Let the Bodies Hit the Floor | Tragic Comedy

Damn it. After The Sims 2, I'm not ready for another glitch to ruin a game. Elder Scrolls IV has always been a little buggy, tending to lock up my Xbox when it gets too excited for instance. But now I've saved a glitch into the game and it can't be undone. Late in the fighter's guild quests is a mission where you need to discover a corpse in a cave to proceed. Trouble is, if you enter the cave early in the game as I did, the corpse will appear then, and corpses vanish after three days of game time, so it's gone by the time you need it in the quest. I was relieved to discover a patch, even if I would have to subscribe to Xbox Live to download it, until I read the disclaimer: The patch doesn't affect saved games in which the problem already occurred, only saves from before your first visit to the cave. Well shit, if I have to go back to before my first visit to the cave, what would the patch even achieve? That would require me to re-do two months of daily playing. So much for completing that leg of the game. Friggin' great.

Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

Game Over

On paper, Game Over doesn't look promising: A vulgar, video-game-themed cartoon series on UPN that only lasted five episodes. But I rented it anyway, and somehow it managed to be entertaining and smarter than it needed to be, but maybe that was just the low expectations kicking in. I think the key to the show is that it actually respected its characters and cared for them as a family unit, instead of using them as empty vessels for punchlines (latter-year The SImpsons) or treating them with unmistakable contempt (Family Guy). Go »

To the Victor Belongs the Spoils

If only I had $4000 to spare: Sopranos Pinball Go »

Rambling Phone Post

Does it make sense for me to keep my phone? Work has provided me with a cell phone. I broke my home phone last weekend, and I could buy another one at Target for ten bucks, but I wonder if I should finally kick the $45 monthly bill and stick to either the cell phone or something like Skype (for which I'd have to buy a mic). Go »

Only in the Web Era

Victim's cell phone is stolen on subway. Thief takes photos of his own wife, family, dog, and home. Cell phone automatically uploads them to victim's Flickr account. Go »

Shoulda Seen It Coming

The news that Princeton's infamous ESP research lab is soon to close (link) is both heartening and a little disappointing. On one hand, if there's anything at all to ESP, then skeptics should have no objection to private donations funding some bonafide scientific research into it – no harm done except for a hint of legitimacy. On the other hand, this lab was a black bruise for Princeton and its "findings" were routinely debunked, and a facility investigating exceptional claims must have exceptional adherence to scientific standards. Go »