My Whiskey Media paid membership is about to be up for renewal and I've decided to not renew. I'm taking a lot of classes this semester and the store I worked at part time recently closed down so I don't have very much money these days. It was a really tough decision because I really want to support awesome stuff on the internet when I can and Whiskey Media is indeed awesome, but it was a tough decision that had to be made.

When Xbox 360 was about to be released I couldn't be more excited. J Allard could literrally sell me on anything and I played a lot of original Xbox considering I got it at launch and never had a PS2. 360 turned out to be a great platform with a variety of games. Even though Allard left the platform still continued to grow, but then it took a turn.

Microsoft noticed how interested casual gamers were in Wii and they wanted to go after that market. They destroyed the once beautiful dashboard with the NXE that feels awkward to navigate and has tons of ads. They replaced gamer cards with these rediculous avatars that they can easily sell items for. They've forced all of their stupid fucking services into the experience like Bing and Zune. If I want to search something on the Dashboard when the new update comes out with my Kinect I actually have to say "Bing" before I say the word I'm searching for, why can't I just say search Microsoft?

I was watching their E3 press conference live and literally fell asleep. I woke up right before they announced Halo 4 and I wasn't even excited. MS sells Halo the same way they sell Office, with small iterations every three years. The Kinect stuff was pretty ridiculous, those demos was absolutely dreadful to watch.

Never trust Microsoft with a product you like, Steve Jobs was right, "they have no taste". Take at a look at what they did to the Rare site.

I've worked at a restaurant for the better part of two years. The hours were flexible, which allowed me to have enough time for college and still make some cash. I went into work yesterday to find out there closing the restaurant down for good two days from now. I'm pretty upset considering half of the people that worked there were good friends of mine from high school. I applied for a job a Game Stop today and it looks like my chances of getting hired are relatively good, but I can't help feeling a little bitter sweet about the whole situation.

Have you ever gotten laid off? Have you ever gotten fired? How did you handle it?

When I was younger I had a Xbox and Gamecube, but never a PS2. I missed out on so many great games and I wanted one so badly. Relatively recently I bought a PS2 from my friend and I'm starting to go through old games that I missed out on like Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts. What recommendations do you have?

Also, I have a PS3. Should I wait to play games like Shadow of the Colossus until they are remastered?

My username on Giant Bomb is Wolverine.

 My love for the PC can be attributed to three reasons.
1. Variety
The personal computer is the most abstract device of all time. I can do everything from playing the latest games to paying my taxes on it. It is a machine capable of doing an incredible amount of tasks.
2. Unlimited Customization
It is ever expandable. I can build my own machine and replace parts gradually to keep it current. I can even buy third part accessories to add new functionality to my PC. For example, a piano keyboard or a tablet for drawing. This makes the possibilities of what I can do with my machine endless.
3. Openness
The PC is a completely open platform. I don't need to buy all of my games through Microsoft if I'm running Windows. I can by my games from MS through Games for Windows if I want to, but I could also just download Steam and buy my games through Valve. Or, if I don't feel like giving any large company their 30 percent I can always buy the game I want directly from the developer's site if they have it available or even at a retail store if I so choose.

As tablets like the iPad start to become popular and game consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3 start adopting more and more of the PC gaming crowd, consumers are giving up the openness of the PC for the convenience that comes with these "Post-PC devices." These devices might be capable of a variety of tasks, but the customization that I am able to do to them is limited and majority of them are completely closed platforms.

The only "Post-PC" OS that offers the customization and openness that PC operating systems offer us is Android. When Google allowed Amazon to launch their independent App Store on Android it really proved that the OS was just as open as it's PC counterparts. There might be some concern about fragmentation, but that will all be ironed out as the OS matures.

Android is an ever expanding light in the darkness of closed platforms like iOS. Hopefully when other companies like Microsoft start to release there tablet operating systems they will take an open approach similar to Google's ongoing attempt with Android. If not, Android might be our only chance of having a free digital future where people can purchase what ever apps they so choose without getting permission by large corporations like Apple.

I don't want to live in a world run by 21st century, capitalistic tyrannies. Do you...?

So I've been purchasing games like crazy recently just because there have been so many sales. I got Assassin's Creed, Halo 3 ODST (which I played already when it came out, sold with my Xbox, and than re-bought since I got a 360 S), God of War Collection, Alan Wake ( the downloadable cards are so cheap on Amazon), Fallout 3 GOTY Edition, DJ Hero 2, and LIMBO because it was half off. Plus, I pre-ordered Portal 2 and because I'm getting it through Amazon they are giving me a $20 Gift Card so I'm going to have to buy another game! There are so many sales I can't stop buying these games because I know I'm going to want to get around to them eventually but I'm so busy with school that I don't have that much time to play them. I can't wait until summer so I can catch up on the dozens and dozens of games I've been missing out on.

How do you guys keep up with playing the games you buy?

 Last summer, I was faced with making the decision of getting my first laptop for college. I had been working at the time and had decided to buy a 13 inch MacBook Pro. It is definitely an excellent computer, the uni-body design is really beautiful, but something was just missing, that something was Windows.

I was using Windows 95 when I was two on my first computer, it holds a place near and dear to my heart. The beautiful thing about Windows is that it can run on an awesome $5000 super computer that a tech enthusiast with deep pockets could afford and on a $500 PC that a kid will a small budget and a love for tech built in his basement. Windows is the people's operating system.

So I ended up buying a copy of Windows 7 and installing in on my Mac. I've heard some sarcastic comments from Mac users when they see me running Windows but what do they expect me to say. I am what I am, and what I am is a PC.

Because I've been busy with school I haven't had any time to post for months now. I guess I forgot how truly enjoyable and entertaining these forums can be and I'm going to try to post more often. I actually just recently bought a new 360. I had sold mine about a year ago because the warranty was about up and I new it was just a matter of time before it broke again. I replaced it with a PS3 (it's got some cool games but I really prefer Live over PSN). When I got my new Xbox I decided to start a new gamertag from scratch. Something just didn't feel right about having NBA 2K6 and Avatar achievements. I'm going to try to not be such an achievement whore this time around. 
 
Anyway, I'll be around. :)

Weezer used to make music that I could relate to. They made music that was different. I was hopeful about their new album Hurley which stupidly has a picture of the actor who plays Hurley from Lost on the cover. I pre-ordered a special edition Green Vinyl, only 1000 were made and it also came with a downloadable code. I downloaded the album last night and it was fucking horrible. It honestly made me want to cry. There is a song entitled "Where's My Sex?" which is the most retarded fucking song I've ever heard.  The lyrics go "I can't go out without my sex. It's cold outside and my toes get wet."
This album has ruined Weezer's legacy for me. I guess it's official, Rivers Cuomo has officially sold out. When he's not topping the charts with B.O.B. he's releasing horrible cliche pop albums with the old band. If your a Weezer fan I recommend you don't give this one a listen. Listening to this album will only depress you. I'm going to go pretend this never came out and go listen to Pinkerton now.