normal price of $17-20. If you wait a little under a year, they drop to discounted prices... $5-12.
Life Cycle of a Movie
These days, DVDs get released only a few months after a movie's theatrical showing. DVDs get released every Tuesday, which is the best time to buy them if they are must-haves. From Tuesday through Saturday of the release week, movies will cost around $12-15. The following week, they jump up to the normal price of $17-20. If you wait a little under a year, they drop to discounted prices... $5-12.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
About Video Game Ratings
Category: These are the basic video game categories... RPG, action, adventure, fighting, shooter, sports, racing, etc.
POV: Either 3rd or 1st.
Graphics: 1-10 scale on graphics and animation, 10 being the best.
Controls: 1-10 scale on ease and responsiveness of controls, 10 being the easiest to control.
Difficulty: 1-10 scale on how easy/hard it is to learn the game, 10 being the hardest.
POV: Either 3rd or 1st.
Graphics: 1-10 scale on graphics and animation, 10 being the best.
Controls: 1-10 scale on ease and responsiveness of controls, 10 being the easiest to control.
Difficulty: 1-10 scale on how easy/hard it is to learn the game, 10 being the hardest.
About Movie Ratings
Story: Based on completeness of story, original ideas and holes (or lack of) in the plot.
Action: Martial arts, gun fights, car chases, war scenes, etc.
Acting: Quality of cast; Believability of how the actors portray the characters.
FX: Explosions, integration of CG, animation, audio etc.
Durability: My favorite movies are movies that I never tire of. So I created this category to display that. There are movies out there that are great when watched once, but then lose total value if watched again.
All categories will have a 0-10 rating, with 10 being the highest.
Action: Martial arts, gun fights, car chases, war scenes, etc.
Acting: Quality of cast; Believability of how the actors portray the characters.
FX: Explosions, integration of CG, animation, audio etc.
Durability: My favorite movies are movies that I never tire of. So I created this category to display that. There are movies out there that are great when watched once, but then lose total value if watched again.
All categories will have a 0-10 rating, with 10 being the highest.
About Flashbacks
"Flashbacks" are stories from my past that I want to share with the world. I will break them up into the following subcategories:
Wonder Years: These will be my childhood years going through high school. So it's basically anything in 1993 or before.
SCAD: From 1993-1997, I attended the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). So I'm naming this period after my school because anything that occurred during these 4 years was either while I was in school or on one of my extended breaks.
Golden Age: This subcategory is named after the "Golden Age" of the Internet... the Dotcom Era.
Wonder Years: These will be my childhood years going through high school. So it's basically anything in 1993 or before.
SCAD: From 1993-1997, I attended the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). So I'm naming this period after my school because anything that occurred during these 4 years was either while I was in school or on one of my extended breaks.
Golden Age: This subcategory is named after the "Golden Age" of the Internet... the Dotcom Era.
About Hotel Ratings
Rooms: The quality, condition and design of the rooms.
Service: This item rates the professionalism of the staff. Part of this is based on politeness and the other half knowledge & skill.
Value: This means "bang for buck" basically. It doesn't mean cheap or expensive. An expensive hotel that has great service and amenities can have a great value.
Amenities: Number and quality of amenities in the establishment.
Length of Stay: I think this is worthy of mention because more weight can be given to my opinions for longer stays.
Service: This item rates the professionalism of the staff. Part of this is based on politeness and the other half knowledge & skill.
Value: This means "bang for buck" basically. It doesn't mean cheap or expensive. An expensive hotel that has great service and amenities can have a great value.
Amenities: Number and quality of amenities in the establishment.
Length of Stay: I think this is worthy of mention because more weight can be given to my opinions for longer stays.
About Chinese Buffets
I'm probably going to start reviewing a number of Chinese buffets in Queens and this cuisine type is a little different, so it deserves a short intro.
Rating System
For the most part, the rating system is the same as my restaurant rating system, but I'm going to split up the food stat into the different types of food common to these restaurants. The majority of the food is Chinese. Japanese food will be rated on teriyaki and sushi. Italian food will be rated on pasta & pizza. Sometimes there's American food, but I won't rate those items because they're usually generic and people don't go to Chinese buffets to eat french fries and hot dogs... nor do I! Desserts will be rated separately as well as drinks.
Tips
1) All of the food is made to look good, but you won't necessarily feel good after you eat it. Take a little bit of everything on the first round, no matter how good it looks.
2) Don't overload your plate. Many of these places have penalties for wasting food.
3) Limit the fried items. The grease has a tendency to ruin your appetite for other stuff.
4) Don't be carnivorous! The meats look tempting, but you'll probably feel sick after eating too much. Alternate with some non-greasy veggies.
5) Eat slowly and take sips of tea between bites.
6) Pass on the soda. It's tempting because soda is great with Chinese food, but the carbon will limit your capacity.
Rating System
For the most part, the rating system is the same as my restaurant rating system, but I'm going to split up the food stat into the different types of food common to these restaurants. The majority of the food is Chinese. Japanese food will be rated on teriyaki and sushi. Italian food will be rated on pasta & pizza. Sometimes there's American food, but I won't rate those items because they're usually generic and people don't go to Chinese buffets to eat french fries and hot dogs... nor do I! Desserts will be rated separately as well as drinks.
Tips
1) All of the food is made to look good, but you won't necessarily feel good after you eat it. Take a little bit of everything on the first round, no matter how good it looks.
2) Don't overload your plate. Many of these places have penalties for wasting food.
3) Limit the fried items. The grease has a tendency to ruin your appetite for other stuff.
4) Don't be carnivorous! The meats look tempting, but you'll probably feel sick after eating too much. Alternate with some non-greasy veggies.
5) Eat slowly and take sips of tea between bites.
6) Pass on the soda. It's tempting because soda is great with Chinese food, but the carbon will limit your capacity.
About Frequency
I wanted to add a "frequency" rating to my restaurant and store reviews because I believe it adds a level of perspective to the other ratings. Many published reviews are based on a single visit by a writer. I think it's important to note which places I've visited once and which I go to all the time.
Unique: Only one visit.
Uncommon: About 2-3 visits or multiple visits, but spaced out by lots of time.
Common: Multiple visits with little spacing of time (multiple trips to the same place during a single vacation)
Frequent: Visited on a regular basis.
All the Time: Visited all the time.
Unique: Only one visit.
Uncommon: About 2-3 visits or multiple visits, but spaced out by lots of time.
Common: Multiple visits with little spacing of time (multiple trips to the same place during a single vacation)
Frequent: Visited on a regular basis.
All the Time: Visited all the time.
About Restaurant Ratings
Note: The category name is called "Restaurants and Eats" because I will be reviewing delis and food stands also.
Food: This rating is purely for taste. The healthiness of the food is not taken into consideration.
Service: This item rates the professionalism of the staff. Part of this is based on politeness and the other half knowledge & skill.
Value: This means "bang for buck" basically. It doesn't mean cheap or expensive. An expensive restaurant that has great food and portions can have a great value.
Environment: Deals with comfort, decor and amenities of restaurants. This will be omitted for food stands and street vendors.
Food: This rating is purely for taste. The healthiness of the food is not taken into consideration.
Service: This item rates the professionalism of the staff. Part of this is based on politeness and the other half knowledge & skill.
Value: This means "bang for buck" basically. It doesn't mean cheap or expensive. An expensive restaurant that has great food and portions can have a great value.
Environment: Deals with comfort, decor and amenities of restaurants. This will be omitted for food stands and street vendors.
About NY Local
In this category, my goal is promote NYC restaurants, stores and events. I'm going to concentrate mostly in the Flushing, Queens area since there's already a ton of information out there about Manhattan. For part of my childhood, I grew up with friends in Flushing and have lived there for about 6 years. I think it has some of the best restaurants in the world, yet it doesn't appear in many travel guides, not even as a side trip from Manhattan.
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