Click here to read up on the new update for Battlefield 1942 that was released December 1st.
According to the release notes, the patch addresses some exploit. If you still play Battlefield 1942, you should install the patch. I noticed quite a few servers that were greyed out when I tried to load a server last night.

I'm surprised they bothered to release a patch for 1942. I really didn't expect any further support for 1942 after Vietnam was released. I'm still partial to 1942, and it's nice to go back to for some dogfight action.

update: Please note that this does not add any functionality to the game or enhance gameplay in any way, it only fixes a glitch.

I just got my new license plates in today. Texas allows amateur radio operators to get license plates with their callsign on them for a whopping $2.
I placed the order in the first couple of weeks of November and got them today.

Some people say that ham plates are the epitome of being a radio geek, maybe so, but when I'm driving and I see call letters on the back of a car, I give a wave and almost always can talk to the other guy on 146.52MHz. It's an interesting way to meet other drivers when you're making a long road trip. It's just something neat to do, and it didn't cost me much of anything. So I like it.

Mackieman sez: I got new plates too, but I opted for customized over my ham callsign. Behold the glory that is OMG BBQ.

This weekend, while in Longview, Jennifer and I visited another geocache in that area. It was relatively easy to find and was made out of a waterproof Army surplus ammo box.
This got me to thinking how easy it is to make and place a geocache. So, we went over to the local army surplus store and picked up a couple of ammo boxes of our own. Then went to Walmart to see what knick-knacks we could find to put in them. I took them back to Alpha Omega and spray painted them to help conceal their location when they are placed. We placed them Sunday afternoon and I logged their coordinates today.
So, two more geocaches are in the Longview vicinity if any of you are in that area and have a GPS.

Links to the two geocaches:

Trinity Bucket

Industrial Bucket

What the heck is a geocache? Visit www.GeoCaching.com for more info.

Grendel sez: Well, it appears we had a few geocachers find our ammo boxes. Nice to see someone actually went out in search of them! Click on the links above to see the comments for each cache.
Let us also hope it does not get blown up like this one in Indiana.

I tried to hold off buying the game until after the hype was over and the price came down. First of all, $55 is kinda pushing it. I know most games come out around $50. So why the $5 increase?
Do we get a nice hard-plastic protective jewel case to hold all 5 CDs in? no.
Do we get an extra-cool full-color manual in the box? no. Do we get a manual at all? no So why am I paying an additional $5 for a game that comes with less than most others?

Ok, so I got the game. Went to Best Buy with my older brother, who was ready to get it. Don't get me wrong, I was excited about the improved graphics and physics, just wasnt' chomping at the bit to get the game.
Finally, after a while, I get it installed - all 5 CDs worth. Then, I have to resetup my Steam account (*rant to come at a later date). Steam starts up, tries to authenticate with their overloaded servers, and eventually lets me play the game. The graphics are very nice. The animation is the best I've seen in a game, and the game physics are equally impressive. I could go on and on about the physics and graphics, but I'll just leave it at.
The gameplay is alot the same as HL1, but hey, it's a sequel - it should follow. I'm quite impressed. It's a fun game. I wasn't expecting anything to just floor me, which is why I was reluctant to buy into the hype.

So, if you haven't been swept up in the hype, you shouldn't be disappointed. If you lost sleep the night before the release because you were too excited - you were probably let down. Don't get caught up in hype again.
Overall, it is a fun game with alot of potential. We'll see how it all pans out.

update: Valve just released Half-Life 2 : Deathmatch. It's a relatively small download (about 25-30Mb) and only takes a couple of minutes to install. In the multiplayer you get to use all the weapons from the game as well as the gravity gun. So, in addition to dodging bullets, you will also now be dodging urinals and exploding barrels. To install, just start up Steam and select to install the Deathmatch feature.

Havoc sez: The game doesn't live up to all the hype. The graphics are good, the gameplay is excellent, and it's fun interacting with various objects of the environment. You'll have loads of fun throwing beer cans at armed guards and smashing things with the crow bar. It's nothing that'll rock your world though. I just felt that Valve slapped the consumer in the face by incorporating Steam and rehashing Counter Strike as the multiplayer aspect of the game while charging an extra 5 dollars. If you hate Punkbuster and it's crappy project team, you will really hate Steam.

Notorious sez: I was somewhat bored with the game the first day, thought it was too much like the original, but the second day, it started to come into it's own. Specifically the Ravenholm chapter allowed for more creativity and and fresh gameplay. I still can't follow the plot for anything, but at least it gave me hope for some more originality than what I had first experienced. Btw, Steam worked fine for me, it was kind of annoying at first, but it saved my lazy ass a trip to Best Buy.

Prez sez: My being wise and saving my money is preventing me from taking part in the discussion of the game play, for I have not bought this game. Although, it will allow me to complain about the $5.00 increase in the price. Other gaming companies will see the price increase, and their greed will make them hungry for more and release their games at $54.99 as well.
update: HL2 is available for only $49.99 on Newegg.com with free shipping. So everyone who bought it for $54.99 should print out the page on newegg showing the price and the free shipping, then take it to the place where you bought the game, and price match it. You're welcome.

Mackieman sez: You know, despite not being currently in possession of hardware that will allow me to enjoy this game, I gotta say that the new price point is a bit out there. Especially when you get nothing but the game for it. The special edition that comes with neeto swag is $80. More and more, PC games are starting to be priced like console games. And that's just not a cost burden I am willing to bare.

I read on Slashdot earlier about Intel releasing their new BTX form factor.
Anandtech.com has the full story (and pics). In short, the new BTX form factor allows for more efficient cooling of a computer's components. Whether or not this form factor will catch on remains to be seen. Of course, it's not up to you and I, the end user; it's more aimed at component designers and motherboard manufacturers. And with Intel's market-might, it almost goes without saying that the new standard will be accepted by board design teams.

The components that run most hot are situated in-line with the CPU cooling fan airflow, in order to take advantage of the air being moved. This is an interesting step which will cut down on the number of case fans needed in newer systems.

This is just a form factor, mind you, and not a chipset release, don't be looking for any new features or faster speeds. Those follow new chipset designs. BTX will merely allow for designers to build in a new way.