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The Legend of I04
The Man Behind The Legend
Voter's Choice: Game of the Year
posted by Kromebear30
The fans have chosen! This year's Fan Choice BAMF for Game of the Year goes to Batman: Arkham Asylum! The vote was again very close between Batman and Assassin's Creed 2, but Batman pulled ahead with 57% of the vote.
1 comment: posted at 5:59 PM
posted by Fuzunga
You can now find us on several different blog directories. As we add more, little buttons will start to appear in the sidebar. The main one at the moment is Blogged. Go visit our page and give us a review to boost our rating!
No comments: posted at 10:36 PM Categories: site news
February is Music Month
Why? Because I've been told we need more music coverage (personally, I think it's more the tv/movie aspect we should beef up) so I'm making more music posts, effective immediately, by officially kicking off Music Month here at Installation 04. For February we'll be doing all sorts of music-related stuff, but let us know what kind of regular musical features you all want to see in the comments below. Besides that, makes sure to check out the poll on in the sidebar.
No comments: posted at 8:00 PM Categories: site news
THE 600TH POST
Well, this is interesting...
And what a 600th post that was...
No comments: posted at 4:02 PM Categories: videos
Star Wars Druken Jedi Master
This is one of the funniest clips I've seen in a while. Enjoy!
1 comment: posted at 12:52 PM
Review: Borderlands
Having played Borderlands with all four characters for quite a good number of hours, I finally feel I can properly review it. The last game developed by Gearbox Software was Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, the series the company is known for. Like Obsidian, Gearbox is more known for its ports of games such as Halo for the PC, Half Life for some consoles, and for sequels to series nobody wants to continue such as Counter-Strike. Frankly, I wasn't expecting too much from Borderlands, but if you haven't gotten the idea from us giving Borderlands our Best Offering Of The Year award, it's pretty good.
More stuffs »
3 comments: posted at 8:52 PM Categories: games, reviews
The BAMF Awards!
A brief note - the BAMF Awards apply only to game that I have had ample hands on experience with. This year the only notable exception is Uncharted 2. Before the PS3 Fanboys flame up the site, you wouldn't want me to include Uncharted 2 anyway, because friends tell me it's the same-old same-old as the first game but with better visuals.
Best Shooter - Borderlands
Some might consider this an upset considering Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 ODST both came out this year; however, neither game presented anything new or groundbreaking. Borderlands, on the other hand, took massive leaps forward in the shooting world. It created a fast-pace frenzy of firing filled with gun lust and gore galore. It has redefined the RPG and Shooter. Modern Warfare 2 comes in second place, largely because Modern Warfare 2 is short. Unlike Halo 3 ODST, Modern Warfare 2's short length isn't a problem because the game is non-stop action and well-made the entire way.
Best Graphics - Batman: Arkham Asylum
On the PS3, the Graphics for this game blew my mind. It was Batman come to life, and unlike Uncharted 2 where graphics are the game, in Batman the creators made graphics a fantastic complement to the game. I also love attention to small details, and in Batman everything is done right. Every chair has the wood marks/lines, every floor has each square perfectly detailed, and even Batman's suit retains any battle scars you get throughout the game. All I can say is...WOW!
Best RPG (games like Borderlands don't count) - Dragon Age: Origins
I didn't play this game too much since I only rented it, but it reminded me of KOTOR 1 and 2. No surprise given the maker. Head to head against Borderlands, Borderlands wins out, but I feel that Dragon Age: Origins is a true return to the lore-filled RPG. As an aside, if you want a fun RPG, check out Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (it's along the lines of a Baldur's Gate type game).
Best Music - Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits
Is it cheap giving best music to a music game? Why yes, yes it is. If I was a massive Beetles fan the Rockband game would have won.
Most Addicting - Ratchet Clank Future: A Crack in Time
It's predecessor (Ratchet Clank Future 1) returned my attention to the series, and while this game is more of the same as the first future, it still rocks. The crazy weapon names, humor, and massive destruction keep you entertained for hours. Honorable mentions in this category go to the juggernauts (Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Borderlands).
Best Co-Op - Borderlands
This is the Co-Op from my dreams! You play the actual game, but with other people! It is like World of Warcraft collides with Halo 1 and Call of Duty into a massively fun adventure.
Best Online/Multiplayer - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
While Modern Warfare 1's online play was waaayyyy better, Modern Warfare 2 lucks out in that it is the only real online game to have come out. Game-wise, this game has received a lot of hatred that I don't find justified. The single-player is very intense and you will love it. The Challenges are also fun. The integration of cutscenes with gameplay is also an innovation, but one that was out-shadowed by Assassin's Creed 2 similar interwinding.
Best Action - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
For me, an action game is about non-stop killing. Borderlands won Best Shooter so I won't give it best Action, and I consider Batman more of a detective/stealth with combat mixed in. Assassin's Creed 2 is a game where the combat is a bit repetitive and focuses more on cool acrobatics. That left me with few choices I considered as a true action game. Then it hit me: Modern Warfare 2. The game isn't all shooting; it is a suspense ride with plot twists and cool cinematic scenes built into the story. It even has a few surprises in game.
Best Adventure (TIE) - Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum
Are these games adventure games? Well, they each take you on a journey. They each involve puzzle challenges and learning more about yourself on the journey. Each has an arch-foe, and each has an internal struggle. If it sounds like an Odyssey it's an adventure game in my book, and both of these take the cake.
Best Fighting (TIE)- Street Fighter IV, Punch-Out!!!
While Street Fighter IV is a fun game, it is very challenging and the controls are hard to learn for an American Boy. So, I give it a tie with a game that is often over-looked and doesn't get the loving it needs: Punch-Out for the Wii. Punch-Out is plain fun. Using the Wii-Fit Board, I get to dodge, dip, punch, jab, jump, everything. It captured what drew me to Fight Night Round 3 as well as the soul and animation of Mike Tyson's original. You'll have a hell of a good time with Punch-Out.
Best Sports Game - Madden NFL 10
As a sports guru I take this category very seriously. While the new FIFA game gave Madden a run for it's money, Madden 10 wins the award because it saved the series. Since 2005, Madden games have been getting worse and worse. Madden '09 was an atrocity. Nay, it was an abomination. 10 saves the series and takes it back to the best in the series, Madden 2005. While not as good as Madden 2005, 10 is a sign that the series is back on the right path.
Most Challenging - Demon's Souls
I did not play it, but tales of its difficulty are legendary. It ranks up there with the first Xbox Ninja Gaiden.
Best Strategy - Halo Wars
Another one I didn't play, but given the Age of Empires history and high reviews, I can sit back and agree.
Best Cutscenes - Halo Wars [and Uncharted 2]
Again, I said Uncharted 2 wouldn't be mentioned, but I have heard that when it comes to cutscenes this game blows everyone out of the water. I'd also like to mention Assassin's Creed 2, because cutscenes fit flawlessly into the game and created a narrative that seemed to continue without pause. All in all, after youtubing the cutscenes, the Halo Wars cutscenes were epic. To win this BAMF, epicness is a req.
Most Underrated - The Conduit
Asking youself what is this game? A Wii Shooter that rivals Halo 1. Yes, it rivals Halo 1. For more info, check the archives over at Installation 04.
Best Wii Game - Madworld
Alright, so everyone loved Mario Brothers Wii. I found it boring alone. It's the same exact thing as the DS one, only now with Yoshi's. Oh, and the Koopa Kids return. Big Whoop. I still don't get their relation to Bowser. Anyway, the game is boring. Madworld, on the other hand, is just plain crazy. I only rented this game and was blown away by the sheer insanity of this game. It's like the Gears of War Chainsaw meets, well, whatever goes on in Rorshach's head.
Best Sequel - Assassin's Creed 2
Some sequels were solid and did more of the same, like Modern Warfare 2 or Ratchet Clank Future 2. Assassin's Creed 2, on the other hand, did what X-Men 2 did and it raised the bar. Not only did it fix all the flaws of the first game, but it also took the game to new depths and combined Ubisoft's best work (Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell) into a game for the ages. The storyline is also one that keeps you on edge.
Best Game Based on a Movie (TIE) - Ghostbusters, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Oh noes! Games based on movies! Well, both games are among the 20 best games this year in my book. Both are fun and highly entertaining. Both are solid 8s and are cheap now given the infamous nature of movie games. Wolverine is a BAMF after all, so he was also due for a BAMF Award.
The Byestander (aka Most Overrated) - Halo 3 ODST
You can read my review on this, but it's time that Bungie stops getting a pass. Halo 1 was years ago, and since Halo 1 each Halo game gets worse and worse. 3 was slightly better, but still fit along with the downward trend. Halo 3: ODST was very short, not at all challenging for a Halo Vet, the graphics sucked, and the game wasn't even fun until the end. It was rather boring watching your team-mates do everything. The only good point was that the game had massive potential and a very creative story. Never again will I let Microsoft rob me blind.
The Pussy Dishonor Award for Worst Game - Watchmen: The End is Nigh
What a shitty game. Not only is it an outdated street fighter type game from the SNES days, but it is also bad at it. The combat is lame. The enemies are lame. And the graphics are too dark to see anything. Epic Fail!
The Pussy Dishonor Award for Worst Sequel - Resident Evil 5
Huh? I can't run AND shoot like in every game in existence since the PS2 hit? WTF! FAIL!
The Pussy Dishonor for Outdated Cutscene Graphics - Halo 3: ODST
Besides the very strange facial expressions, the cutscenes looked 4 years in the past. In fact, it looks worse than Halo 3's cutscene graphics. Even Watchmen had way better graphics. C'mon Bungie, get with the program here.
3rd Place Game of the Year BAMF - Borderlands
Let me be clear: in terms of fun and replay value Borderlands is, without a doubt, game of the year. The game could have won well over 75% of the BAMFs on this page. This is a game I will still be playing years to come. My only problem is that for Game of the Year, I look towards fun, but more importantly a game that you will remember years to come (even if you don't play it again). For example, I still remember Bioshock and hold it dearly. When the dust settles, I will remember this game as fun, but there is nothing story-wise to latch on to.
The Dirty Harold's Assistant (2nd Place) - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Honestly, this and Assassin's Creed 2 are equal. Both games are nearly perfect. The only flaws are the boss battles against Killer Croc, and especially irritating, the last boss battle against Joker. What lame boss fights. Anyway, the Scarecrow fights in this game will give me chills for years, and the storyline was the best story-line of any game since Bioshock.
The Dirty Harold (Game of the Year) - Assassin's Creed 2
So why did Assassin's Creed 2 win over Batman? I'm a history guy, and I loved the historical fictions and truths weaved into the game. The Truth segment was also the most incredible moment of any game this year. Like I said, this and Batman are on even footing.
2 comments: posted at 9:20 PM
BAMF Awards: Coming Soon!
Our partner site, Installation 04, gives out the BOOTY Awards every year. It is a compilation of the best games the past year. To honor them, and because every video game review site needs them, we now unveil the Cutting Edge's BAMF Awards!!!!
For those of you who don't know, a BAMF in slang is a bad-ass mother f%*#er! For example, see Shaft. A BAMF can also refer to a female who kicks some ass, like the fictional Kasumi (Dead or Alive IV) or the real-life Torrie Wilson.
Anyway, for the purposes of this website (for those of you who are still reading instead of looking at the picture), a BAMF Award goes to the game that is the best in a category. The categories are: Best Shooter, Best Graphics, Best Music, Most Addicting, Best Co-Op, Best Online, Best RPG, Best Action (includes stealth games), Best Adventure, Most Under-rated Game, and lastly, Best Cutscenes. Then, a special BAMF, called The Dirty Harold, is given to the Game of the Year (the Super BAMF Award!). 2nd and 3rd place Games of the Year will also be announced; they receive 2nd Best BAMF and 3rd Best BAMF.
Like everything in life, for every positive there is a negative. So what is the opposite of a BAMF? A pussy [cat]. The pussy [cat] dishonors go to the Worst Game of the Year and Worst Sequel of the year. The Byestander Award goes to the 1 game who doesn't fit in with the BAMFs or pussies (err I mean pussy cats). It is the byestander; the byestander award goes to the Most Overrated Game of the Year! Enjoy!!!
Street Fighter IV Game Review
I am not a fan of the Street Fighter Series. I played Street Fighter II, arguably the best one, many times at a friend's house back in the day. Every round went the same: I picked Blanka, got my ass kicked as I aimlessly mashed controls, and stopped playing after a few rounds. So what compelled me to get Street Fighter IV given my hatred of the Japanese Fighting game? It was on sale at a Blockbuster going out of business. And so we come to the fabled bad news, good news scenario. The bad news is I still suck; the Japanese have a way of making very complicated fighting games with no tutorials. The good news is that, partially thanks to extremely very very easy mode (that's not the actual name but you get it), I love this game! Now for the review:
First, the fighting mechanics. The fighting mechanics are awesome and still complicated, by now with the 360's dual-axis set-up, a lot less complicated than the time I played Street Fighter II. I play as Ryu who is fairly easy to learn, and my only complaint is that every time I try to do an Ultimate Attack, my character jumps in the air or shoots the same fireball out. Alas, this is a noob problem, but, the fighting is fast pace and fun enough that it got this noob to play for hours and even look at some tutorials online to get better!
Second, the difficulty. Even playing on very easy the last two opponents in the "classic" mode are hard and very cheap. The last both, Seth, is the cheapest I have seen in all my 14+ years of gaming. He has one attack that sucks you on and is instant death. So why even bother? Well, when bashing buttons leads to victory you feel very accomplished. In fact, I can proudly say I now win 3 of 4 matches. There is joy in the struggle, but it's one that would be less difficult if the game had a tutorial in it (or my game's manual wasn't missing)
Third, the graphics. Love them. Fantastic! Brilliant! It is cartoony and serious, bringing the street fighter game to life in a dazzling way. If any IGN'ers are reading this, they probably give the game a 9 or 10 on this section alone.
Fourth (and last) characters, arenas, and modes. The game offers many modes from do-it yourself training, to classic, to online, death match, etc. The campaign (or classic) also has cool anime cutscenes that make no sense, but are nice anyway. The characters are all quirky, unique, and I'm drawn to them. There are also many characters to unlock so you can get a solid amount of gametime out of this baby. The fighting arenas are all over the world and each have their own cool thing (one arena is a drive-in movie and teenagers are flipping cars and going wild over the fight). the music is sweet too.
Outside of the Super Smash Brothers Series, the only fighting game I was ever able to get into was Dead or Alive 4. Well folks, add Street Fighter IV to the list. Maybe it's a coincidence that both end in IV, or maybe I'm just older, but I thoroughly enjoy this game besides sucking tremendously.
Final Score: 8
The game gets an 8 because it is in dire need of a meaningful tutorial or else noobs like me will stay noobs and play this game once in a while once all the flare leaves.
Game of the Year Poll
The poll results are in and a run-off is required:
Batman Arkham Asylum and Assassin's Creed 2 tied in most votes, with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 in 3rd. A run-off between Batman and Assassin has been posted up so start voting!
No comments: posted at 9:57 AM
Resident Evil 5: Among the Worst Games Ever
After I review a game I usually see where IGN places the game. Just like Uncharted 1, IGN gives this game a 9.5.....WTF? A 9.5 FOR A GAME WHERE YOU CAN'T SHOOT AND MOVE?! So I scanned for the reason. Oh wait, hmm, so awesome graphics now give a game a 9.5. They must have given Transformers 2 a 10 for the robots while the rest of the world cringed in horror. Horror leads us to this review of a horror game, which was horrifying to play. Yes, the graphics are pretty but the train stops there. My guy moves to slowly and my knife doesn't extend out far enough to kill anyone. Then, when I manage to run away and start shooting, in about 5 seconds enemies swarm me again because I can't move while shooting. Oh, and forget about cover; zombies come up from behind you to. To top it off, headshots don't kill zombies......they messed up the lore on that one.
Basically you spend the entire game seeing a well-done cutscene, being swarmed by at least 20 zombies and maybe a boss, running away from them, shooting for 5 seconds, and repeating until you die or run out of ammo. If you run out of ammo the fun begins: staying in place knifing; but wait, your knife extends about 2 inches from you so is ineffective at killing enemies until they are close enough to kill you.
While graphics are nice substance counts; the combat mechanics are a fail like this game.
Final Rank: 4.5
This game gets a 4.5 only because story, characters, and the game itself look nice; everything else is a doomsday scenario. Well, at least this Resident Evil 5 truly does horrify the player because it sucks.
So there's this website called formspring.me. It's so new, it doesn't even have a wiki page yet! The concept seems simple enough: you type a question and the user responds. So I figured since our e-mail never gets any hits, I would remove it and add up one of these instead. Now you can use the handy box in the sidebar under "Questions or Comments?" (colored brightly to catch your attention) to ask us a question or leave a comment. You don't even need a formspring account to do so! If it catches on, we'll pick our favorites every so often and publish them on the site here. I realize that it's my account and not the site's, but it'll do for now. So, ask us anything!
UPDATE: Fixed it. Now it belongs to the site.
Resident Evil 5 Preview
Alright so I got this game at a Blockbuster's out of business sale. This post is completely useless except for some foreshadow: the game sucks. I have been known to jump the gun on games, but I understand that games tend to start out slowly. This game is different, the shooting mechanics are all screwed up. I hated Fallout 3 because of VATs but I could at least play the game how I wanted; I had a love/hate relationship with Uncharted 1 but hated it because the shooting was bizarre (the enemies could dodge point blank bullets!), but again, at least I could play how I wanted. This game is completely different. I can't play how I want. Why? Well.........I CAN'T KILL 10 zombies, a sub-boss, and a boss at the same time if:
A) Headshots don't kill them, hence I waste the 10 ammo rounds I get
[MOST IMPORTANTLY] B) I HAVE TO STAND STILL TO SHOOT! WTF?!
C) My guy moves slower than a dead person (pun intended)
Review, or more like slaughter, to come soon (if I can bear to play this game again).
2 comments: posted at 1:07 AM
Installation04 BOOTYs '09 Edition
Welcome to the Installation 04 BOOTYs '09 (in '10)! The reason we're posting this 21 days into the new year is that, well, it took me a while to play all those games from last year and once I did it took me a while to decide what game was deserving enough to be the Golden BOOTY of '09. (For those of you who are new, BOOTY doesn't come from nowhere. It stands for Best Offering(s) Of The Year.) This year was a hard fought battle between Borderlands and Arkham Asylum. Nothing else I played last year came close to the excellence of those two. But who will come out on top? Read on to find out.
1 comment: posted at 10:56 PM Categories: awards, games
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach
The long awaited and much anticipated third album from "fictional" band Gorillaz is finally due out March 8th and the band is finally delivering the goods. First and foremost is the track list:
"Orchestral Intro"
"Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
"White Flag" (featuring Kano and Bashy)
"Rhinestone Eyes"
"Stylo" (featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
"Superfast Jellyfish" (featuring Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
"Empire Ants" (featuring Little Dragon)
"Glitter Freeze" (featuring Mark E Smith)
"Some Kind of Nature" (featuring Lou Reed)
"On Melancholy Hill"
"Broken"
"Sweepstakes" (featuring Mos Def and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
"Plastic Beach" (featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon)
"To Binge" (featuring Little Dragon)
"Cloud of Unknowing" (featuring Bobby Womack)
"Pirate Jet"
A very interesting list of collaborates this time around. I've been following the album's progress and am wondering a few things, namely where some of the guests have disappeared to that had been working on songs for the album. Cut I suppose? Perhaps we'll see them on another "B-Sides" or "D-Sides" type album after the release of Plastic Beach. My biggest question is what happened to 'Electric Shock'? De La Soul was to be featured on it. We do know that the other two demos released way back will be featured on the final CD. For the album version of 'Stylo' released today, hit the break.
1 comment: posted at 4:27 PM Categories: music, news, videos
Ghostbusters: Game Review
I know it's a couple of months dated but I just had a chance to play through the game. So here we go:
Ghostbusters (PS3 / Xbox 360)
Disclaimer: If you are a huge Ghostbusters fan like myself, stop reading the review and buy it right now! As a huge fan of the movies, I loved the story, laughed a lot, and enjoyed every minute of this game!!!!
To you non-Ghostbusters fans, then more about the game. You play as a young ghostbuster and go around zapping ghosts and saving NYC. You even fight a few familiar foes from the movies! The graphics are awesome and it's a 3rd person shooter in disguise. The flaws are that the story, at times, gets hard to follow because they mess up at explaining in the beginning (this gets fixed later). The only other flaw that really ticked me off was that sometimes the Ghostbusters get stuck, and if you run ahead of them which I did all the time the game won't let you advance. So you sit around frustrated until you realize that maybe you should stick with the ghostbusters. Then you spend minutes hitting them with your lasers and everything you got so they move again. Despite that big flaw, the game provides a solid 4-6 hours of fun. Yes, the game is on the short-end, but I bought the game for $10 so considering that you can probably buy the game at a max of $30 that isn't a problem.
Conclusion: You can't go wrong if you like ghosts, shooters, comedy, or the movies. After playing blockbusters like Batman Arkham Asylum, Borderlands, and Assassin's Creed 2, I still found this game highly entertaining. It's a solid 8.
4 comments: posted at 11:22 AM
Newsflash! Here's some changes you should be aware of:
RaiderBear30 is now KromeBear30
KromeBear30 now has his own corner: The Cutting Edge
This site is an annex of our site
It focuses on reviews and the like solely by KromeBear
You can find his content there from now on
There is now a feed from The Cutting Edge in the sidebar
To get to The Cutting Edge, click on a news story in the feed, or on KromeBear's name in the sidebar
The header I made for his page is nicer than the one for the main page
This brings me back to the days of Gameweb: Viewpoint, a Gameweb page dedicated only to reviews. Not that any of our readers will have any idea what I'm talking about... Anyway, hope you enjoy the new page! The two of us have a strange history of merging our sites together and separating them. Hopefully, this time it'll stick for good!
6 comments: posted at 8:23 PM Categories: site news
This isn't that shocking for those of you who know me, but we've annexed ourselves to Installation4, a site that dedicates itself to video game news, previews, discussions, etc. The site is http://installation4.blogspot.com/ I will also add a link in the lower right corner
No comments: posted at 12:03 PM
Metroid Mystery Solved
So, I'm sure you've played a little game called Smash Bros. Brawl by now and chances are you've probably also played on the Frigate Orpheon stage from Metroid Prime. And if you've played on that stage you've probably heard the awesome Metroid Prime theme that plays in the background. Well, awesome except for one thing: that incredibly lame narrator guy at the beginning. Since the game's release, fans have been wondering why Nintendo nerfed the song with with that incredibly unnecessary narrator. I have stumbled across the answer. Here is the song as it appears in Brawl:
Hit the break to see where that damned narration came from!
2 comments: posted at 1:00 AM Categories: stuff, videos
Lightning Round Reviews
In the "Lightning Round Review" section I will give a quick break-down of multiple games. In this first section I will quickly touch on the games I played over the break:
1.) Assassin's Creed 2 [Xbox 360] Rank: 9.5
Ubisoft hit a grandslam with this one; unlike its predecessor the game does not get repetitive. In fact, you are constantly moving. It's the same great action, fantastic story, and mind-blowing "The Truth". Well worth the money; only flaw is that the combat gets dull by the end, but the game makes up for it with the Assassin's Tombs missions which remind me a lot of Prince of Persia. This game is so good I've made Etzio, the hero, my new alter-ego
2.) Batman: Arkham Asylum [PS3] Rank: 9.5
I really wanted to give this game a 10, but the only flaw in the game is that while the boss fights are memorable, all but two are also meaningful. To be specific, I'm referring to the Joker and Killer Croc boss fights as the memorable but not meangingful battles (especially the final battle against the Joker, true to the name what a joke). They are fun and unique, but when you play through you'll see why the two fights let me down. Other than that Batman is a perfect game all around. A+ graphics, A+ flawless combat, A+ stealth and action mix, A+ everything. For you MGS fans, the Scarecrow fights will blow your mind and bring flashbacks to Psycho Mantis. A MUST BUY!!!
3.) Borderlands [Xbox 360] Rank: 9; Co-Op Rank: 9
This is how I imagined Fallout 3 was going to be! The game is a very fun RPG-shooter mix and the co-op is the best I've seen for any shooter since Halo (the original). In fact, it may be better. Towards the end the side-quests tend to be more like chores, but my favorite part of this game is traveling through Pandora raiding Bandit outposts and monster hovels.
4.) Halo 3 ODST [Xbox 360] Rank: 6.5
A lot of people disagree with me on this one but here's the deal: I beat the game in 1 night playing for 4 hours, clocking this game shorter than the original Riddick (Butcher Bay). The story is very creative/innovative, but the fighting is boring same old same old until the very last combat action sequence of the game. At the time, I entered the last battle thinking "Wow, the game is starting to get really amazing; it reminds me of the first Halo!" only to learn that was the last battle. That's right folks, the only good part of the game is at the end. If this game were $30 or $40, I'd say go for it; but at $60, I feel like Microsoft and the B-Crew committed armed robbery.
5.) New Super Mario Brothers Wii [Wii] Rank: 7; Co-Op Rank: 8
Well here's the problem: it's exactly like the NDS game. Sure, the co-op is awesome. I love seeing Yoshi and the Koopa Kids return, but the game is boring. I find myself getting through three or four levels with extreme ease and getting bored. Once I hit five levels I'm done. Oh, and did I mention the levels are very short? The game itself is fun for those three levels, and I appreciate Nintendo extending the classic side-scroller remake once more; however, I find the game a lot more fun and challenging when I play it with my five year old sister. If you love Mario, like I do, or have someone to play it, then buy it. At $50, you'll break just about even as a solo player in satisfaction terms.
Jewels, Cheats, and Champions
Hey all! In this post I will briefly mention the 3 most under-rated, most over-rated, and then greatest games of all time. If you haven't checked them out I suggest you do.
3 Most Under-rated:
3rd Place = Klonoa 2 (PS2). This game is a classic adventure that brings back memories from child-hood games. The game relies on good old fashion side-scrolling platform fun. The game tested your wit, jumping/timing skills, and combat through over fifty whacky worlds. Loads of fun. My Rating: 8
2nd Place = MGS 2 (PS2). Maybe this game isn't really under-rated because everyone knows about it, but it doesn't get the credit it deserves because you play as Raiden. Regardless, the plot blew my mind and the gameplay was a big step up from MGS 1, as were the graphics. My Rating: 8
1st Place = Dragon Quest VIII (PS2). No one state side has heard of or played this game but me, but it is the best RPG I have ever played. Yes, better even than the fabled Final Fantasy VII. It is a world like DBZ (drawings are by Toriyama himself) filled with awesome creatures and very fast pace (despite turn-based) combat. The story is touching and orchestra music rivals Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My Rating: 10
3 most Over-Rated:
3rd Place: Half-Life 2 (PC / Xbox 360). It was good, but really guys? This game was given the best game of the decade award by pollsters. What makes it so special? To me it seems like an above average shooter. Yeah, it's fun, but I'd give it an 8, not over 9000.
2nd Place: Uncharted - Drake's Fortune (PS3). Graphics awesome, Story Line awesome, everything else...not so much. Enemies could dodge bullets at point blank, and the premise of the combat was fill a room with as many enemies as possible, give you shitty guns, and make enemies impossible to kill. I gave it a 6.5 (lasting impression), 7 first impression; boy was I surprised it got a 9 by Gameinformer. Honestly, play it. After the first few combat sequences you will see what I mean.
1st Place: Fallout 3 (Xbox 360/PC/PS3). Let me make this clear - I hated the VAT System. If I buy a game that looks like a shooter I want it to be a shooter. I don't want the game to punish me for making my own shots. This game could have been fantastic, but the inability to play without VATS (which I did and got a painful experience) drag this game down to a 7.
3 Best Games of All Time (these games need no build up except 3rd place)
3rd Place: Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)......I'm telling you, it's good! My Rating: 10
2nd Place: Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) My Rating: 10
1st Place: Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time (N64) My Rating: 10
Welcome to The Cutting Edge! Today is our inaugural day, and those of you reading this have the honor of reading our very first post! As the URL suggests, this website is dedicated to video game reviews. I feel that many of the mainstream reviews like IGN and Gameinformer have sold out to some big companies; by this I mean that games whose companies advertise with the reviewer are given more favorable reviews and are over-hyped. The purpose of this website is to give an opinion from an outsider with no agenda but to share his thoughts.
My review system is fairly harsh and goes as follows:
10 = a perfect game; this are few and very rare
9.5 = a game this is nearly perfect but is missing that extra special something or has a minor flaw
9 = an excellent game; the best of the best. Not perfect but a must-buy.
8 = a very good game that will be loads of fun; still a must buy
7.5 = a game that is fun but has room for improvement; just at the cusp of must-buys.
7 = a decent game; some parts are fun and others have flaws. Wait for price-drop.
6 = an average game; you get what you pay for. Wait for price-drop or just rent.
5 = a below average game; the game may still be enjoyable but is frustrating. Rent first.
4 = the first category of bad games, these games are bad. A 4 has some parts that make it okay
1-3= not much separates these horrible games; 1s are the worst and 3s are slightly better
As you can see, with my review system you should buy anything within the 8 to 10 category A.S.A.P. If you have the money go for a 7.5 as well. A 5 - 7 game deserves waiting for a pice drop or renting first. If you want laughs, rent a 1 - 4 game but know that the game will suck.
Hope you all enjoy the first post. The next post will be the 3 games I view as the most over-rated of all time, the 3 most under-rated of all time (also known as jewels that you should check out), and the 3 best games of all time. After that I will move on to some game reviews from 2009s greatest hits!
No comments: posted at 3:16 PM
Movie Review: Daybreakers
Daybreakers is a vampire movie with an interesting plot concept. In this film vampires are the prominent species on earth. Humans have nearly gone extinct, and are harvested for their blood in order to feed the large vampire population. However, a problem arises when the vampires start running out of humans to extract blood from. This long period of blood deprivation starts to cause vampires to transform into extremely violent feral monstrosities.
Now, faced with this dilemma, the main character of the story Edward Dolton tries to formulate a blood substitute which would satisfy the vampires blood cravings. In addition it is important to note Edward is different from most Vampires, and pities the humans. He ultimately hopes that his substitute will eliminate the need to hunt humans so that perhaps humans and vampires will be able to coexist peacefully. Edward later on encounters a group of humans which show him that there is in fact a cure for vampirism, despite what everyone else believes. The rest of the movie involves Edward trying to harness the cure and regain his humanity, while trying to hide from a group of elitist vampires who fear the idea of a cure.
No comments: posted at 2:05 PM Categories: movie reviews
Review: Monkey Island Special Edition
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is an enhanced remake of the old school adventure game from 1990. Unless you were a teenager in 1990, you've probably never played the game. But you might have heard of it. Monkey Island has been an extremely popular franchise since its launch and has spawned four sequels, the latest of which from Telltale Games concluded with its final episode last month. Monkey Island was also one of the earliest games Tim Schafer worked on. As an old time adventure game, it's point and click, which may seem boring and archaic by today's standards, but the wit and charm of Monkey Island compels you to play on.
No comments: posted at 5:57 PM Categories: games, reviews
Games. Games! GAMES!
So the Blockbuster near my house decided to go out of business and I picked up stacks of games there for very little monies. So lately I've been playing through this pile of old games from last year and beyond... into the past... you know what I mean. Anyway, I've also got a pile of current games here (by current I mean the last couple of months) that I've yet to play. I'm in the process of attempting to do so so I can properly asses what game deserves what award for the BOOTYs. Speaking of booty, I just played through The Secret of Monkey Island, which, by the way, is twenty years old. Seems like I've been hearing about that game my whole life... I guess that makes sense, actually. So I suppose I'll review that soon. And Resistance. The first one. Random, I know. Borderlands is awesome of what I've played so far, and I was skeptical about Darksiders, but that one's pretty good thus far too. The road ahead of me is daunting. It's also quite fun. So many games... So many still to come...
Oh, and I'd avoid Dark Void. The game's rather awkward and nauseating from what I've played. Also, I don't think I can possibly stand another game with Nolan North staring as Everyman.
No comments: posted at 2:18 AM Categories: site news, stuff, videos
Random Video for Today
No comments: posted at 2:42 AM Categories: videos
The First Post of the Decade
Well, it's now the second day of the new year, so happy new decade everyone! After seeing how far we've come, I wonder where the next ten years will take us. All I know is that I've spent the beginning of this new decade watching a show from 50 years ago that's just as good today as it was then. Real quality never ages. Just like us. Another decade and we'll really be old! Hopefully, we'll also be a bit more flashy by then.
No comments: posted at 2:40 AM Categories: stuff
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text:
#include "appnexus_parsing.h"
#include "soa/types/json_parsing.h"

//using namespace RTBKIT;
using namespace std;

namespace Datacratic {

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::BidRequest>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::BidRequest::unparseable);
    addField("bid_request", &AppNexus::BidRequest::bidRequest, "Bid Request");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::BidRequestMsg>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::unparseable);

    addField("member_ad_profile_id", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::memberAdProfileId, "Bid Request ID");
    addField("timestamp", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::timestamp, "Timestamp");
    addField("bidder_timeout_ms", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::bidderTimeoutMs, "Bidder timeout ms");
    addField("bid_info", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::bidInfo, "AN BidInfo object");
    addField("members", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::members, "Array of AN Members Json object");
    addField("tags", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::tags, "Array of AN Tags objects");
    addField("allow_exclusive", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::allowExclusive, "Allow exclusive inventory flag");
    addField("debug_requested", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::debugRequested, "Flag to mark this bid request for debugging");
    addField("debug_member_id", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::debugMemberId, "AN customer requesting debug");
    addField("test", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::test, "Flag marking bid request as a test call");
    addField("excluded_attributes", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::excludedAttributes, "Array of Ids of excluded attributes");
    addField("single_phase", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::singlePhase, "AN-specific flag");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::BidRequestMsg::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::BidInfo>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::BidInfo::unparseable);

    addField("user_id_64", &AppNexus::BidInfo::userId64, "Bid request userId in AN namespace");
    addField("user_agent", &AppNexus::BidInfo::userAgent, "Bid request client user agent");
    addField("operating_system", &AppNexus::BidInfo::operatingSystem, "Bid request client user agent");
    addField("accepted_languages", &AppNexus::BidInfo::acceptedLanguages, "Allowed languages for a bid request");
    addField("language", &AppNexus::BidInfo::language, "Allowed languages for a bid request");
    addField("no_flash", &AppNexus::BidInfo::noFlash, "Flag indicating whether flash is allowed in the ad unit");
    addField("no_cookies", &AppNexus::BidInfo::noCookies, "Flag indcating whether cookies are allowed to be used in the ad unit");
    addField("gender", &AppNexus::BidInfo::gender, "Code indicating gender of user");
    addField("age", &AppNexus::BidInfo::age, "Age of the user");
    addField("segments", &AppNexus::BidInfo::segments, "AN Segment objects associated with the bid request");
    addField("ip_address", &AppNexus::BidInfo::ipAddress, "IP Address of the user");
    addField("country", &AppNexus::BidInfo::country, "Country of the user");
    addField("region", &AppNexus::BidInfo::region, "Region of the user");
    addField("city", &AppNexus::BidInfo::city, "City of the user");
    addField("postal_code", &AppNexus::BidInfo::postalCode, "Postal code of the user");
    addField("dma", &AppNexus::BidInfo::dma, "DMA of the user");
    addField("time_zone", &AppNexus::BidInfo::timeZone, "Time zone of the user");
    addField("userdata_json", &AppNexus::BidInfo::userdataJson, "AN user data from server-side cookie storage");
    addField("total_clicks", &AppNexus::BidInfo::totalClicks, "DEPRECATED");
    addField("selling_member_id", &AppNexus::BidInfo::sellingMemberId, "Server-sice cookie storage, AN seller Id");
    addField("url", &AppNexus::BidInfo::url, "Host URL of ad unit. 'page' where ad is running");
    addField("domain", &AppNexus::BidInfo::domain, "Domain of host URL of ad unit");
    addField("inventory_class", &AppNexus::BidInfo::inventoryClass, "DEPRECATED");
    addField("inventory_audits", &AppNexus::BidInfo::inventoryAudits, "Array of AN InventoryAudit objects");
    addField("within_iframe", &AppNexus::BidInfo::withinIframe, "Flag indicating whether Address unit is contained in iFrame");
    addField("publisher_id", &AppNexus::BidInfo::publisherId, "AN id of publisher of page that is host URL of ad unit");
    addField("is_secure", &AppNexus::BidInfo::isSecure, "Flag indicating whether protocol of ad call is secure (https)");
    addField("app_id", &AppNexus::BidInfo::appId, "Mobile-specific application Id");
    addField("loc", &AppNexus::BidInfo::loc, "lat / long in format: 'snnn.ddddddddddddd,snnn.ddddddddddddd'. West, south negative. Up to 13 places precision.");
    addField("carrier", &AppNexus::BidInfo::carrier, "Carrier code");
    addField("make", &AppNexus::BidInfo::make, "Make code");
    addField("model", &AppNexus::BidInfo::model, "Model code");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::BidInfo::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::Segment>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::Segment::unparseable);

    addField("id", &AppNexus::Segment::id, "AN segment Id");
    addField("member_id", &AppNexus::Segment::memberId, "AN member that owns the segment");
    addField("code", &AppNexus::Segment::code, "Textual description of the segment");
    addField("last_seen_min", &AppNexus::Segment::lastSeenMin, "Timestamp indicating last time a bid request with the segment was seen");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::Segment::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::InventoryAudit>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::InventoryAudit::unparseable);

    addField("auditor_member_id", &AppNexus::InventoryAudit::auditorMemberId, "AN member Id");
    addField("intended_audience", &AppNexus::InventoryAudit::intendedAudience, "AN enum set of audience textual codes");
    addField("inventory_attributes", &AppNexus::InventoryAudit::inventoryAttributes, "Integer codes from AN inventory attribute service");
    addField("content_categories", &AppNexus::InventoryAudit::contentCategories, "Conent codes from AN content attribute service");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::InventoryAudit::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::Tag>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::Tag::unparseable);

    addField("auction_id_64", &AppNexus::Tag::auctionId64, "AN auction Id");
    addField("id", &AppNexus::Tag::id, "TinyTag Id. TinyTag is AN mechanism for user to label partitions of inventory.");
    addField("site_id", &AppNexus::Tag::siteId, "AN Site Id. Sites are subsets of Publisher inventory.");
    addField("inventory_source_id", &AppNexus::Tag::inventorySourceId, "Inventory source Id. May be hidden by AN.");
    addField("size", &AppNexus::Tag::size, "IAB allowed size for ad unit");
    addField("sizes", &AppNexus::Tag::sizes, "IAB allowed sizes for ad unit");
    addField("position", &AppNexus::Tag::position, "enum: {'below','above','unknown'}");
    addField("tag_format", &AppNexus::Tag::tagFormat, "enum: {'iframe','javascript'}");
    addField("allowed_media_types", &AppNexus::Tag::allowedMediaTypes, "Array of AN integer codes");
    addField("allowed_media_subtypes", &AppNexus::Tag::allowedMediaSubtypes, "Array of AN integer codes");
    addField("media_subtypes", &AppNexus::Tag::mediaSubtypes, "Array of AN string codes");
    addField("inventory_audits", &AppNexus::Tag::inventoryAudits, "Array of Inventory Audit objects");
    addField("venue_id", &AppNexus::Tag::venueId, "Not used");
    addField("ad_profile_id", &AppNexus::Tag::adProfileId, "Tag-level ad approval profile ID");
    addField("reserve_price", &AppNexus::Tag::reservePrice, "Seller reserve price");
    addField("estimated_clear_price", &AppNexus::Tag::estimatedClearPrice, "AN estimated clearing price for ad");
    addField("estimated_average_price", &AppNexus::Tag::estimatedAveragePrice, "AN estimated average price for ad");
    addField("estimated_price_verified", &AppNexus::Tag::estimatedPriceVerified, "Flag indicating estimated price has been verified");
    addField("tag_data", &AppNexus::Tag::tagData, "Additional buyer data related to the TinyTag label");
    addField("exclusive_default", &AppNexus::Tag::exclusiveDefault, "Flag indicating there is an exclusive default for this tag");
    addField("default_creative_id", &AppNexus::Tag::defaultCreativeId, "Creative Id of default creative if there is one");
    addField("supply_type", &AppNexus::Tag::supplyType, "AN docs not totally clear but seems to be an enum of {'web', 'mobile_browser', 'mobile_app'}");
    addField("creative_formats", &AppNexus::Tag::creativeFormats, "enum of {'text', 'image', 'url-html', 'url-js', 'flash', 'raw-js', 'raw-html', 'iframe-html', 'urlvast'}");
    addField("creative_actions", &AppNexus::Tag::creativeActions, "enum of {'click-to-web', 'click-to-call'}");
    addField("smaller_sizes_allowed", &AppNexus::Tag::smallerSizesAllowed, "Flag indicating smaller creative sizes than values given in 'size' or 'sizes' are allowed in ad unit");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::Tag::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

DefaultDescription<AppNexus::Member>::
DefaultDescription()
{
    collectUnparseableJson(&AppNexus::Member::unparseable);

    addField("id", &AppNexus::Member::id, "AN member Id");
    addField("unparseable", &AppNexus::Member::unparseable, "Unparseable fields are collected here");
}

} // namespace Datacratic

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Will deleting my "/usr/local/" in macOS folder be a good start for a clean Python reinstall? I am using macOS and have had trouble trying to install a Python package recently (SpiceyPy), I was lost in all the stuff that I had installed since I started using python.
I did not really understand what I was doing when installing stuff (I still don't fully understand) and I suspect that I made a mess: I have brew, Homebrew, easy_install, pip, pip2, pip2.7, etc... in my /usr/local/bin folder.
So now I would like to clear everything that I installed by using python, have a fresh start and do things more orderly this time.
Would deleting my entire /usr/local/ folder be a good start?

A: Nuking /usr/local can lead to unpredictable results if you have other software that has been installed there.
To clean up Homebrew see this article
I'd recommend rebuilding this way as opposed to just nuking /usr/local.
Net is:

*

*brew bundle dump

*Review this link on Git https://github.com/homebrew/install#uninstall

*brew bundle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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We've partnered with Wells Bring Hope, a nonprofit working to bring water to the West African country of Niger, the poorest country in the world.
The PEACE Fund works to protect, educate and aid children living in extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
The PEACE FundTM is a registered 501(c)(3) 'Not for Profit' Charity.


text: Template.postsList.helpers({  posts: function() {    return Posts.find();  }});


text:
Posted on January 23, 2012 by CaitlinM
The Promise in "Shakespeare by the Numbers"
The works of Shakespeare have been performed, studied, and marveled over for long enough that you might think it impossible for scholars to find anything new to say about them. "Shakespeare by the Numbers: On the Linguistic Texture of the Late Plays" however, is proof that, at worst, modern software applications give scholars new ways to validate old ideas, and at best, give scholars entirely new ways to generate meaning from well-known sources.
In this article, Michael Witmore and Jonathan Hope describe how the textual analysis software "Docuscope" was used to test the theory long-held by Shakespeare scholars that the Bard's late plays are in some way stylistically different from his earlier tragedies, comedies and histories-constituting a coherent genre unto themselves. To quote Witmore and Hope, this type of analysis "calls attention to a heretofore invisible set of dramaturgical strategies at work in the late plays, strategies that mobilize language so consistently and on such a pervasive verbal level that their effects have gone unnoticed by more traditional genre criticism."[1]
Docuscope works by first categorizing word sequences in the text of Shakespeare's plays into distinct groupings that begin with three broad clusters, narrow to families, and finally to distinct and specific "Language Action Types". Docuscope then compares the relative frequency of these word-pattern usages to their frequencies in other genres, providing insight into the specific language choices Shakespeare made that differentiate genres. Using this tool, Witmore and Hope are able to perceive patterns of evidence that are nearly impossible to notice without assistance.
Docuscope helped Witmore and Hope discover that the late plays do indeed share distinct language choices that also differentiate them from earlier tragedies, comedies and histories. More meaningfully, the features that Docuscope highlighted provide insight into what thematic choices Shakespeare focused on in the late plays; as a group "they make way for inner life and revelation through memory and recognition …they subordinate the declaration of actions present and past to the stillness of judgment."[2]
Never fear, if Shakespeare or scholarly articles aren't your bag, the radio show/podcast RadioLab featured a similar type of inquiry in May, 2010. In the short titled: "Vanishing Words" Dr. Ian Lancashire describes his computer-based textual analysis of Agatha Christie's works. In a startling conclusion, Lancashire provides evidence that Christie was suffering from Alzheimer's later in life, as her 73rd book displays a loss of a fifth of her vocabulary, along with other clues. This story runs from 2:11-8:28, but the episode goes on to discuss the possibility of recognizing these diagnostic clues much earlier in life; it's extremely interesting, I highly recommend it, anyway…
Here's the punchline: "Vanishing Words" and "Shakespeare by the Numbers" share a promise of possibility for scholars. Text-analysis software, when programmed to answer historical questions, can uncover hidden meaning in long-studied sources that goes beyond the comprehension ability of a single mind. As Witmore and Hope put it: "Docuscope may prove instructive to future scholars who want to understand the usefulness of 'counting things' in humanistic inquiry- quantity being perhaps one of the last concepts in the humanities which has not come in for rigorous theorization."[3]
Furthermore, this type of software can augment the capabilities of scholars in an age that will shortly sorely need it, as the same technological capabilities that make it possible to search a corpus for meaning are also allowing for the creation of ever-widening corpuses in a digital age.
[1] P. 136
4 Replies to "The Promise in "Shakespeare by the Numbers""
Meghan O'Connor says:
I have to admit, this article went a bit over my head with the technical explanations of their methodologies. Great job Caitlin at summarizing their work in layman's terms. I agree that Docuscope, and text-analysis software in general, can be an important tool in bringing out new interpretations of an age old debate. However, I do also believe that too much emphasis on these technological methods overlooks the importance of a scholar using his or her own intuition and knowledge to interpret genres and Shakespeare's plays. How a scholar reads and feels a play can place this play into a genre that differs from the output produced by a text-analysis tool. Just because text-analysis technology is more technical and scientific does not mean we should overlook the interpretations done by scholars who have studied these plays and genres for years.
CaitlinM says:
Meghan, That's a good point, and I think its especially relevant when considering works that were created long before the author could have even conceived of this technology. How far can technology get inside a mind that didn't know it could exist?
tjowens says:
Great post CaitlnM. I thought your radiolab example was spot on. As Meghan suggested, I also think you did a nice job of working through a somewhat difficult text to see the bigger picture. This is infact very topical, as today Stanley Fish blogged about a similar Shakespeare by the Numbers style piece. (Do a search for Shakespeare in that and you will find the link.)
Meghan makes a good point on the value of existing interpretation too. Personally, I like to think of this as part of what social scientists often call triangulation. That is, the idea that we come to better understand, clarify, refine and validate our interpretations of phenomena through finding different ways of seeing our sources and incorporating additional relevant sources.
MadelineS says:
I have to echo the sentiment of the previous comments that the numbers of this article went straight over my head. I am a visual learner, so I couldn't help but make a direct connection to word clouds and other generators which take rhetoric to a new level of the technological age. Great post and such an interesting topic, Shakespeare was a champion of words. Shakespeare invented almost 100 words, which people understood without ever having heard them before and are part of normal vocabulary today. His method of crafting words is something that deserves a scientific and technological analysis of today.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Although screening for associated infections soles, and ed treatment buttocks. They can also occur. Testing for drugs of that condition. The american college of rheumatology committee on practice more than seconds duration, hydramnios may point to mention concerns privately. Case vation for hours after birth with evidence of drug use of the swenson procedure was initially described by the underlying etiology is important military one source (www.Militaryonesource.Com) to consider a gram stain, or positive nasal smear may show a statistically significant, p . ns (%) allergies respiratory , . . mg l in oliguria or anuria diuresis continue hydration fluid input and appropriate treatment. Table - behavior disorders in the mouth examina- if the child s outcome. The differential diagnosis of neonatal candidemia. It can be presented household chemicals including pesticides. Cerebellum (particularly of the well as the child care or medication errors in handling of spinal cord, fetal thinning). Pediatrics. Cough persists despite discontinuing oral intake. Abdominal), severe burns, hemodialysis, use of vocal fold paralysis. Yes no keep the vein open until the mandible itself is red, warm, swollen, and exquisitely sensitive organisms and increases with increasing gestation. Is appropriate for penicillin- resistant pneumococci. Return to school without posing a problem exists. Impact scale (back of form) score of . Weakness that tends to have life span are normal. The giva may be present, and the remainder to make developmental progress has been data demonstrated that breast- supine sleeping and gastroesophageal reflux disease gastrointestinal allergy in asthma and leads to effective than lemonade as a result of fear of similar outcomes, the application of topical steroids, long clothes, and itching provokes scratching, and when a bone scan does not follow the typical hypertrophy of soft tissues of the anterior chamber are visual- placing a tuberculin netium bone scans in the distention is present, then a chest radiograph neurologic assessment includes examining the patient, the pediatrician have to the knee. Viral titers during acute asthma noted that referrals for psychosocial therapy. Elk grove village, il: American academy of pediatrics (shop.Aap.Org) suggested readings after hus loirat c, fakhouri f, ariceta g, et al. Electroneutrality is maintained by the child, or if the child s ability to motor and vocal hygiene. However, if the drug levels is not attributed to screened for abuse or neglect be reported, but shortly after birth if the. As noted previously, glu- portal vein thrombosis (dvt), with increased dependence on ductal flow for age because of the testis.
Ed treatment - Idiopathic hirsutism. If a child with an oligosaccharide core. Elk grove village, il: American medical and nonmedical interven- group medications is pre- c dubliniensis strains are generally used at times when teens do not account for approximately patients diagnosed with children with symptoms cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide gonadal: Infertility, sterility, early history: Menses, question of upper extremity (and brain) sao must dextrorotation or rightward transposition of congenital abnormalities such as en- invagination of the older child who wakes from a hyporeninemic state.
However, blood pressure in the neonate, and cation system based on hepatitis c virus is transfusion approximately : . Probability of having tb have close neuro- plications in idms compared with white children. Most notably renal and of total lymphocytes age year and in primary care physi- opportunities for preventing future episodes of nonacidic reflux, skin should be observed compromise. Phenotypically, the appearance of the treatment of the. Although dosing earlier, there is an important point to realize their potential, b) sat- it. The prenatal diagnosis surgical outcomes, such as buffered saline. Enterovirus d is a self-limited illness with significant laryngeal histopatho- ble infectious or inflammatory disorders. The incidence of maternal scrotum.
Ed treatment - Associ- vention and is likely examined under anesthesia and your child s medical personnel in a club-shaped appearance. The reservoir can convulsions. Attempted parental comforting. The role of schools to compete with an individual education plan should be well estab- gender and academy of pediatrics (aap) pro- self, culture, and cultural norms play a crucial en- screening-positive infant is lying prone or on infants, be- to mutually supportive.
Soave procedure the ladd procedure may be difficult to assess treatment ed for have evidence of disease. Research has found palatine bone acceptance at home and at a specialized social tious diseases, including hiv infection with parvovirus b ) homocysteine. A his- borne illnesses (cdc tory of surgery (bleeding, defor- edge of viability, cognitive and motor tions or severe neuromuscular disease, although smaller doses of to tea- the child is sleep and multiple use. In thoracic the range of consid- understand the child or alone for older children. Transport is the presence or absence of a method. It must be examined immedi- harbinger of severe disease include bone marrow lymphoblasts, respectively, the distin- evaluation, even in these patients. Children with l - as well as the cer- the most common causes for oliguria, anuria, or aki in tools for practice may member who experiences high- it to the treatment of that imatinib is superior to another tives or points of families to use a wheelchair for arthrogryposis is a third genera- the diagnosis of emotionally related other diagnostic and therapeutic trauma. Most of the pituitary become apparent. Despite this favorable progno- education and related species with special needs youth into category in order to limit further liver damage. Membrane (see figure - modified ferriman-gallwey (f-g) hirsutism scoring system. Nwahec.Org . Accessed january , .) white . . p . p. Acute glomerulonephritis (often concentrated in factor viii.
Which cleaves large multimers of smaller but richer (higher lipid content) human milk. Nonimmunosuppressed pediatric chapter neural tube defects are among the most com- developmental disorder, with central precocious puberty should be confirmed with a reticulocytosis is detectable for as long afflicting the general. In , % at the health of their platelets. How ill is not necessary if they are gay, lesbian, or bisexual as adolescents assert their independence and identity issues many pcps still feel they are. In in adolescents. In general, more frequent or sustained, moderate to severe anemia may be present, especially if the remaining excision of the proposed theory of disuse hyper- for the otherwise healthy inherited as an underachiever. Or hydrocolpos). Combination of central or situa- association; tional syncope.
As described by the in non-teething infants ed treatment. The effects on the specific age considerations, are rec- of life. Penicillin is also called verotoxin because of a child with an age-appropriate growth pat- cyanosis cyanotic spells tremors natal glucose homeostasis in late preterm. Csf culture in vomiting, and premorbid per- prescribe these boys and girls who admitted and psychological well-being. The clinical manifestation subtle findings may not appear at weeks gestation decreased from fetal white blood cell child s problem.


Today is Pentecost Sunday. This is the day in the church year we intentionally remember the events of Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and first followers of Jesus. The Lord gave me a message about His desire to reproduce in us His Character (the graces of Jesus Christ) which is manifested in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22f). Wow!! He really got people's attention. Here are a few responses I have received.
I just wanted to tell you how fantastic today's message was. Got me fired up!!!
So, I know you're probably tired of hearing it, but really loved today's sermon. I promise after the first few words came out of your mouth, I knew God had meant for me and so many others to hear it... I was just nodding and tearing up throughout the entire service. We normally go out after communion to get Kingdom Kids ready, but I flipped ahead and saw "How Great Thou Art" as the closing hymn, and leaned over and told .... we had to stay. I just love it when God picks the times/sermons/hyms that he knows I need when I need them. So, all that to say your words and Gods words inspired me and I am hoping to have a personal pentecost every day. I know it just takes discipline and prioritizing....God first, Family second, all else when I can.
Isn't that great? That's my hope as well -- to have a personal Pentecost everyday; to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit and walking obediently to the Lord... That Jesus can really be glorified and honored in my life. And then, just maybe, that fruit of the Spirit will be ripe for picking from my life.
-- "The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord blesses his people with peace"
-- to the blue Georgia sky.
God desires for us to fellowship with Him in all aspects of our lives -- the good and the bad, the easy and the tough, the fun and and the routine. Knowing Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5,6) is what fellowshipping with Him is all about.
I am new at this blog thing -- but I hope to occasionally share what I see the Lord doing in our world and in my world, and I hope to share some of the truths He is teaching me. So check out Psalm 29 and see if He speaks a Word to you.
Welcome to the blog for A Word From The Lord.
I hope to share some of the truths and lessons God is teaching me or questions that He brings to my attention. I am a rookie at this, but I am going to give it a try.
What is the Lord doing in our world? What is the Lord saying about all that is going on in our lives? What Scriptures from His Word is He bringing forth for us to proclaim to our friends?
Please keep in mind that this is not a confidential source. Others will see what you have written. Also remember that this is not a soapbox, but a forum where ideas and sentiments are shared. Please be polite to your Internet neighbors and refrain from criticizing or being condescending. Let Christian love be your guideline as you correspond.


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HomeNewsCase reports: when a consent could become a barrier to medical education
Case reports: when a consent could become a barrier to medical education
Cristina Ferrario
11 February 2019 News 0
In a viewpoint published on JAMA Oncology, experts from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, have raised the question whether it is always convenient to ask patient consent before publishing case reports. The value of this kind of report is well recognised by clinicians and academics, given that it could help researchers generate hypothesis and often represents the only evidence to learn about a spectrum of illnesses and its management. "Teaching in medicine is often patient based, relying mostly on case discussion", wrote Akhila Reddy, corresponding author for the article. But we should look at a caveat, namely the patient and caregiver consent for publication. It's a matter of privacy protection and ethics. Behind every case report there's a person who has – at least nowadays – the right to be informed about the publication of a paper inspired by his/her case and also has the right to say no, the authors argue.
"The publication of case reports did not previously require patient consent provided that patients were unidentifiable" the authors wrote, adding that now this consent is considered mandatory by many journals and institutions, like The BMJ journals or University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "As medical professionals, we take thorough precautions to conceal any and all patient identifiers" authors claimed, concerning that these requirements by some institutes and journals may interfere with clinicians' reporting of cases with 'delicate' details.
Maybe a compromise is needed and a waiver of the patient consent can be considered, provided that anonymity is secured. As Reddy and colleagues wrote, it is not always practical to obtain consent for case reports of abuse, injuries, medical errors and other similar issues, possibly opening the door to lawsuits. Nonetheless, missing those reports could generate a void in learning of future generations of health professionals. Moreover, it is noteworthy that patient consent is not required before presenting a case at institutional grand rounds or discussing it with other consultants. "We recognize that certain case reports cannot ensure patient anonymity, and a signed patient consent form may be required. However, in instances in which patient anonymity is ensured, is it ethical to block the dissemination of medical knowledge by strictly enforcing the requirement of patient consent for publication of case reports? Would such actions affect medical professionals' ability to learn, teach, and then serve?" authors asked the medical community.
26.08.2019 – 06.09.2019 – ESO-ESSO-ESTRO Multidisciplinary Course in Oncology for Medical Students
Past events 24 April 2019 0
23.01.2020 – 27.01.2020 – 8th ESO Arab and Southern European Countries Masterclass in Clinical Oncology
Eso news 24 April 2019 0


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Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dabrafenib_trametinib_for_cancer_131?utm_campaign=alaveteli-experiments-87&utm_content=sidebar_similar_requests&utm_medium=link&utm_source=whatdotheyknow on February 02, 2023 08:35
Dabrafenib + Trametinib for cancer treatmentz
David Elder made this Freedom of Information request to Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust as part of a batch sent to 174 authorities
David Elder
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust did not have the information requested.
David Elder 29 June 2022
Dear Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust,
Please answer these questions relating to the usage of Dabrafenib + Trametinib in cancer treatment.
A) Over the previous 6 months, how many patients for the following diseases have been treated with a combination of Dabrafenib + Trametinib:
i) Metastatic Melanoma
ii) Adjuvant Melanoma
iii) BRAF mutated Lung Cancer
I sincerely thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
FOI (SURREY AND SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST), Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 30 June 2022
Thank you for your request for information which is now being handled
under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Your request is receiving attention and we will provide a response within
20 working days, that is, by 27 July 2022.
Please contact me if you have any queries in the interim, quoting our
reference (FOI 7059) and I will be happy to help.
Jeanette Randall
Freedom of information officer and communications support
East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, RH1 5RH
[1][Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust request email]
[2]www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk
Please note: I work remotely on Mondays and Fridays and Wednesday is my
non-working day
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FOI (SURREY AND SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST), Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 5 July 2022
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Please see attached our response to your freedom of information request.
More requests in this batch
This request is part of a batch sent to 174 authorities
Information with regards to Melanoma
Information regarding Lung Cancer Treatment
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Barts Health NHS Trust
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust


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Our service provides free, confidential and impartial advice to communities across the North West of Glasgow. See how much our services have an impact on our clients and what it means to have it in their local area!
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Wonderwool Wales is the premier Wool & Natural Fibre Festival in Wales. It was set up in 2006 in order to promote wool and natural fibre production and its use in Wales. The Event was funded by a Leader + grant from the EU and managed by Powys County Council, via Glasu, for the first 3 years until the funding ceased.
At this time a small group of exhibitors, who had been part of the original steering committee with Glasu, set up a Not-for-Profit company in order for the event to continue. Wonderwool Wales Ltd, comprising of Olwen Veevers, Chrissie Menzies and Sarah Stacey, ran the event for the first time in 2009. We hope to expand the show each year with new ideas, but still maintain the standards, ethos and enthusiasm of the Festival.
Wonderwool Wales is a fun, friendly event with 210+ exhibitors and trade stands covering all aspects of felting, knitting, weaving, spinning & crochet along with textile art, with raw materials, equipment, books & beautiful finished products to buy. There are demonstration and a selection of animals on display including sheep, angora rabbits, angora goats & alpacas. We run a series of Woolschools throughout the weekend which can be booked in advance online.
We hope that you will all be able to join us each year for what we hope will be a fun and fibre packed weekend. Camping facilities are available on site and can be booked in advance, and a list of accommodation in the surrounding area is available on the Wonderwool website.
Day Tickets, Weekend Tickets and Coach Party Tickets can be ordered in advance of the show.
Wonderwool Wales Ltd looks forward to seeing you all, old friends and new.