tekHedd – the blog

What more is there to say? Yuck! As a cinematic experience it’s pretty good. (Although in terms of canon it’s a bit weird. Why is Shaundi suddenly competent?) But… that’s all. Yes, there’s a “big open world”, but in the plot so far, there’s a tiny bit of shooting, and a lot of “shooter on rails” action. And the second you hit someone with a melee attack– quick time events! Oh, and QTE’s all through the plot.

I guess it annoyed them that Yahtzee liked Saints Row 2. Apparently it annoyed them so much that they had to add exactly the things that we all hate. Lame.

I’d like a refund, please.

Edit

OK I admit it, I don’t really want a refund. The game seems to be mostly OK. It’s lost a lot of its groove though. If you’re thinking about buying it, wait until this time next year when they come out with a bundle that has all of the DLC included.

And I feel sorry for the people who actually worked on the game, because it looks great and controls very well on PC. But just cruising around looking for trouble–well–to be honest there really isn’t much to do. I guess they didn’t want activity icons cluttering the world, but picking out challenges from your cell phone isn’t as cool as stumbling across them by accident in the world.  I think they’ve fallen victim to their own success. :(

For some reason my bids have been canceled. I would like to know why.

Dear [ebay user name],

Yes, I’m sorry about that, but I do not feel like I am able to meet your expectations.

Your feedback history shows that in your two most recent purchases (out of only three this year), you’ve left neutral feedback with a comment indicating that you were happy with the transaction. Perhaps you do not understand how much neutrals damages the reputation of a seller. eBay says that neutral means neutral, but ten seconds on Google will show that the community feels differently. As a low volume seller (I just sell things that I realize I just don’t use–as a musician this is a life risk) a single neutral is a lot more important than with a major store.

I take great care to describe items accurately, explain their defects, and package them with care. I do this so that because I want to accurately set and then meet or exceed buyer expectations. I cancelled your bid because I do not believe I can meet your expectations.

Again, I am sorry.

References:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ebay+neutral+feedback
http://reviews.ebay.com/NEUTRAL-FEEDBACK-vs-POKING-EYES-OUT-with-a-STICK

Re: Public Comments Encouraged on Proposal to Reauthorize Knights of Columbus’ Special Use Permit

Dear Project Leader,

This is a comment regarding the special Jesus Shrine permit. You have requested comment on whether to renew the lease.

Obviously, the answer is no.

It’s not about tradition. The truly historic aspect of this shrine is that it is a historic violation. Shall we “historically” allow only white male landowners to vote? Of course not! A long tradition of black slavery helped build this great country. Does that make slavery OK? It was tradition, but it was not fair, and eventually it was stopped.

Am I comparing a federally approved Jesus shrine to slavery? Historically speaking, this is not silly. Government endorsement of religion is explicitly forbidden in the Bill of Rights, while slavery was legal and women had no rights until the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were added–about 75 years later. That’s nearly three generations! So, yes. Not only am I comparing the Jesus Shrine to slavery, I am saying that historically speaking, it is considerably worse than slavery. The rights of women don’t even come close.

We may historically have been oppressors, but even us white male landowners didn’t like to be told how to pray.

It’s not about tradition, it’s about equality. Please consider treating all Americans as equal members of society.

Thank you for your consideration

PS – In your own invitation for comment, you defend the shrine as “historical.” Your department’s position on this issue is already clear, and I assume you stopped reading at “the answer is no.” So this is what “disenfranchised” feels like!

(Still waiting for email confirmation of delivery. Good old .us.gov.)