Hamma Time

It’s been a while since I have ranted and I have been thinking alot about the current state of Multiplayer gaming recently.

Myself and Jenny recently have been playing All Points Bulletin it is a game I have looked forward to for a few years since I first heard about it. I’ve always enjoyed the GTA series and any open world game. The added opportunity to customize the heck out of my whips and character added to it.

Unfortunately we have started getting extremely frustrated by it and many other games recently. Why exactly? One word: Progression.

Back when I started gaming, playing Tribes, Doom, Duke Nukem among others multiplayer gaming was based purely on skill. Who was faster? who had the best aim? who practiced the most? It was not uncommon for me to play a couple of hours a week in Tribes to keep my skill level high for when we had matches. I had equal access to all the same weaponry as anyone else. This favored casual players as well though because some people just had the knack for doing something and could pick it right up.

Nowadays however gaming has de-evolved (Some will say it has evolved, I disagree) into who has the most time on their hands to unlock the best weapons. A gamer just starting out is already at a disadvantage to those who have had the most time maxing out their characters. This is true of World of Warcraft, Bad Company 2, APB and pretty much any modern online game. Players who have the most time on their hands become the most overpowered characters that can simply wipe the floor with newer or causal players. In some games this is not as big of a deal as in other games but the mechanic still exists. In APB for example 3 slot modified weapons with Level 3 upgraded modifications make it near impossible to gain the upper hand most of the time.

Games are no longer based purely in skill and even modern FPS games that have not been spared this fate. Games like Bad Company 2 and Call Of Duty have numerous unlockables which gain them advantages that others do not have. Now, it is not as extreme in some FPSs as it is in others and especially MMOs. PlanetSide did this right, it had unlockables but these were available to any new player early on. They didn’t have as much versatility as the more seasoned players however they had access to the same weapons.

I fear that the future of gaming will continue down this road. Upcoming games like Star Wars and Jumpgate Evolution I fear will lead me to the same conclusion. At this point the only thing that keeps me from quitting gaming and finding a new hobby is the friends I play with. If not for them at this point I’d have already quit.

Hamma Gaming, Random Thoughts, Rants Gaming, Random Thoughts, Rants

So unless you have been living under a rock for the past few days you know about Rep. Joe Wilson and his shouting “You Lie” at Obama’s speech Congress last week. It turns out that today congress passsed a resolution criticizing Wilson for shouting.

Now obviously this moron really shouldn’t have shouted out in the middle of a joint session of Congress. That’s a dumb moronic idea that he really should have thought about. He went ahead and apologized to the President as he should have and that shold have been it. But sadly in today’s age that wasn’t it, Congress decided today to totally blow our Tax Dollars and waste time by voting on a resolution telling Wilson that he is dumb. Sadly, I totally agree with Wilson on this one when he said that today they didn’t do anything for Americans.

Wake up Congress, American’s dont want you wasting your time on this bullshit. We want you to work for us and get some issues settled. Sitting around circle jerking and slapping eachother on the wrists is such a blatent waste of time and money that it makes me sick. It makes me sad to be an American. How about you guys get off your asses and do something useful for a change and quit accusing eachother of being racists (Which happened in this instance) and bickering useless garbage.

Congress works for Americans, not the other way around. America is extremely divided right now and that’s why you are seeing such anger on both sides. Republicans are afraid of Socialism and Democrats are afraid of Extreme Conservatism. In reality most Americans (Like myself) are somewhere in the middle (Even though obviously Senators voting purely on a religious basis scares the shit out of me.. They shouldn’t be allowed to hold seats). So quit being dicks and get some work done before people start to get REALLY pissed.

Term limits anyone? How bout we clean house and start over.

Hamma Bullshit, Random Thoughts, Rants, politics politics, Random Thoughts, Rants

Every now and then a news story comes along that angers me and it isn’t about religion. I always find it amusing that I am an Atheist yet on the side of gun rights, from my limited experience most Atheists are very liberal. I could be wrong so feel free to correct me!

This Gem came along on CNN today:

Outside President Obama’s town hall today, a man showed up with a semiautomatic rifle hanging off his shoulder. He defended his legal right to carry a firearm in public in Arizona by saying, “I’m exercising my right as an American in Arizona. Well, I come from another state where open carry is legal, but no one does it, so the police don’t really know about it and they harass people, arrest people falsely, and I think that people need to get out and do it for so they get kind of condition to it.” He was not alone. About a dozen others were also in the crowd armed. Are they merely invoke their right or part of what could be a dangerous trend here? (There is also a video in the original article here.)

In the video I found it interestingly amusing that Campbell Brown said something along the lines of “I am from Louisiana and I know allot of people with guns, I don’t see them carrying around semi automatic weapons” what Mrs. Brown fails to realize is that most handguns carried by folks are indeed semi automatic weapons. Fully Automatic weapons are not permitted without a full cavity search. Actually you can obtain them in some states but it is extremely difficult.

On to the ignorant comments in the article:

People who carry guns to any large assembly, especially political, may have 2nd amendment rights We the law abiding citizens without arms also have a fundamental rights to feel safe in public places. Since overwhelming majority do not carry semis therefore those lunatic fringe should be lawfully removed from such public events.

The 2nd amendment is clear on this we are allowed the right to keep and bear arms this right was upheld by the Supreme Court in ‘08. This obviously varies state by state but let’s get to the point here. If the gentleman carrying a gun should be removed from the event than so should everyone else who is there. He is no less american than those who are “afraid” or “offended” by the display of a firearm. Like it or not, people who carry firearms concealed or open often times prevent crimes from happening in the first place. In fact I myself feel safe in public because I know there are likely people around me (Including myself soon enough) that are carrying firearms.

Law abiding citizens with licenses to carry firearms are on our side.. criminals who obtain weapons illegally and kill people with them are bad guys. The amount of law abiding citizens that committed crimes when licensed to carry is so minute its not even worth mentioning.

Bottom line, this country allows us various basic rights. It allows us to keep and bear arms. The forefathers knew how important that was to the start of this country and it is critical we maintain this today.  As Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Japanese Navy once said:

“You cannot invade the mainland United States.  There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.”

Hamma Random Thoughts, Rants, politics guns, Random Thoughts, Rants, second amendment

So I am almost 30 and ever since I was a kid myself I haven’t wanted to have children. Plenty of friends around me have either had, or have children on the way. I have no desire whatsoever to have a child or carry on the “family line” which is usually the reason folks have kids. Yet, often times this is taboo. You don’t want kids? Why?

I am happily married to a beautiful woman who is perfect for me. We enjoy the same interests and have fun together all the time. I don’t feel like I need a child to justify my love or my life. I am happy to enjoy life without children and experience things that many married couples with children cannot. Although she isn’t thrilled that I don’t want children she still loves me and life goes on.

Yet time and time again folks ask us when we are having little Hamma’s and time and time again I tell them we aren’t. Marriage does not equal kids despite what many think. It is a union of people who love each other and want to express that love by marrying each other and with luck, spend the rest of their lives together.

So get off my back!

Hamma Random Thoughts, Rants children, love, marriage, Random Thoughts, Rants

Something that has always bothered me personally is the usage of terms like “Miracle” in media news outlets and just in general. There’s always the token interviewee who claims that someone was saved or avoided death only by a “Miracle”. The very definition of the term Miracle suggests divine intervention. Tell me why is this something that should be used regularly by news outlets and ignorant politicians to describe people who survived unbelievable accidents?

I will use the recent plane crash of flight 1549 in the Hudson River as a prime example, compared with the also recent plane crash of Continental Flight 3407.

In the first case everyone on board survived. They did this because of the extreme piloting skills of Captain Sully Sullenberger and not a miracle as the NY State Governor David Paterson said  “We have had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson.” Allot of news outlets ran with the headline “Miracle on the Hudson” That is a pure insult to Sully and the people who helped save those lives. Those people were saved because a human with amazing skills as a pilot saved them. He is the true definition of the word Hero which is another term abused often.

Read more…

Hamma Atheism, Bullshit, Rants Atheism, Christianity, Flight 1549, Flight 3407, Miracle, Rants, Religion, Sully Sullenberger

Those of you who are baseball fans are aware that the Major League All Star Game was tonight on Fox. The game was held at Yankee Stadium. In their typical low class asshattery the Yankee fans booed every single Red Sox Player that set foot on the field, including the Manager Terry Francona who by the way won the World Series Last Year.. wait what? Jealous?

But they showed their true colors when Jonathan Papelbon took to the field. They booed his every pitch and chanted “Over Rated” among other bullshit. This was due to some comments that he made earlier in the week saying that he should close the game and not Mariano Rivera. First off, this guy is a competitor and his job is to win and be the best he can be at his role. Of course he is going to want to pitch the 9th inning at the Major League All Star Game. Should he have opened his yap? Probably not. But the NYY fans and media took it to the typical extremes of booing his every move.

They even booed him, and his family on the Major League Parade earlier in the day. They booed him and his pregnant wife on the red carpet before the game causing her to fear for her safety. It’s one thing to love the game, and the rivalry that NYY and BOS hold, its another all together to be completely disrespectful to the players of this game who regardless of their team are All Stars of the MLB. Today was a day to celebrate Baseball in one of its greatest stadiums. It was a day to admire and pay homage to the greatest players of the game. But thanks to typical Yankee fan actions and the NYC Media this day will be forever scarred in history.

Way to go Yankee fans and the New York Media!

Hamma Bullshit, Rants, sports baseball, Rants, red.sox, sports, yankees

  So here we are in the Spring of 2008 and gas prices are continuing to skyrocket day after day. Just last week here the price of gas went up .15 cents in just 2 days. So that led me to wonder how much am I spending on gas this month? I should have just not bothered figuring it out because it was just depressing, but I figured that I am on track to spend almost $400.00 dollars this month. Yep, thats right.. FOUR HUNDRED BIG ONES. And I don’t even have all that long of a commute. About an hour drive every day plus whatever local driving I do at home to get groceries and whatever else.

Prices of food and everything else are going up too, you don’t need my little blog to tell you this. Because truckers who are hauling all this stuff are paying about a grand to fill their diesel tanks. I personally feel the squeeze of the increased cost because I can’t go out and do the things I enjoy anymore. Jen and I can’t go out and grab a bite to eat at our favorite restaurant because we have zero spending money left. And the sad thing is we are living at home right now to save money. I would hate to have a mortgage or a rent to pay right now, I feel for any of you out there who do.

The big question is this, when are our worthless pandering, fucking idiot elected officials going to get off their stupid asses and do something about this? I am not an economist or an expert on gas and oil by any means but this continuing trend needs to be curbed in some way. The fact that prices are not even being driven up by lack of supply is honestly frightening, what does this mean for the summer season? Elderly folks on fixed incomes can’t even drive to the grocery store or the bank because they are spending all their money on gas.

This is the reality of the situation, the human effect. And don’t tell me we need to “Decrease our dependence on foreign oil” or “Drive a cleaner hybrid car” because those are long term solutions that would be wonderful, but America needs solutions now and that shit won’t help us in the near term. While giving everyone in America some cash this summer was a nice thought it isn’t going to do shit to resolve the current situation. Write your congressmen and let them know that something needs to be done, give them real world experiences and give this situation a human face.

Hamma Bullshit, Rants, politics economy, expensive, gas, gas prices, news, politics, Rants

Here in New England the Red Sox / Yankees rivalry is the biggest in sports. So when news came out that a Sox fan buried a David Ortiz jersey in the new Yankee Stadium it was top story news. Now one could not be really sure if this was actually done, it could be just some guy trying to freak out the paranoid Yankee fans. But when Yankee’s brass got word that this may be the case they went to the extreme and actually ordered the construction company to start digging (which actually set them back about $50,000). Sure enough after many hours with a jackhammer it turned out that the rumors were true because buried deep in the concrete of the new stadium was a David Ortiz Jersey.

Now I wish the story ended here but look at what the nutjob Yankee’s president said:

“But then we decided, why reward somebody who had really bad motives and was trying to do a really bad thing?”

As if this guy had committed some kind of crime like raping a child or something.. give me a fucking break! Rumors are out there now that the Yankee’s might even be considering criminal action against this guy but seriously, what would you charge him with? Witchcraft for putting a curse on them? String him up from the nearest tree!!!

I know one thing, if I had managed to get a jersey buried I would have kept my yap shut until they were done.. lets see them try and dig it up then!

Hamma Bullshit, Rants baseball, nutjob, red sox, sports, yankees, yankees-vs-red-sox