WUMF: December 2013 Edition

Hey, I’m still consistent.  It’s after the New Year and I’m just now getting out the WUMF.

Maybe this will be the last one.

Seriously, it’s hard enough to come up with some blog posts let alone a random wrap up of the month, but here it goes, anyway.

Steelers’ Season

I admit, I quietly cursed Succup for missing that field goal but then realized, “I’m blaming Kansas City’s kicker and the refs for the Steelers not getting into the playoffs.”  Really?  They were 8-8 and blew games against New York, Minnesota, and Oakland.   If they had won those easy games, they would have been 11-5 and been in the playoffs.  They just didn’t get it done this year.  And let’s not blame Ben Roethlisberger on this one.  He looked better than ever on paper and on the field.  The first four games were the death of them.  But looking back at the other games, New England is the only team that blew them out on offense.  Otherwise, they were on pace with scoring.  The defense was the culprit on a lot of these losses.  Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor need a good stern talking to.   It also doesn’t help that half of your star players were out with injury throughout the year.   That team had an identity crisis with the revolving roster and no banned table game time is going to fix that mess.  Better luck next year.

YouTube

I’ve actually finished some walkthroughs.  WOW.  With Sims 3 and Minecraft ongoing, I’m looking to start some more.  If I could get the PS3 box to record right, I would have put up me and Bailey playing Little Big Planet or even me playing GTA V.   I still can’t figure it out and there’s no alone time to play those games.  Bailey is kind of getting herself into a lot of vids, which is fine, but I can’t be as bad as I usually am with language or situations.  But she’s doing her own adventure maps for me to play… which is pretty neat for a six year old.  She’s got quite the sense of humor when it comes to this stuff, so maybe we’ll see some humor incidentally from her work.  With Limbo and Little Inferno done, I need to get back on the Design It series since Game of Thrones will be back up in a couple months.  I still have probably 10 design videos to record.  I’d also like to do some shorts.  I got a new phone with a better resolution and video capabilities… so, here’s hoping.

Pandora

HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS!?!?!?  I’ve been using YouTube to get my music fix but with the new phone, Pandora has been awesome.   I’m joining the 21^st century, I guess.  The only thing that sucks is well, the ads, and that I can’t get skip too many songs before I get stuck on something I don’t like.  I can thumbs down it, but it may actually be a song I like, but just not at the moment.  I tried I Heart Radio and it’s not bad if I want to listen to my local stations where I can’t.

PNC Float

OK, if you have a checking account with PNC, you’re going to notice that it’s free but it isn’t.  The reason is that you need to have at least $1000 in direct deposit into your account in order to keep them deducting $10 each month.  But, if you do have that, they still deduct it and then put it back in the next day.  So, you get your $10 back and they get the interest off of $10 times their total customer base.  It’s called a float I guess and even though it might be a miniscule amount of cash in that 24 hour period, the number of customers they do this to can add up in terms of total profits. 

I know, people say, “Get a credit union.”  Yeah, well, that would be fine if I could hit up an ATM for my credit union wherever I am.  PNC has that luxury.    They’ve slowly started to strip out all the benefits from being a customer.  I guess that’s the cost of doing business with a bank looking for every available loop hole to make money off its customers.  

This was a pretty easy write up… maybe the WUMF will stick around.  Be sure to post your thoughts on me, my writing, or anything non-spammy.

Happy New Year.

WUMF: November 2013 Edition

Novemburrrr is more like it.  Holy crap!

YouTube Update

It’s been hard to keep up with stuff, but I’ve been trying.   At the time of writing this, I have three series going and possibly revisiting a one off I did with Bailey months ago.

Of course, there is the main series, Mongo Smashes:  Minecraft.  Additionally, I am still navigating a Sim Mongo through Sims 3 and side scrolling through Limbo, an indie game.    While it’s been loads of fun playing these, I just don’t have talent big name Tubers have in attracting viewers.    Also, I don’t have the time.   Because I’m not just doing  a straight play through of a game, the recording process is hard.  I hate to waste recording of gameplay when I’m not “feeling it”   This is something I hope will change in the next few months with some bigger changes in the works.  

It’s also very hard to pull this off with a shoe string budget.   For any of you who have ever edited video with Windows Movie Maker, it’s a process.  I don’t whether my PC just doesn’t have the capacity to handle the demands of the application.  There are several starts and stops due to excessive processing going on in the background OR it’s just a crappy application that comes out of the box with Windows.   In any case, I can’t afford to get Vegas or some other top notch editing program.   

I’ve heavily relied on the editing process and music to really create a better quality product and frankly, I think I’ve done quite well in that aspect.   Yeah, the comedy is a bit dull and I have a harder time proactively “making the funny” vs. reacting to something but it’s getting better.  Really do check out my Sims vids for some hilarity.   The pre-outro jokes added some great moments to the videos.

Mongo Smashes: Sims 3 

 

Mongo Smashes: Minecraft

 

Mongo Smashes: Limbo

This one is finally finished.

Mongo Smashes: Skyblock 1.1

Lesser Man Project

I have a post in the hopper for my recent trip to Virginia and I’ll have you know, I was on the treadmill almost every night while staying in a hotel.   I recently cracked the minus side of 260 and took steps to help keep trending in that direction.   It’s going to be harder heading into bad weather and holidays. 

That being said, I’ve upped my game by walking a mile almost every weekday on a hill behind my work.  It’s about 0.2 of a mile long and I do the hill three times up and three times down.  It takes the full 20 minutes to complete the circuit back to my car, so I am not caving like I would some days just circling the parking lot.

My legs hurt but I have more energy than I used to which makes for a better quality of life.  I just need to avoid going nuts with the holiday food.

My Mood
In case you've been wondering and I'm pretty sure you haven't...  I'm fine.  The posts have had a somewhat reflective, emo quality to them and that's bad.   Sorry.

Maybe the weight loss is affecting my mood.  Maybe it's other things.  Some days it's hot and cold running meh.  Next year I might clue you all in but I don't know.  It's not cool.  Just know, I'm fine.  I'm healthy.   I've got two certified professionals who can attest to that, so no worries.

Steelers

Holy crap, we got a shot at the playoffs?  WTF?!?!?!
Obviously!

 

"Obviously" at Skreened

WUMF: October 2013 GIRAFFE Edition

I think someone should dress as a giraffe for Halloween and go around trick or treating with their head hung in shame.

Why?

Because, while it is not obvious what the inside joke would be, the social scientist in me would love to see how many people would immediately think of that goofy meme upon seeing a giraffe coming up their walk.    There would not even be an acknowledgement of sorts, just "What answer did you give?"  And you would know.  You would flat out know that two complete strangers would have that connection based on social media.

By the way, the answer is "The door."
No matter how many people say eyes, the given circumstance is that you have already woke up because you know your parents are on the front stoop with goodies.  So, the only thing you can open first, with that pretense, is the door.

Frankly, my parents are in their 70s and if they show up on my doorstep with a basket of food at 3AM, I'm calling the cops.

WUMF: September 2013 Edition

Where the hell did September go?

The Steelers

WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF

How can a team put up such great offensive numbers still be 0-4?

Turnovers

Defensive Suckage

Lack of cohesion

Take away all the games for the whole team, not just the rookies.

You can’t sit there and blame the rookies for not doing things the Steeler way if the rest of the team isn’t doing it either.

The Pirates

In the past, I have tried to temper my bandwagonning with the reminder that it has been 20 years since I was able to proudly call myself a Pirates fan.  The last three years I have been sucked back into being enthusiastic, only to be hurt again like a battered spouse.  But this year was finally the year.   The curse of Bonds/Bream is gone.  The 20 years of losing are gone.  The “We only put a profitable team on the field, not a winning one” is gone.  So, now the question remains… is this one game playoff series with The Reds going to be a step towards St. Louis or a step towards Moneyball when Minnesota trounced the A's?

The Penguins
The long road back to Lord Stanely begins.  Still not sure about Fleury. Vokoun nearly died from blood clots.  I've already forsaken the Steelers for Pirate games.  Will the Pens take the place on Thursday?  I kind of hope not...until November.

The Duck

Look at it.  The Duck has cometh.  The thing is huge and it needs to be moved to be in order to be seen on camera during tonight’s game.  My hopes is that only Pirates will be launching the long ball in hopes of connecting with the Quacken.

That being said,

RELEASE THE QUACKEN!

 

Get your own "Release The Quacken Shirt"
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Redbubble Stickers $2.40

YouTube Update

Because this month has been so damn busy I have been remiss in putting up some videos.  The Sims3 is still being worked on as is Minecraft.   The problem is, with Minecraft I’ve been involving my daughter in some videos because she’s so stoked to see the stuff I’m doing.  That means a lot of footage has to be edited and I can’t be my normally vocal self.  So, be patient and get some views in so I can keep doing this.

WUMF: August 2013 Edition

Wow, another WUMF out on time… watch out, we got a badass over here.

Obligatory YouTube Update  

Winding down the first season of Mongo Smashes Minecraft is hard.  The series is sort of driven by the achievement board and I’m having issues getting a few as well as just having time to play.  With my kid back in school, it will be easier, but I’ve just been too tired to be “on” when I go to record.  Over the summer I started a new series, “Skyblock” which was a survival challenge.   The last few episodes are sort of down in energy as I’m just going through the motions to finish it.   A highlight has been taking on Sims 3 from a more observant view.   Two episodes in and I think it’s some of my better work which makes up for the dreaded SimCity debacle.  Still, I am not doing enough, but that’s another story.

Summer?

So, the commercial end of summer is upon us.  For those of us in the SWPA it doesn’t seem like we had a summer, really.   There were days I would get out to the car at 5:50AM and I could see my breath.  That’s nothing compared to mention of the rain we had.   Looks like we’ll probably have 80 degrees temperatures around Thanksgiving.

Pttsburgh Sports

The Pirates are five games away from breaking the curse of Barry Bonds.  FIVE GAMES to beat .500.  Now, for some that is a landmark achievement.  For basically every other team out there, that’s average.  I cannot fathom why we are content with mediocrity.  Some will say, “Don’t rush it.  It’s a start.”  No, that start began three years ago and each year they sniffed .500 until somewhere in the middle of the season they choked.  Also, that slow rebuilding phase should have began ten years ago and it didn’t.   Sorry, but I have refused to get on the bandwagon, and it probably was for the best as this year they are set to finally have a winning season.  Once again, though, I ask, “How can a team that had a four game lead on The St. Louis Cardinals be happy with .500?”  This should be a pennant race season.

The Steelers on the other hand had a lot of promise.  And half their players are now on IR, DL, PUP, or other teams’ roster lists.  They just closed out preseason with 0-4 and after last year’s 8-8 I don’t give them much chance of making it to the AFC Championship.   At least their schedule is a little better, this year.  When I saw most of the division games in the last part of the year I was worried.    I was right to be worried.

Speaking of 20 years

At the end of next month, my high school’s 20 year reunion is taking place.  I haven’t been to one yet, so why not keep the streak alive.   It’s funny but when you get caught up in all the nostalgia and current drama with your classmates from way back when, you find yourself stuck back in that world, all over again.  While I had a blast in 1993, these days it’s no so fun to relive what it was like for me then.   You never really do leave high school.  You just keep getting sucked back into the same old shit you were subjected to then.

WUMF: July 2012 Edition

Missed it by that much…It’s August.

YouTube Update

It’s been hard recording, lately.  For one, I just haven’t had a lot of free time and some of the series are dependent on a couple of factors.   Secondly, with summer vacation still in effect, I’ve had my daughter up later in the evenings.  She wants to be more involved which is sweet, but I can’t be as free to play as I am explaining or conversing with her instead of playing.

Also, I’ve been meaning to get some PS3 content up.  I have Last of Us and am anticipating Grand Theft Auto V in September.   The problem there is that my Avermedia capture device won’t show up on my television.   I bought it online awhile back and never got around to setting it up.  When I did, it didn’t work and now I am lost on how to fix it up.

First Place Pirates

What the hell is going on there, eh?   A seven game losing streak for the Cardinals has fed the Buccos much needed games to overtake the World Series Champs in the standings.   I still won’t fully invest myself in them until they reach 82 wins.  I’ve jumped on the bandwagon the last two years only to be disappointed.   

They’ve been playing real well but the post break collapses always make me cry.   Seems their downfall the last two years was marked by a 19 inning game.   The first year, they lost that game.  Last year, they won it.   They haven’t had one this year, but that double header against St. Louis could count.   However, they pretty much owned the Cards this series and are playing Colorado and Miami before heading out to St. Louis for three more.   If they can keep the momentum, they are on their way.

Good luck.   I will be pleasantly surprised.

Smash it Forward

The last couple of weeks were a testing of my faith in humanity.   While paying for my father-in-law’s gas, a lady took a fifty dollar bill that I had dropped.  GetGo (Giant Eagle) loss prevention managed to track down the lady from the video and loyalty card transaction that day and she brought the fifty back to me.  In turn, I donated $25 to two animal based organizations and made a public call to action.   Going forward, if you can tell me of a Paying It Forward moment you perpetrated, I will send you a free t-shirt.  If you buy the same t-shirt, which is also for sale, I will put a dollar into a fund which will get donated each month based on your preferences, majority rules.  

Now, it may seem stupid but is it really?  All you have to do is be generous with your time.  I don’t need you giving money away, but it has to be a substantial act.  And, yes, I understand that it seems trivial to just give away a shirt.  But, we don’t do good deeds for rewards.  I just want to acknowledge this act and promote the idea.   I am the one putting my money up to make the shirts.  I’m paying for your good deeds.    I am perpetually paying it forward.   I want to start a revolution of good deeds.  This shouldn’t be about, “What’s in it for me?”  This should be about, “What can I do to make it better?”

More details can be found here.

WUMF: June 2013 Edition

Another month, another WUMF

Obligatory YouTube update

So, far, I’ve made a whopping $1.55   YAY!  

At this point, I am spending more money than I am making on the effort.   I am still working to pinpoint what I can do to increase traffic, outside of spending more money.    Is my presence on YouTube unknown?  Does my content suck?  Am I just not doing anything interesting?   Not sure.  As a YouTuber, or potential YouTuber, your mileage may vary.    

My videos with the most views were ones where I was unable to play a game due to technical issues with recording the video and what sucks is I spent $50 on a game I can’t record.  Which, had I know I couldn’t record it, I wouldn’t have bought it for Windows.  Granted, we’re still only talking 2000+ views. 

I enjoy playing video games and I like to have fun.  Maybe people don’t want to listen to me talk while I play.  Maybe I should focus on just presenting game play.   Yet, if I just produce the content and don’t inject personality into it, is there a point?  I’d basically be making money off of other’s work.    I wouldn’t be bringing anything new to the table.   What I need is some objective opinions about my work… but that means views.  You know what that means?  It’s a pity party and I want you all to come commiserate with me.

The Birds

Not one, not two, but four birds tried to commit suicide in front of my car this morning.  What the hell?  Not to mention, yesterday, on the way to dinner, I nearly saw one bite it on the front end of a truck at an intersection.

Why do they insist on hanging out on the roads or flying low.  THEY HAVE WINGS, GODAMMIT!  They can fly higher than the telephone wires.  They don’t need to be doing Death Star trench runs on PA highways.

Last of Us

OK, I think I know my YouTube problem.  I suck at games.  This is probably one of the most anticipated games this year and I’ve played all of 15 minutes of it.  Furthermore, I dropped $100 on a video capture device to record PS3 play but I can’t do stealth worth a damn.   At one point, I actually picked up a bottle and chucked it at a guy’s head by accident.   The game is also very slow to start, disguising the early action as a tutorial.  

However, my game time is limited because my kid has been up later due to it being summer.   When she goes to bed, I’m ready to go, too.  

Cabin in the Woods

I was hesitant to want to watch this because I didn’t think I would like it.   First of all, the trailer gave away the basic plot, which was a bit disappointing.  I usually would kill to see anything Wheddonesque but I was a not feeling this.  Then I went and spoiled the rest of the movie by reading the plot.

I found the answer though.  Watch this in a group… on someone’s back porch during Summer… while drinking alcohol.   It was a great time and I enjoyed the film.  It redeemed itself because it wasn’t trying to disguise itself as a horror movie.  It was an open faced cliché.   The fact that I could pick out so many references and a few that almost slipped by was hilarious.

WUMF: May 2013 Edition

STOP THE PRESSES!  He has a WUMF out on time!

Yes, don’t let it fool you.  I’ll be back to my lazy, procrastinating ways in a month.  But, for now, enjoy this WUMF on time.

YouTube Report

OK, so it’s been about four months since I began the YouTube thing and it’s still very much a work in progress.   I can, however, report that I have finally seen some positive analytics.   I AM ON MY WAY TO MAKING $0.28!!!!!!  

I have only Dead Island Riptide’s lag to thank for that.     I bought and played the original on PS3, but thought it would be a great way to get some views by playing the new one on PC and recording it.   Well, I was wrong.   FRAPS and DI:R are not a good mix for smooth FPS.  The video lagged so bad I thought I was in a reject bullet time sequence from a Bollywood version of the Matrix.

Instead of putting up a playthrough of me whacking zombies with household objects, I put up an angry rant at how bad the lag was and it has been one of the most viewed videos out of my entire collection.  So, I shifted  my focus away from straight playing and onto stuff like tips for recording old school games.   I put out a couple of one off videos of me playing with no dialogue and only music.   It harkened back to my days as a videographer in high school, when I would put together music videos, finding the right music to match the montage.   It felt familiar and fun again.

But, I just don’t have the time to do all that.  So, I continue to play games, but I am trying to spotlight more indie games than big name companies.   Helping out the little guy seems to be a good way to gain karma in the online world.   So, I’ll keep doing a regular mix of big name and little name gameplay videos.

OBX Fire Safety Week

I just want to remind you all that next week is mandatory Fire Safety Training in the OBX.  For those of you unsure of what that means.  Here you go.   And then, the cops showed up...

Seeing as how I now have a YouTube channel, maybe I’ll do a vlog this year.  Maybe.  No one wants to see the big ugly mug in 1080 HD, I’m sure.

Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Let’s Go Pens.  That is all.

Facebook

People.  Please.  For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, stop believing everything you read on Facebook.   No one will share their mythical Powerball winnings with you.    That picture won’t do something spectacular if you share or like it.   All your good deeds, here on Earth, will not be negated by scrolling past that picture of Jesus.  Just stop.  STOP!