Thickfreakness

Mean Green Stadium Now Open

2011-07-31T03:23:00.012-05:00

Click here for album

Took some pictures today while out at the new stadium, which opened to the public today. It is absolutely a first class facility, every bit on par with any of the pro facilities in Dallas. The school could have gone big (50,000+ seats), but instead they decided to focus entirely on quality. The stadium seats about 31,000 and was built to be expanded to 50-55,000. Smartest move ever. Everything is amazing from the sight lines, to the huge concourse with monitors everywhere, to the team store, to even small things like having bathrooms on the student side accessible pre-game for tailgaters without opening up the rest of the stadium.

I was very proud today, and think this is the beginning of the University of North Texas Mean Green becoming the team of Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Your Computer Is Slow

2011-07-13T22:49:00.007-05:00

Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe (Live at Monterey)

This is why everyone should be running their OS off of an SSD.

SSD

Traditional Platter Drive

Mean Green

2011-06-08T19:06:00.010-05:00

Green Day - Welcome to Paradise

Got my season tickets a week ago.

Morning Review: Monster Energy

2011-04-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows

Possibly the last review? Included today is a special surprise for music lovers.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Amp Overdrive

2011-04-07T11:57:00.002-05:00

Queens of the Stone Age - Little Sister

It's still technically the morning! Here with the second user suggestion in this whole thing by nerdk0re from #videogames, Amp Energy Overdrive.

Special note: Yerba Mate is a type of plant in South America. Ok then.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Cafe Energy

2011-04-06T09:44:00.003-05:00

Queens of the Stone Age - Auto Pilot

Taking a break from berry and fruit flavors for something a little more classic. Tomorrow will be the much vaunted suggestion by nerdk0re.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Rockstar Cola

2011-04-05T12:47:00.000-05:00

Cracker - I Want Everything

It's the afternoon, morning review! The dentist sucks, but brunch is great.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Amazon Energy Diet

2011-04-04T11:16:00.001-05:00

Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance

The start of another week with your good pal Schlep. Take a listen to today's review and give me some suggestions on the remaining 13 energy drinks.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Rockstar Recovery

2011-04-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Ozzy Osbourne - Life Won't Wait

I never have much luck with good April Fools jokes, so this year I'm just doing an energy drink instead. The weekend couldn't have come at any better of a time, as I'm on my last legs.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: EX Slim Energy

2011-03-31T10:56:00.001-05:00

Spoon - Written in Reverse

The rain is gone and the week is almost over. Today's energy drink features art so real that Picasa wants me to tag the person's name on the can's picture.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Blue Energy

2011-03-30T11:02:00.003-05:00

Pink Floyd - The Fletcher Memorial

The gloominess persists outside, but the week is half over and the energy drinks are ample. Come on down for a pick me up.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Zun Lite

2011-03-29T10:23:00.002-05:00

Smashing Pumpkins - Perfect

It's such a gloomy day here that I had to use the flash to get a good picture of the drink. But that's ok, I'm here to brighten your day with another groggy sounding energy drink review.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Sugar Free Amp

2011-03-28T09:15:00.005-05:00

Wolfmother - Tales From the Forest of Gnomes

Continuing the series, this morning is Sugar Free Amp Energy on the suggestion of Richey Manic.

Link for people whose browser sucks

Morning Review: Anti-Gravity

2011-03-25T11:01:00.045-05:00

Tool - Vicarious

So the next month or so will be a new blog every weekday, crazy I know. We'll be going through 21 different energy drinks and at least $63 will be pissed away. Here's the first review, on an especially groggy Friday morning. Use the player below to hear my sweet, sweet voice. Enjoy!

Link for people whose browser sucks

The Tower

2011-03-20T16:34:00.012-05:00

Alice in Chains - Your Decision (Live)

So everything is situated on the desk now, and there are some updated pics in the gallery. Very happy to have a computer on the desk that isn't slow as hell. Specs are below:

SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03B Case
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600 600W PLUS Bronze Certified Modular Power Supply
ASUS P8P67-M PRO Micro ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost)
CORSAIR CWCH50-1 High Performance CPU Cooler
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
MSI N460GTX CYCLONE 1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
TP-LINK TL-WN781ND PCI Express Wireless Adapter

Saying Goodbye to Macs

2011-03-15T13:29:00.008-05:00

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze (Live)

So it's been just a tad over 12 years now. I first went exclusive to Apple's computers back in February of 1999 when I picked up a G3 266mhz iMac. It was tangerine. Thinking back on it, that computer was a headache. The 32MB of RAM wasn't able to keep up with Mac OS 8.5's (lack of) multitasking. The bomb was a common occurrence, requiring the system to be rebooted and prayers that whatever I was working on had been recently saved. The closest OS X users have ever come to this behavior is the kernel panic, which I've seen all of two or three times since 2000. Anyway, making the massive upgrade from 32MB of RAM to 64MB set the world on fire. Suddenly my computer felt much faster, the bomb was not nearly as prevalent, and all was right with the world. This is when the upgrade bug bit.

The very next year, right around the same time, I decided it was time to go all in. I had just gotten a fairly lucrative job and with that extra money burning a hole in my pocket, I knew where it was going. This beauty to the right is a "Sawtooth" G4 400 Power Mac. It came by default with 64MB of RAM which I quickly upgraded to 128MB and a massive 10GB HDD compared with the iMac's 6GB. This thing was an absolute monster that ate Realplayer movies and Photoshop for breakfast. I even added an external CD-RW and later a 2nd gen iPod. In September 2000 I gladly bought into the OS X Public Beta at $30, and enjoyed crash free computing, albeit at a lack of application availability and a bit of goofy design. The MP3 player up in the corner is actually SoundJam MP, of which I still own the box copy. Apple later bought the program and transformed it into 'iTunes'. Maybe you've heard of it. Right around this time I also got into the idea of laptops, and bought a 15.4" PowerBook G4 400 to supplement my desktop for times when I was feeling a bit more like sitting on the couch or being out and about. This was back when wireless internet was an option. Personally I choose not to remember that time period. Once I decided to go back to school, both computers were dumped in favor of something a bit newer, smaller, and sleeker.

Now that is a piece of technology. The 12" Aluminum G4 867 mhz PowerBook stayed with me through the first three years of school. The thing was nearly indestructible for a laptop, and OS X was really starting to come of age. iPods were becoming more prevalent from 2003-2006 and part of my Mac geekhood was lost. People who had never used a Mac in their lives were sporting the white earbuds, but Apple was still a computer company first and foremost. Around the end of the spring semester in 2006, the upgrade bug was rearing its head again.

My current computer is the 15" MacBook Pro 2ghz Core Duo. When I first got it, speeds were amazing. Upgrading from 1GB to 2GB of RAM put an exclamation point on that speed, and it got me through the rest of school and then some. Copious notes were taken on this computer as the laptop in the classroom became common place instead of a social faux pas. Then somewhere around 2008 something started to go wrong. That something was Adobe Flash.

It had been been around for a while, but most people and websites stayed below or well below the 480p mark. As HD cameras became more widely available for cheap, suddenly videos were being shown at 720p and (gasp) 1080p. Flash also became more prevalent in general as websites changed from GIF based banner ads and site animations to Flash, the MBP struggled to keep up. Even well meaning software such as ClickToFlash complicated the experience and blocked the good along with the bad. Needless to say, the Core Duo isn't able to keep up, and while Apple eventually made some concessions on letting Flash access the GPU, that wasn't the case for older Macs (such as mine). On that same note, OS X 10.7 also lets some older Macs (including mine) fall by the wayside.

This deprecation of old hardware, namely my precious MacBook Pro, left me in a bit of a conundrum. I no longer need the portability thanks to the iPad, which I may also drop in favor of a competitor eventually, but that's another post. The desktop landscape for Macs is just as bleak today as it was five years ago. On the low-end is the Mac mini which hits the magical trifecta of overpriced, underpowered, and (for the most part) not upgradeable. Above that is the iMac which, to this day, is still a waste by including a monitor that I neither need nor want. And then the top end...wow. Back when I bought my Power Mac G4, I got the entry level option at $1799. Today's entry level option is $2499! That's right, the only truly upgradeable Mac is $700 more just to step onto the field than it was 10 years ago. The iMac, by comparison, has dropped in price by $100.

So the decision came down to how much I value OS X. I'm not the type to fuss through a hackintosh, so that option went out the window. $1199 for an iMac that will realistically last me three years at best? Not attractive. For less than that, I can build something that blows even the entry level Mac Pro ($2499!) out of the water. For better or worse, that was my decision in the end.

I'll try to post on here once everything is said and done. This isn't a goodbye forever to Macs, but it definitely is goodbye for now. Hopefully the next time I'm ready to upgrade, Apple and myself are seeing eye to eye instead of whatever is going on right now.

iPadding

2010-04-12T01:18:00.005-05:00

Mission: Impossible

I'm going to return to updating this blog, and probably going to be doing it a lot more often than I ever have. It's a lot easier to type from the couch now, and i think that will allow me to make the updates without it feeling like so much work.

But, tonight will not be the night for any post of substance. Really late and work in the morning. Sorry for the tease. :)

Moving (in April)

2010-01-04T00:34:00.006-06:00

Minority Report

So April 1 (or possibly a week or two earlier), I'll be moving to a new apartment in Lewisville, TX. Pics will be posted once I move in, but for right now I'm just going to list what's in the area. Should give an idea of what kind of stuff I do regularly, heh.

Quik Trip (.1 mile)
Subway (.1 mile)
Chipotle (1.7 miles)
Kroger (2.5 miles)
El Fenix (4 miles)
AMC Theater (4 miles)
Barnes & Noble (4 miles)
Buckle (4 miles)
Snuffers (4 miles)
FedEx (4 miles)
Bath & Bodyworks (4 miles)
Super Target (4 miles)
Petco (4 miles)
PetSmart (4 miles)
Best Buy (4 miles)
Gamestop (4 miles)
Sprouts (4.5 miles)
Dog Lofts ... Link's food (5 miles)
New York Sub Hub (5.7 miles)
Denton Dog Park (11 miles)
Rudy's BBQ (12.5 miles)
Fuzzy's Taco Shop (13.5 miles)
DFW Airport (15 miles)
University of North Texas (15 miles)
Addison (15 miles)
Fry's Electronics (15.7 miles)
Link's Groomer (18.6 miles)
Link's Vet (24 miles)
American Airlines Center (25 miles)
Rangers Ballpark (30 miles)
Downtown Dallas (31 miles)
Downtown Ft. Worth (36.5 miles)

Going on a Plane Ride

2009-12-18T16:49:00.003-06:00

BlakRoc - What You Do To Me

Below is a list of all the non-cleaning or clothing related items I take on the plane (also helps for not forgetting stuff in the future). I'll try to update the blog more often, blah blah blah. Follow me on twitter if you want to read more than twice per year, lol.

Work Laptop
iPhone
Work Phone
Garmin Nuvi 765T
Power Adapters: Laptop, Work Phone, Garmin
Interconnects: iPhone USB, Work Phone USB & headphone adapter, Garmin USB
Stands/Docks: iPhone dock, iPhone landscape stand, Garmin dock (suction cup + dock)
Headphones: iPhone, Work Phone, Sony noise cancelling
Mini USB Keyboard
Microsoft ARC Mouse
Sunglasses
Tylenol
Snack
Pens

1MR: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2009-08-25T18:42:00.004-05:00

Grouse - As If To Prove A Point

Synopsis: When Sarah Marshall dumps aspiring musician Peter Bretter for rock star Aldous Snow, Peter's world comes crashing down. His best friend suggests that Peter should get away from everything and to fly off to Hawaii to escape all his problems. After arriving in Hawaii and meeting the beautiful Rachel Jansen, Peter is shocked to see not only Aldous Snow in Hawaii, but also Sarah Marshall. imdb

Review: I think this could be called the romantic comedy for guys, but it falls just short of being a really good movie. After a while, I went from feeling sorry for Peter to wanting to punch him in the face. A few good jokes are made throughout the movie, but not as funny as I'd hoped. Jonah Hill had a surprisingly boring performance.

Overall the movie is worth seeing, but isn't all that memorable. I especially feel that way after having only seen it two weeks ago and not being able to remember large parts of it, haha. Oh, and Mila Kunis is somehow very attractive in this movie. That is all.

Rating: Rent

Food: Tequila Limeade

2009-08-08T17:36:00.006-05:00

Rangers @ Angels

Last night I was enjoying this drink and several people asked the details. First of all, the tequila that I use is a mid-shelf blanco tequila: El Mayor Tequila Blanco. It isn't cheap, but it's smooth and a little bit sweet which helps the mixture. For some people the cost is a problem.

You can substitute any tequila and it won't mess with the recipe too much. If possible, get something that says 100% Agave, if not then whatever. The cheaper you get, the less tequila you're going to want to use, otherwise you're going to have a more bitter drink that burns on the back end.

Tequila Limeade

1 cup lime juice (about 16-18 small or 8-9 medium limes juiced)
4 cups water (preferably filtered)
Simple syrup (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar or sucralose, zest of 2 small limes)
Blanco tequila (you can use aged tequila, but I don't recommend it)

Halve and juice the limes into a bowl and measure out to one cup. Easiest way is to stick a fork in the middle of the lime half and squeeze around it. I would recommend not straining the juice; the drinks are better with the pulp. Combine the lime juice and four cups water in a pitcher. In a small pot, heat simple syrup ingredients, stirring regularly until sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear. Stir syrup into the pitcher with the other ingredients and then chill until cold (6-8 hours).

Keep the tequila in the freezer. This will smooth out the flavor, but more importantly, keeps your drink from being instantly watered down once you pour it. Mix either 1 part tequila to 2 parts limeade or 1 part to 3 parts, depending on your taste. The crappier the tequila, the closer I'd recommend staying to 1:3 or even 1:4.

Food: Burgers

2009-08-04T21:21:00.013-05:00

Rangers @ Athletics

So now that I'm swearing off of fast food and soda for at least thirty days, I'll be cooking for myself more often. I'm not going to type everything that I make, but here and there I'll throw something out that I think others will enjoy.

The first is a burger that is a mix of some things I've found on my own, and the Pickapeppa sauce that Sasha introduced to me.

Schlep Burgers (lol)

1 lb ground beef or ground sirloin
1/4 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce
1/2" red onion slice for each burger (opt.)
Slice of cheese for each burger (opt.)

Combine beef, onion salt, sea salt, black pepper, and Pickapeppa in mixing bowl. Divide into three patties with thinner centers than edges (thanks Bobby Flay, lol).

Grill burgers for approximately 15 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill. Flip 2-3 times, keeping the lid closed at all other times. Do not mash burgers down while grilling! Doing that pushes the juice out, resulting in dry burgers. Gross. Grill onion slices for approximately 10 minutes, flipping once.

Melt cheese over burgers and remove from grill. Serve with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, or whatever else on buns (toasting optional).

Another Update!

2009-08-04T16:35:00.004-05:00

Foo Fighters - The Deepest Blues Are Black

I've never maintained my blog this well, lol. Today I added a column to the right called "Shared Stories." This is made up of RSS stories that I've shared through Google Reader. Every morning I wake up, stumble to the toilet and then outside with Link. While he runs around, I check/update Twitter and then read over all my stories in Reader. That's a long way of saying that this will be something I update daily. :)

I've done it this way instead of blogging the items directly, because it's much easier and honestly most people don't want to sift through RSS items to get to the awesome blog entries with which I grace the world...haha.

1MR: Battlefield 1943

2009-07-29T09:29:00.006-05:00

Pink Floyd - Shine on You Crazy Diamond

Synopsis: It's time to do your part in the action packed battles of the World War II Pacific Campaign! Pick your path - be it as a rifleman crawling the trenches, a steel fisted tank commander or an ace fighter pilot dog-fighting to protect the skies. Play as a lone wolf or with your friends, coordinating to turn the tide of battle. Whatever you choose, you get to enjoy the thrill of a fully featured online shooter with the unique Battlefield gameplay. bf1943.com

Review: Battlefield 1942 has been revamped for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and retitled Battlefield 1943. It's hard to imagine that anyone who considers themselves a first person shooter fan would not have tried the Battlefield series by now. In a nutshell, this is team-oriented combat based on capturing and holding points on the map. Obtain a majority of the five points, and the other team's point ticker moves towards zero. The more your team captures, the faster the other team moves towards a loss.

The game ships with only three maps, and the bonus map that was unlocked (Coral Sea) is dog fighting only. Honestly, that is the only knock against the game. For $15, I dare you to find better value for your money. This is the best selling XBLA/PSN game for a reason, and people will be playing this for months and maybe even years to come. Now give us more maps, EA!

Rating: Buy

1MR: Defiance

2009-07-25T20:31:00.006-05:00

Rangers @ Royals

Synopsis: On the run and hiding in the deep forests of the then German occupied Poland and Belorussia (World War II), the three Bielski brothers find the impossible task of foraging for food and weapons for their survival. They live, not only with the fear of discovery, contending with neighboring Soviet partisans and knowing whom to trust but also take the responsibility of looking after a large mass of fleeing Polish Jews from the German war machine. Women, men, children, the elderly and the young alike are all hiding in makeshift homes in the dark, cold and unforgiving forests in the darkest times of German occupied Eastern Europe. imdb

Review: This movie is a bit difficult to review. On one hand, the true story that the movie is based on is very interesting and having a feature film headlined by Daniel Craig to retell the story is deserved. On the other hand, the movie itself just doesn't flow all that well. Part of this could be based on the source material not being all that eventful, but I think it has more to do with bad editing. Several scenes could have been dropped while others expanded to keep away the urge to check your watch.

The Blu-ray transfer itself is very good, both in audio and video. The forest that the Bielski's occupy is vibrant without the grain usually seen in that type of environment. The sound is convincing, and the few battles are sharp and exciting. In the end, the movie is worth a rent just for the interesting story, but it won't be the prize of anyone's movie collection.

Rating: Rent