WoW: It's not the map, it's you...

Lets get some things out of the way.

If you're getting trained in WSG, it's not because of the map: it's because you're not defending the flag carriers or being aggressive enough yourself.

If you're getting steamrolled in AB, it's not because of the map: it's because you're spread out all over the place and the other side is focusing you down.

If you're getting 4 capped in EOTS, it's not because of the map: it's because you're too damned focused on that distraction in the middle that doesn't matter unless you can control towers.

If you're getting bottled up in the North in AV, it's not because of the map: it's more than likely because you all charged Galv like lemmings and got your asses wiped by defenders backing him up. Which you've been doing for 4 years now because you're too damned stubbornly focused on treating AV like it needs to be attacked in a straight line and on what "gives honour!!!!!".

I'd do the new ones but I burnt out on people doing stupid shit while grinding honour a long time ago.

There's a saying in programming called PEBKAC. It stands for: "Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair" - ie: the User. ie: You.

People like to focus on "Win Ratios" and hair brained arguments about the maps to hide this reality because it's more self-gratifying to believe it's someone else who's causing you to fail than to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, the problem is that you're not doing what needs to be done to win the map. I've played enough BG's to know that's the actual reality. You're not defending ground. You're not countering or adapting to your enemies attacks. For fucks sake, you're standing there wailing on DPS while Healers are behind them laughing at your efforts and keeping them at full. For future reference: Healers die FIRST.

So I'm here for a reality check to tell you to give up the whining because the problem is you. You need to figure out how to attack the maps properly, to deal with your enemies appropriately, and find the capacity to actually work together towards a goal instead of run around the map like you're the avenging angel of God who's going to win it single handedly. I say this because it doesn't matter how amazing you think Blizzard is at making games, the simple reality is that the DEV's just can't fix stupid.

And you are.

Addendum: and hey sometimes they're just simply better than you. Deal with it.

TotD: Incoming Baby Boom

If the Night Elf population is in decline, then all these "Very Special Thank You" vouchers I'm building up on my NE Rogue healing female wounded soldiers on the Molten Front are well timed.

Lazy Friday: Nice Mashup.

I'd seen the original video a long time ago, but I gotta admit that this mash made me laugh. Blink, by the way, is a pretty awesome episode of Doctor Who by any TV metric you wish to apply that also happens to star Carey Mulligan. Yes, that Carey Mulligan. Highly recommended.

TyL: When A Family Member is in the Hospital

Telephone: $3.35 per Day
"Basic" TV: $9.20 per Day
"Premium" TV: $11.20 per Day

Free wireless guest Internet upon which to stream TV and make Skype calls? Priceless.

The thing that really gets me? For all that money, they're still only giving you the same 7" CRT's on a swivel arm from about 1982...

TotD: Google Goes Goods...

... and buys Motorola. Mobility Inc, that is. Motorola Solutions, the original chip and radio's company the mobility unit was split off from earlier this year, does not appear to be included in the deal.

This is where they're locking down an arsenal of Cell Phone and tech patents to better defend Android - much as they've tried and failed to do recently. It will be interesting to see where a lot of litigation against the OS goes from here because Motorola's library in this field is unlikely to be defined as "small".

WoW: On That Whole Tier Shoulders/Head Thing...

Hey, do you remember when you had to grind through BGs to get Arena gear just to gear up to raid in Burning Crusades because no one wanted to run dungeons with scrubs in greens and blues trying to gear? Lets just say where we're at is still an improvement, though arguably weaker than Lich King where everything and the kitchen sink was available to you late game. Still it strikes me that there's room for compromise here and my compromise potentially kills two birds with one stone.

The primary complaint, other than people whining they can't get Cataclysmically Epic due to living in some dream state where 3.3 isn't likely to bring 5 man Dungeons with iLvL's greater than 353, is the need to grind through a whole Raid clear in all cases to get these pieces. (Hell, I've got them and I can't be arsed to want to do those dungeons again after 8 months to help new guildies get them either). So, lets potentially shorten that grind; somewhat.

How? Consider the following: as we move through the tiers we have this little raid over in the corner called Baradin Hold that slowly accumulates two things: bosses that have current tier Leg/Glove drops and bosses that have last tier's Leg/Glove drops that no one really wants to waste time killing anymore as we move forward. Especially now that you can buy both of those in a couple productive days of dungeoning. That later reality is not a new problem either, it's one that goes all the way back to our initial incarnation in Wintergrasp and not even nifty achievements put a dent in the attitude.

So, let's do this to try and provide another way to get your Head and Shoulder pieces and incentivize killing the lonely BH bosses: as we move forward and you can buy your Tier Legs and Gloves from JP, remove those pieces from the appropriate BH boss and update the loot tables with the Head and Shoulder pieces.

Still random, still requires some raiding, but moderately more accessible to those who don't have time on their sched for full clears of legacy content.

TLU: THINK When You Speed TXT People!

Phone Text: Y didnt u cum 2day?
Option 1: Because you didn't knock on my door wearing just a trench coat and a smile?
Option 2: STOP SPYCAMMING ME IN THE SHOWER!!!!!!!
Option 3: What... did the Tories issue a quota?

Seriously, that's not remotely a straight line abbreviation for "come". Sadly, had to go with a suggestion she might want to use Google to brush up on some slang because my sense of humour frequently doesn't play well in text...

Also: she hits... is kinda devout... and very married... which takes a lot of the fun out of wordplay in terms of risk/reward.

TyL: Comparison Shopping...

Amazon seems to have switched to UPS for their shipping for some unfathomable reason.

The good news is that these people know how to use the Entercom.

The bad news is that the package showed up looking like someone ran it over with a truck in order to browse the contents.

TLU: I'm not Remotely Being Judgemental, Just Honest...

Her: What about her, she's cute.
Me: No.
Her: Why?
Me: I don't date smokers.
Her: Why not?
Me: Short answer? Because I don't find the habit appealing.
Her: But, come on, she's pretty and single and...
Me: ... please don't make me give the long answer; it's just going to make me feel like I'm being sanctimonious and you feel like an ass for prodding...
Her: ... no, I want to know.
Me: *sigh* Because I watched my dad die from cancer and my mom die from lung disease and neither of those are remotely pleasant ways to go; they're long and painful wasting processes. So, while I'll be the first to admit nothing's guaranteed in life, I've really no interest in forming a long term intimate relationship with someone who's actively playing chicken with both.