Silvercublogger

“If we can connect in some tiny way with a human that doesn’t agree with us, then maybe we won’t blow up the planet.”

- Nancy White

Ready for some more “Brother”?

Big Brother 10 premieres July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network. The show will air three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), and Wednesdays at 8 p.m (live ET/delayed PT).

Of course, if you miss an episode, you can watch them all online, right here.

After many years of delivering beautiful music, especially trance, artist Oceanlab, which consists of Jonathan Grant, Tony McGuinness, Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamäki and mesmerizing vocalist Justine Suissa (who is the vocalist for songs like Satellite, Clear Blue Water, Breaking Ties, and many others) - is coming out with their debut album, set to be released July 21st.

By pre-ordering the CD, you will get a limited edition signed copy. I am very excited! Its about $17 US. For more info and music samples, click here.

Welcome to another installment of Blog Banter, involving Hawty McBloggy’s community responding to a topic - this month’s being:

Digital distribution of games vs. buying physical boxes and discs, which do you prefer and why?

I was attending a Halo 3 launch party in September, waiting anxiously for the clock to strike midnight. But at the same time, I was enjoying my time surrounded by gamers at my local Gamestop. What were we all waiting for? The Halo 3 disc of course.

How could we do that for a digital download? All of the fun in waiting for a video game would be gone. There would be no pretty box cover to look at while awaiting to open the disc, no instruction manual to look at…no special exclusive editions.

If all games were to be digitally distributed, we would miss out on all these things. But what if the disc were to be scratched, or if you were to misplace it, or even have your disc stolen? That’s when the digital copy would be preferred, as it would be safely stored in your hard drive.

But then you could not share the disc with a friend - instead you would have to bring over a memory card or hard drive and install it into their console.

There are pros and cons to both distributional means, and you have to decide for yourself what you would rather prefer. Spending $10 dollars on an arcade game through Xbox Live Marketplace is not too bad, but what if Microsoft started selling games for $50 on Marketplace?

Would people still buy the game? I can’t justify it - because I would not be able to sell the game, or trade it in for credit once I downloaded it. Plus, not everyone has access to internet to download digital games - therefore discs will be around for quite awhile.

For those that do have internet, perhaps if the companies allowed us to “trade in” a downloaded game for credit, it might be worth it, but for now, buying game discs is what I prefer and my bookshelf looks great because of it. : )

Check out these other Blog Banter articles! Living Epic, Silvercublogger, Mahogany Finish, Video Game Sandwich, thoughts and rants, weblog.probablynot.com, XboxOZ360, Zath!, Delayed Responsibility, Gamer Unit, Hawty McBloggy

Project Runway, an awesome reality TV show that pits designers in an epic contest to see who can create the best clothes, has been a tremendous hit over the last few years. Since its inception, Project Runway has been on the Bravo channel - however this season will be the last.

Due to a breach of contract, NBC, the owner of Bravo is filing a lawsuit against the producers of the show. Future seasons will be on Lifetime.

Season 5 starts on July 16 at 9pm EST on Bravo. : )

I went to Best Buy yesterday, and noticed this game:

For $29.99, you get three Xbox 360 games. Cars, a Disney video game that is not very good. The races are primarily the same, taking place mostly on desert levels. The controls are very “floaty”, and thus makes driving your car a pain.

Next there is Open Season, which is much more enjoyable to play as there are a variety of levels to keep you entertained. Some are fun, while others are boring. The graphics are quite decent, but after a few hours of playing, I was wishing it was a Care Bears game. Wonder why there is no Care Bears game yet for Xbox 360.

The last game in the pack is Fuzion Frenzy 2, which is not that bad. My favorite levels from the first game are back (Twisted System and Sumo Clash) and some new ones are added to the mix. The multiplier cards are a bit annoying, but they are only in Tournaments, so it did not bother me too much.

For the price, its worth getting this pack, plus you are supporting the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting positive programs and opportunities that will make a difference in the health, welfare and quality of life of America’s youth.

Summer is here I suppose. It’s 80 degrees outside, and my summer session of college starts today.

Besides getting an education, here’s my top 3 things I will be doing over the summer besides working on my blog and playing video games. Maybe you might do them too?

3. Make some videos on my YouTube Channel - while I have been making them for a few months now, Summer is always the best time for me to do these things. I seem to be getting better at making them : )

2. Spending more time on the Xbox.com forums - its generally a nice community on there without the drama. I like helping people, especially on the DDR forums.

1. Learn Spanish - this has been a goal of mine for quite some time now. I’ve only learned a few words so far, and I have taken out from the Library two Spanish books. In the fall, I will be taking a Spanish class.

“Acceptance is not a state of passivity or inaction. I am not saying you can’t change the world, right wrongs, or replace evil with good. Acceptance is, in fact, the first step to successful action. If you don’t fully accept a situation precisely the way it is, you will have difficulty changing it. Moreover, if you don’t fully accept the situation, you will never really know if the situation should be changed.”

- Peter McWilliams

When I was 12, roughly 8 years ago, I woke up in the morning just like usual. I put on my clothes, ate breakfast, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and went off to school. Things seemed normal until I felt something.

Something creeping up my entire body, becoming very tingly..

I felt it in my leg first, so I lifted up my pant leg and started scratching the tingly sensation which was itchy. I was wondering why I was itching so I decided to take a look at my leg. What I saw made me in shock.

Hundred of tiny bumps were on my legs, and I could see them spreading. I was panicked to an extreme state, and was scared to death.

My brother was nearby, so I quickly rushed over to him, explaining what I discovered. He told me to go home and get it checked out. I quickly told the supervisor that I was leaving and I ran home - (as it was only a few minutes away). While I was running, my legs felt so bizarre. They felt like itchy marshmallows. My entire body had this feeling.

I burst through the door, out of breath. I told the mother who was taking care of me at the time to look at my leg. She immediately looked, and her eyes widened. It almost seemed like they were going to explode out of her eye sockets. She told me to take a hot bath while she prepares to go out shopping. Shopping for medicine.

She already knew what I had. Hives.

Or at least that is what I was told I had.

When she came back, I got out of the bathtub. My body felt better.

I asked her, how did I get this?

She responded that she had switched chemical detergents, and you had a reaction to it.

I was happy she had an answer, and the medication, Benadryl, had a nice drowsy effect which deemed me unsuitable to be in school for a little while. Which was fine with me, since I despised the school I was in that year - dreadful 7th grade.

The detergent scared me. Chemicals scared me. Do we need them anyways? Just last night, my father did laundry and the clothes that came out of the dryer were still damp, yet he gave them to me anyways. It had that nice chemical smell, and all of the clothes felt weird on my body. Especially my pillow sheet. It was not just the smell, but the chemicals. It makes them feel weird on me. You can take a n undershirt, put it in water, and I will be fine wearing it.

If we don’t drink detergent, why do we use it on our clothes? We are wearing chemicals!

I’m going today to Whole Foods Market to get some organic detergent. That will make me feel better. Why? Because I switched to organic shampoo a few months ago, and it has made me feel better.

People, stop using chemicals, and start using organic products. What you use does affect you, even if you do not eat it.