AlteredWeapon.com

That's right, I said it: Helper Dogs take jobs. Think about it. Dogs are trained to see for the blind, help them walk, keep them out of danger, and other things. Things that could be done by hard working Americans. Helper dogs are invading our workforce and doing these jobs for less than the daily minimum wage that a normal American would. I say we need to stand up to the pro-helper dog advocates and let our voices be heard.

I'm trying to lose weight. I'm down to about 210 lbs. from 220 lbs. and am trying to lose ten more pounds. Apart from exercising (I did 3 miles on the treadmill followed by a decent lat and bicep workout), I've changed my diet. I've gone almost meatless. The reason that I say almost is because I still need my sausage and egg bagel for breakfast. Other than that it's vegetables, grains, pasta and fruit. I think I'm feeling better and kind of enjoy the challenge of finding foods to eat at work. I have another ten days to go and am excited to see the results. Ice cream isn't part of any meat group, is it?

I have an odd thing to admit. I'm afraid of Zombies (re-animated dead guys, and gals). I don't know what it is about the dead coming alive to eat my brains that scares the willies (I did use that word) out of me. Every time I watch a zombie movie, whether it be watching Shaun of the Dead (a love story) or playing Left 4 Dead (a deeper love story) on my Xbox 360 or even reading the Marvel: Zombies comic books, I stay up late into the night deep in thought on the dangers of zombies. I think this comes from the realization that zombies tend to be more of a viral anomaly rather than beings of magic or mythology. Whether it be from space or from a lab, reanimated dead people are generally a product of pathology and evil. The fact that zombie-ism is basically the most deadly form of rabies (28 Days Later, not 28 Days with Sandra Bullock. Both scary movies in their own right) seems very frightening to me. I often wonder if all of my doors and windows will hold up to my just-dea...

Some people are blessed with good luck (or fortune) and some with bad luck (to a point) and some have a pretty even life. I think I fall under the good and bad mix, and I also think that most people do. It seems that everything good that happens (ie: found $10, got a new TV really cheap, had a great week, etc.) the opposite also seems to find it's way in. I would like to say that I'm the only one, but I know a few people that this happens to also. The economy is a good example of the law of averages, sure it's bad right now, but it's been good for the past couple of years and was good before it went down after 9/11. It will go back up, we just have to be patient. I'm thinking that maybe instead of focusing on the negatives that happen, maybe I should deal with it and move on. Maybe those who have nothing but good luck are just good at shrugging the bad off and learn from it and use that to create their luck. I should try that.

After a year long hiatus, and many life changing experiences, I'm back (I'm hoping it will be for good this time, but you never know). I'm hoping to go in a different direction from gaming news (considering the flooding of the gaming blog market and the lack of sufficient funds to buy and review every game imaginable) and give some insight into my brain and life experiences. I may throw some video game "stuff" in there with it (maybe a lot if deemed necessary). I think that the main thing is for me to keep writing and develop a personality that people can relate to. If not, then maybe you can laugh at me and make fun of the things I write (making the world a better place, through insults and humiliation of me.) So, I'll see you tomorrow and maybe have something to say. Maybe a recipe, or a game recommendation, or a story, or just the alphabet (or something else).

If you've been out of the universe for the past few months you may not know that Hollywood Writers are on strike. You may also have noticed that TV really sucks lately. I wrote an article over at MarriedGamer.com about the strike increasing DVD viewing and Video Game playing. What I didn't mention was what I thought about it. So here goes. I started out thinking that it was unfair that writers didn't get a cut of the digital download sales on the things that they write about. Realistically, if you worked on it you should get paid for it (unless you are God, or a blog writer with a passion and a few loyal readers). I still think that, to a point. Unfortunately, I'm tired of nothing being on during the winter season. The only good thing that has come out of this is that the wife and I now watch TV together because of the lack of disagreements (rarrrrrrr!) on what we want to watch. I also want to know why the writer's union can give the okay for their members...

If you haven't been able to tell, I've been on hiatus for the last few weeks. For starters my wife, son and I decided to go and visit relatives in Washington (the state) for the Christmas season, and do a lot of shopping (and I mean a LOT!). And then I had a lot to do when I came back to work. And then I got lazy. And then I got my wife pregnant (which actually happened before we went on vacation). Before we left I picked up Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Gameboy game) for my DS Lite. After so 17 years this game is still really fun to play, a fantastic find in the Fred Meyer bargain bin. I don't know how many times I have died in my pursuit to finish this game (or how many times I have thrown my DS in frustration). For all of you Super Mario Bros. fans out there: I know that you can use the warp whistle to beat the game quicker, I wanted to do it on my own merit (and I haven't figured out how to successfully use it). Super Mario 3 is a timeless cl...

I thought I would write something for all of my fan out there (thanks for reading, Dave). This weeks been kind of a lull in gaming for me. I'm not sure why, but I lose interest every once in a while. Maybe it's the cold weather, wanting to spend more time with the family, or stress at work (or the mafia members sent over by certain game companies to make sure I don't say something stupid). Whatever it is, I've been taking a break from gaming. Not a complete break (Uncharted has been played a couple of times this week), but as close as a gamer can get. I have been watching Planet Earth, a documentary from the Discovery Channel, on Blu-Ray, with my wife and son. I've been blown away by this hi definition documentary. The crystal clear camera shots combined with the locations make this a must watch for any Blu-Ray owner. It's got a boatload of nature and no human beings that are visible (except on the Yellow River in China). Breathtaking scenery and good wr...

I was going to have a long explanation on how my 360's disk drive died, but I've decided to get to the point. It happened on Monday night while I was preparing to play Call of Duty 4. My first 360 died almost a year ago and I though I was a few weeks out of warranty on the refurbished unit that I had received. So I called Xbox customer support, fully expecting to argue with someone on the other line. If anyone from Microsoft Customer Support is reading this, please get a different voice for your automated system. Automated Dave's voice is not soothing or helpful to people who are going through a video game crisis. Luckily, I got through the automated portion pretty quickly (after Auto Dave hung up on me once), and got to talk to a very nice lady named Keisha. I don't know if it's my phone voice or just luck, but I'm quite impressed with this lady's customer service skills. She didn't treat me like an idiot, was very easy to understand and did...

Here's the deal: I have $60 to spend on a game, it's been there for a couple of weeks now. I've rented numerous games and have enjoyed quite a bit of them, but only one has jumped out at me (but none of them have killed me in my sleep either, that's a plus). That game is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I've had more fun playing this amazing single player adventure game than any other single player game during the last few months. I will own this game, eventually. I also want to buy Warhawk for the PS3 and try out the awesomeness that it's supposed to be. And I get a Bluetooth headset, which is awesomeness in itself (and I'll get to insult people and pretend I'm talking on my cell phone). There is also Resistance: Fall of Man, which is, in theory, a good game also. Maybe I should save my money and buy Rockband for the 360 (which is what most people will recommend), but I don't know. It'll be a lot of fun to rock out with friends and family...

I just read my post counter for the first time in two weeks. I'm at 1200 hits, so far, and just want to say "Thank You" to everyone who has visited so far. It's important to me that you, the reader, enjoy the stuff I write. If you have any suggestions or see anything that is even slightly baseless and untrue, feel free to comment. I will publish all comments unless they are vulgar or racist. If there is something you would like to know about or read my opinion about, please email me alteredweapon@gmail.com I've been really trying to publish something more than once a week. Works kind of busy and with gaming and family, I don't have a lot of time. I do promise to write once a week, though, and more as time goes on. If you are interested in writing an article, please email me. Again, "ThankYou".

I've come to the conclusion that I don't wish to become someone else in a video game. Mass Effect from developer Bioware and published by Microsoft Game Studios , is a role playing game that has been anticipated since the 360 came into existence. I rented this two days ago and decided that I'm not a role player at all. That doesn't mean that I won't keep playing until the rental is up, and I'll probably buy it when the price comes down in a few months (unless Bioware wants to send me a copy, or a relative wants to purchase it at full price). Graphically this game is pretty decent. The character face models bring out a certain humanity that most games don't have at the moment. The different locations are beautifully laid out and do a convincing job of creating the mood necessary to the story. The character speech isn't completely in sync with the mouth, and the eyes of most of the human characters creep me out a little. The alien species are typ...

The last few weeks have been pretty busy. With work, family and the plethora of games coming out, I have not had time to do much else. I'm not complaining, I have really been enjoying most of it, and the overtime helps me buy more games. I figured I would give my impressions of the games I have played lately. First off is Halo 3 from Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios . Great game, and a lot of fun online. This game kept me busy for a long time. The only thing lacking in Halo 3 is the single player mission was a little lacking in new gameplay, but it is still pretty good. Next up is Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat from Infinity Ward and published by Activision . So far this is my favorite game of the year. I'm not the type of person who will play a game for multiple hours on end. CoD4 breaks that personally trait into a million pieces. The single player campaign has a great story, fantastic graphics and free ice cream. (okay, i lied about the ice cream, but a list of...

I bought a Playstation 3 this weekend, 80 gig limited edition. The thing looks pretty sweet! It seems that Sony was looking toward the future and betting on longevity for this installment of the Playstation console series. The reason I say that is because this console looks like a piece of furniture, both in size and sleekness, almost art like. The Xbox 360 looks fine, but not like a piece of the entertainment system. I would compare it to real (PS3) and plastic (360) flowers. Sure the plastic ones look good, but up close you can tell it's just plastic and kind of cheap. The upside is that everyone can enjoy the plastic flowers all year long. Real flowers look nicer and garner appreciation for every time they are presented. The down side is that real flowers wilt and take one dedicated person to take care of them. I guess what I'm saying is I love both my consoles equally. I enjoy the single player experiences I've gotten so far with the PS3 ( Ratchet and Clank: Fu...

I'm seeing quite a few of these commercials on TV lately, and am wondering if California is having trouble getting people to come visit. I don't think anyone ever says to themselves "I think I want to visit South Central Los Angeles next spring." and then books their flight and hotel. Apparently, they are amping up their tourism advertising because of the recent fires. Not a bad move, if you ask me. Not that anybody does. These ads also sound like they need more people to move to California. Do they really need more people? Maybe they need more tax revenue. I think that is a bad move.

From gamesindustry.biz Take 2 refuses to pinpoint GTA IV release Matt Martin 11:36 (BST) 07/11/2007 Missing the upcoming Christmas season wasn't crucial, says Zelnick Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take 2, has refused to narrow down a release period for Grand Theft Auto IV, saying the publisher won't commit until it's "utterly convinced" the game is ready. Most recently the publisher has said the title will be released in Q1 of 2008 – between February 1 and April 30 – following a delay that saw the game moved from its initial release of October 2007. "It's a fair question given that we weren't able to stick to our firm date the last time. We're going to give a firm date when we are utterly convinced that we have it and that isn't right now," said Zelnick during a BMO Capital Markets conference yesterday. "We know it's highly anticipated. Right now our view is to put out a high quality title and we're not in the bus...

Now everyone can comment to the posts. I didn't know that you had to register to comment and if that was true, I am sorry.

I'm trying to make this all look and feel a little better. The only problem that I have is: I have no idea what I'm doing! Also, if you have any suggestions or would like to see something please comment. I think it can be anonymous, if you would like it to be. I'm open to suggestions for everything, including layout, format, content, anything. I enjoy this, but would like to make it look and feel better. Thank you for reading so far, I really appreciate it. More Later...

I just saw a Subway commercial tonight that made me think. It's the one with Jared and Reggie Bush. The commercial compares the two men's lifestyles. One scene shows Jared cleaning out a big plastic pool and then it cuts to Reggie lounging by the pool of his multi-million dollar house. The rest of the commercial shows the two in other situation where Jared is poor, and Reggie is (obviously) rich. This brings some thoughts about Jared to mind. First off: How bad is this dude with money? I can't imagine that the worlds only ex/semi-fat guy, who made a career out of eating sandwiches (take that Atkins!), could possibly be anywhere near the middle-middle class spectrum. If a person really thinks about it, Jared should be rolling in the dough. I don't mean bathing naked in burnt money, but pretty well off. On the same note: Why isn't Reggie Bush bathing in burnt money? Does he really need to supplement his income by being the super fit guy to Jared's reall...

MGS4 Delayed (Again) to Spring 2008 From 1up.com Arguably PS3's biggest game yet suffers another setback. By Steve Watts , 10/31/2007 Just in time for Halloween, Konami has decided to smash our proverbial pumpkins. And by pumpkins, I mean hopes for an early 2008 release date for Snake's latest outing. An announcement went out this morning that the hotly anticipated title Metal Gear Solid 4 would be delayed until the second quarter of 2008, following another delay announced at E3 2007 . This is a push back from winter, which would have had it dropping in the first quarter. The move doesn't come as much of a surprise, given that such a marquee title would usually release in the holiday season. Interestingly, the press release says the delay stems from attempts "to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide." For all of the PS3 owners out there who bought the...