The Rev. Rob Times
Home Videogame Consoles Will Never Die
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Monday, 29 April 2013 22:27
The end of the current generation is nearing. It’s been the longest generation in memory. They call it the seventh generation, and it began in 2005. It’s been eight years. During this time the sleek looking Xbox 360 and PS3 games are looking rather aged when compared to their PC counterparts. “The end is neigh for consoles,” many are beginning to say. PCs are evolving too fast, they’re too powerful. The next generation of game consoles will be the last.
It began on oscilloscopes and in workshops.
It became the side product of television
and electronics
giants. It roared into life with names like Atari and Bushnell, and it
withered in America
and was reborn by Japan,
and the battle of Sega
and Nintendo raged, and even bigger giants have since come and lay claim to territories.
Many have fallen.
Many more will come. Home game
consoles, though, will not ever die.
This isn’t the first time this particular claim has
been made. It’s been made since the very beginning of the home gaming industry.
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PETA and Vegan Cultists Attempt to Write the Importance of Meat Consumption Out of Human Evolution
Cartoons
Written by Tom Miller Friday, 29 March 2013 18:12
Allow me to preface this article by stating for the record that veganism and vegetarianism are perfectly healthy and acceptable lifestyle choices and are, in part, made possible by mankind's scientific understanding of human dietary needs. Further, having compassion for animals and a desire to protect them from harm is a perfectly valid and humanistic cause to champion.
The following is neither a criticism of vegans and vegetarians nor animal rights advocates. It's a criticism of a subculture where these two words intersect. One where the righteousness of abstaining from eating animal products stands above all all else, and where chickens and cows share equality with our species, Homo sapiens.
This sub-group, a vocal minority of the greater whole, has begun the process of mythologizing the scientific history of human evolution to write out the importance role that meat played on the journey that our primitive ancestors took to becoming me and you. Some go as far as to say that human ancestors were themselves vegan.
Because the consumption of meat was both critical for our ancestors' survival, and contributed to our large brains, the very essence of what makes us human, it is, therefore, an inconvenient truth. It does not jive with them that the consumption of animals is both evil and necessary for our very existence.
Add a commentAdvice Ninjas – Social Media Consulting, Web Development, and Graphic Design
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Saturday, 09 February 2013 00:32
In the modern business world,
social media is the go to method of connecting with consumers. The problem is
that to do it right it requires a lot of elements that not every business owner
and entrepreneur has; in-depth knowledge of the industry, of multiple
platforms, how to get the most return on investment, and, of course time.
These days, in addition to the
big names like Facebook and Twitter, there are hundreds of social media
platforms that cater to all kinds of interests, such as fitness, music, and
technology. Navigating them all and knowing how to get the most out of them is
daunting. That’s where companies like Advice
Ninjas come in.
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How Conservatism is a Cult
Politics
Written by MacKenzie Roberts Sunday, 27 January 2013 08:04
In modern society, the term “cult” typically brings with it a negative connotation. Some cults easily recalled in recent history are Jonestown, the Manson family, Heaven’s Gate, and most recently Westboro Baptist Church. Not all cults are alike. For example, Heaven’s Gate was more of a doomsday cult whereas Charles Manson’s cult was about people worshiping himself.
However, all have one thing in common, which is that they are harmful to both their members and to society. They seek to control and brainwash their members in order to further the cult’s agenda.
There are specific characteristics that qualify a group or organization as a cult. We’ll examine those characteristics in relation to the modern conservative movement in the United States and demonstrate the parallels between cult and America’s right-wing.
Add a commentThere Was Never an Intent For an Individual Right to Firearms
Politics
Written by Tammy Paine Monday, 14 January 2013 04:56
The Second
Amendment is one of the most controversial amendments in the Constitution,
if not the most controversial. It wasn’t always so, it has only been in the
last several years that the meaning of the amendment was changed by the courts
to grant citizens a broad right to firearms. However, this is not what the
founders had in mind. So, what were they thinking?
SEGA’s 32X: A True History
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Friday, 11 January 2013 19:52
There’s an interesting phenomenon on the internet. If an event took place before the internet was widespread, then the online world sometimes builds up a legend, which is then accepted as history, but in reality is skewed.
SEGA’s 32X console suffers from this peculiar happening. It’s
commonly thought that the 32-bit add-on console was a failure from the start,
had no original software, sold poorly, and was canned as a result, and led to
consumers swearing off SEGA, and maybe a few death threats. I don’t know. I’ve
even been told that these machines are “rare,” if you can believe that.
This is the true story of the SEGA Genesis 32X.
The 20 percent: Religion Rapidly Declining in America
Society
Written by Allen Moccio Tuesday, 09 October 2012 20:41
Every few years or so a comprehensive study on religion in America is done. This year it was completed by the PEW Research Center. The big headline? One in five Americans, a full 20 percent, are not religious. But are they nonbelievers?
The answer, disappointingly, is no. While it is exciting for many to see the number of people who identify themselves as agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular” rise to 20 percent of the population, a huge constituency, a large number of the “none of the above” crowd are really religious egonovists.
Dissecting the numbers tells a tale of an America where the power and influence of religion is in rapid decline, but also of one where people are hesitant to let go of a higher power.
Of the 20 percent, only six percent identify as either atheist or agnostic. Enough has been written about agnostics to conclude that they either don’t exist, or are really agnostic atheists, as are virtually all atheists. It’s a safe bet that a minimum of six percent of the population do not believe in any god whatsoever.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson Calls Out Romney On Killing Big Bird
Politics
Written by Michael Allen Thursday, 04 October 2012 22:06
The first presidential debate of the 2012 season was bizarre to say the least. It had a moderator who threw out topics, asked few questions, and didn’t do much in the way of moderating.
President Obama seemed more like Clint Eastwood’s empty chair than the fierce debater he had shown himself to be in 2008.
And Mitt Romney, in an effort to close the $901 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2013 would refuse to trim the $1.4 trillion dollar defense budget, would cut all federal funding for PBS, which receives $26.65 million from Congress.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and host of the PBS program NOVA ScienceNOW had this to say:
NBC’s ‘The Office’ Returns to Best Season In a Long Time
Community
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Saturday, 22 September 2012 21:22
As The Office enters its ninth and final season, it’s hard to believe how much time has passed since it all began. More so, it’s difficult to recognize the original show.
Years ago, when Jim and Pam finally got together, the core driving story of the series was resolved. Afterwards the show seemed lost. For a while it began to focus on manager Michael Scott, but as soon as everything seemed to work again, star Steve Carell left.
The writers tried to compensate in many ways. By introducing new relationship dynamics, such as those between Kelly and Ryan or Erin and Andy. By focusing more on other characters, like Dwight, Darryl, and Angela. By introducing new cast members, Robert California, Nellie Bertram.
None of the formulas really stuck. But with the series’ final season opener, it looks like the writers found a way to fix everything; by returning to the original formula and making the show laugh out loud funny again.
Add a commentDemocrats Nominate Nutcase for Senate In Tennessee; Could Have Been Adverted
Politics
Written by Michael Allen Monday, 06 August 2012 17:04
In 2008 a strange fluke in
American politics happened that turned out to be one of the most bizarre events
of that election cycle. Of course I’m talking about Alvin Greene, the
inarticulate, mentally-deficient Air Force flunkey who won a statewide primary without
even campaigning and became the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from South
Carolina.
That watershed moment should’ve been a wakeup call to the democratic establishment. Now history has repeated itself and a true lunatic has become the Democratic nominee for Senate in Tennessee in the form of Mark Clayton. He’s not just dumb, he’s deranged. He believes in the existence of FEMA prison camps, the existence of plans for a NAFTA superhighway, and opposes abortion rights for women and equality for gays.
Obviously Mr. Clayton is a real winner
who embodies the values of Tennessee Democrats. Oh wait; except for he doesn’t,
as the Tennessee Democratic Party lambasted him, saying that he’s a member of a
hate group. Of course, this could have been prevented.
Will the Media Ever Call Out Fox News On Their Partisan URLs?
Politics
Written by John Allen Tuesday, 31 July 2012 23:13
What’s a URL? Simply put, it’s the address to a web page. It
contains a and domain and the page name. For example, the domain here is
revrob.com, and the page name is typically the title of the article. That’s
important for something called SEO (search engine optimization). We want people searching for something that one of our articles is about to be able to find
it on Google. We want you to read our work.
Fox News, however, though it officially masquerades as a nonpartisan source for news and information, it is a well-known pusher of, and this is putting it delicately, a center right agenda.
But we’ve found that the go one step further in their partisanship.
They’ve been giving their webpages misleading URLs in addition to reporting
news, in many cases, that is blatantly one-sided and poorly fact-checked.
Red vs. Blue - Free Homebrew for Magnavox Odyssey to Celebrate 40 Years of Home Video Game Consoles
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Thursday, 19 July 2012 19:36
Many people may not know this, but this year marks the 40th anniversary of home video game consoles. In 1972 Magnavox had partnered with Sanders Associates and Ralph Baer who had invented the first video game console in 1966. The prototype he called the “brown box.” Several companies passed on the idea of playing electronic games on TV sets, including RCA who would later go on to release the worst video game console ever. Baer, now age 90, won the National Medal of Technology for his many achievements, which was presented to him by President George W. Bush in 2006. All prototypes now reside in the Smithsonian.
It took Magnavox to get video games in households. They were later followed by Fairchild, Atari, Coleco, and others. Now home gaming is a part of normal everyday life.
Add a commentMentis Cohorts – A Board Game and Video Game All-In-One for Magnavox Odyssey
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Monday, 16 July 2012 23:21
Mentis Cohorts is a game that has I have been throwing around since I was 10 or 11 years old.
It started as a board game I made in sixth grade. The game
on its own isn’t really complex enough to stand alone as a sophisticated strategy
game, however. After releasing Odball
for Odyssey I wanted to do another game. I figured this was the perfect opportunity
to do something with that board game I made as a kid.
Mentis Cohorts was officially released on July 16th, 2012. It’s the second official Odyssey homebrew ever released.
The game consists of several games in one. Mentis, Mentis Strike, Ego Mentis,
and Ego Mentis Siege. Unlike Odball which used a brand new game card,
the previously never produced Game card 11, Cohorts
uses Game Card 5, which was included in all Odyssey packages.
Stupidity: Believing that a choice between Romney and Obama is any kind of a choice at all
Cartoons
Written by Vox Populi Wednesday, 02 May 2012 22:33
Navigating the Compass of Belief
Society
Written by Honest Atheist Wednesday, 02 May 2012 20:39
It isn’t a delusion for one to be an atheist; after all, simply not believing that deities exist is no less rational than not believing that Santa Clause exists.
The delusion, however, comes from religionists who seek to paint atheism itself as a religion.
“It takes as much faith to not believe in God and it does to believe,” they constantly repeat.
But no, it doesn’t, just as it takes no faith to not believe that cats are an invading alien species whose mission is to pacify us with their cute YouTube videos before conquering our feeble planet. In fact, evidence suggests that cats are capable of no such thing and that they evolved right here on Earth with the rest of us.
Not believing in God (or gods, for that matter) is not the exact opposite of believing in them, which typically does require faith (but not always). For most atheists, there is no certainty that gods do not exist, merely the high probability. This concept is excellently illustrated by Dawkins Scale.
Unfortunately, Dawkins’ scale is only two dimensional and, like political ideology, religious belief is much more complex than that. Therefore, we need a compass to illustrate for us a third dimension.
The Compass of Belief
North and south on our compass are represented by theism and atheism, respectively. A theist is one who does believe in deities, an atheist is one who does not. Very simple.
East and west on our compass are agnostic and gnostic, respectively. This is where some people tend to get lost.
A person who is gnostic believes that they are in possession of special knowledge that perhaps only a select few can know.
In a religious sense, a person who is agnostic either doubts or denies outright that knowledge of the existence of a god is even possible.
On a map it is possible to travel both north and east and
the same time, and both south and west at the same time, and so on. But it is
impossible to travel both north and south simultaneously, and the same goes for
east and west. Our compass illustrates this.
Wepolls Debate Highlights From Fred Karger, Gary Johnson, and Buddy Roemer
Politics
Written by Alex Karr Friday, 16 December 2011 22:55
On December 15th Fred Karger and governor’s Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer participated in a debate on Wepolls.com, a social polling network. This was the first ever debate to take place on a social polling site, and only the second social media debate in history.
The candidates answered poll questions posed to them by
Republican primary voters from a wide variety of topics.
Lou Reed and Metallica: LULU Album Review
Society
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Saturday, 22 October 2011 08:24
Former Velvet Underground rocker Lou Reed unites with Metallica
to make an album. When these two forces unite, the result is something that no
one can quite expect.
Wepolls.com – A Social Poling Network With Something For Everyone
Sci & Tech
Written by Jeff Lopez Thursday, 13 October 2011 21:06
What is Wepolls.com? It's a social network centeralized around one simple concept: polling. I guess that explains the name "we + polls."
Stumbling across Wepolls’ Spartan homepage doesn’t reveal
the depth beneath the surface. It’s an elegantly simple list of trending polls
similar to the presentation of Reddit or Digg, where the most popular items
float to the surface. But unlike those social sites where videos, articles, and
pictures are shared, Wepolls users ask a question to find out what people
think.
9/11 Not Possible Without Religion
Society
Written by Vox Populi Sunday, 11 September 2011 23:42
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the September
11th attacks on the United Sates. This year also marks the 40th
anniversary of John Lennon’s most influential song, “Imagine.” Within the lines
of its lyrics, we are invited to imagine no heaven, no hell, and no religion.
More Voters Oppose Obama than Support Republican Candidates
Politics
Written by Vox Populi Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:44
Polling taken over the past several months shows an interesting trend. More voters overall are willing to vote for “Generic Republican” than for specific GOP candidates.
From July to August 2011 if the general election were held today and President Obama was running against an imaginary republican candidate, then he might lose. The average of major polls show that “Generic Republican” has a 0.2 percent advantage.
Add a commentSonic Generations Preview: A Hedgehog’s Redemption
Sci & Tech
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Sunday, 12 June 2011 00:50
Sonic is one of the most widely recognized gaming icons in history, sandwiched between Mario and Pacman in terms of fame and notoriety. Over the past decade, however, he’s become something of a joke. No matter how hard they tried, reboot after reboot, Sega couldn’t make a good Sonic game. Even 2010’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which saw the long awaited return of the series to its 2D roots, was an incoherent mess.
Going into E3 2011 I had no faith that Sonic Generations could be good; not given Sega’s recent track record of ruining the reputation of their iconic mascot. However, as a lifelong Sonic fan, I was pleasantly surprised by what they’ve accomplished.
POLL: Are you looking forward to Sonic Generations?
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