Goodbye Steve.....

I just didn't know what to say......

That was my first thought when I got the news (on my iPhone) of Steve Jobs passing. The people who know me also know how I've come to respect over recent years Steve, and all of his products that Apple produced. I'm a Senior Windows Systems Engineer, and my world was built around Microsoft. I remember countless debates over the years with other Macheads about who had the better product, or who has the larger impact to the world. I was convinced that the only people who bought Apple products were elitist jerks who thought that they were somehow better because they spent more money on a computer or MP3 player.

Until my now wife bought me an iPod.

I couldn't believe how elegant it looked, how much music it could hold, and how fast it was. It was simple, and it just worked. I was sure that this would be the only Apple product that I would succumb to, and that Apple really had nothing more to offer me than this. But Steve Jobs changed my thinking, he changed my life and how I do things, he simply changed the world. I realized that Steve Jobs drive to make our lives better was the very reason that changed my mind. It wasn't about a quick turn of profits or to push Apple's stock to its highest. It was simply to change the world and how we do things. I realized that if he built a better computer, a better phone, a better tablet, that other companies would have to play catch up and it would push technology. It would make the world better!

Now the owner of several Apple products..... I get it now.

Thank you Steve Jobs!

I will miss you....

Dungeon & Dragons creator dies at 69

Thanks to Dueling Analogs for this great comic and post.

Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and father of the role-playing game, passed away yesterday. Without Gygax's brilliance games like Final Fantasy, Dragonquest and World of Warcraft would have never existed. Dungeons & Dragons is the true foundation of all modern role-playing games. So thank you Gary. Without you our gaming world would have been a lot less fun.

For this comic, I decided to go for true D&D joke. In fact, a friend of mine who has forgotten more about D&D than I've ever learned was like "huh... I didn't know that" after I explained it.

So why was it ironic that Satan was using the 2nd Edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rulebook? Because all mentions of demons and devils were removed from this edition to appease Christian zealots who were attacking D&D for Satan worshiping and such at the time. And now you know.

Ernest Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

Batman Set To Die In Issue #676

I'm not sure why DC Comics deiced to go this avenue with a corner stone franchise such as Batman, but they've made the decision to kill him off.

That's right!

Batman is set to die in issue #676 call "Batman R.I.P.", which will obviously be a huge seller. Going the way that Captain America did last year, and Superman back in the late 90's. Check the quote:

"Beginning the epic story that will change the legend of the Dark Knight forever! Everything in Grant Morrison’s groundbreaking run on Batman has been leading to this story, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Who will live? Who will die? Who will be Batman? The answers are sure to shock you in “Batman R.I.P.,” featuring artwork by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea and covers by Alex Ross."

I know that a death of a super hero in a comic is like Roger Clemens retiring, it doesn't last very long. But the whole killing off a super hero has gotten old, and considering that Batman is human, it will be a lot harder explaining his return than some others. Bringing him back would somehow cheapen the whole thing, and certainly have less of an impact than if Bruce Wayne really was dead.

But Batman is Bruce Wayne, and Bruce Wayne is Batman.

How can some other character play Batman, and it still be believable? I guess I just have to read it, just like they wanted me to in the first place.

Variant cover for Batman #676 [Comic Bloc via Crunchgear]

Star Trek Coffin: Geek Dirt Nap Never Looked So Good

I'm sorry, this is the funniest thing I've seen in some time.

I can't seem to convince my wife to stick my butt into this when I head to the final frontier, but geeks everywhere can give their corpse the Star Trek treatment. This casket is based off the 'Photon Torpedo' design from 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan', and is created by Eternal Image. The piano black coffin has the Federation insignia inside, and handles to carry your geek ass to where all men will go before.

[Eternal Image via Gizmodo]

NASA pisses me off again!

Once again, NASA has found another GLARING problem for the upcoming launch of Endeavor. Apparently their was a cabin leak that could depressurize the craft and kill everyone; again.
Am I glad the found it before launch on August 7th? Yes; but this is like the fourth or fifth MAJOR discovery of errors that would have killed everyone. There is no way (if I were an Astronaut) that I'd EVER fly in that thing! Read more and lose confidence in NASA.