NEWS- 3.4 MAGNITUDE QUAKE RATTLES CHOCTAW, OKLAHOMA

3.4 Magnitude Quake Rattles Choctaw

CHOCTAW, Okla. -- An earthquake registered a 3.4 magnitude on the Richter Scale early Saturday morning, geologists said.The quake rattled homes near Choctaw, Okla. just before 5 a.m.No damage was reported.

NEWS - HOW TO MAKE A BLOCKBUSTER GAME FREE: ARS EXPLORES *FIREFALL*

 craig sent me this in an email, thinking daniel would like this, im not so sure, hes not really that much into online gaming, even if its 1st person shoort, his social life, right now is all over xbox360.  so, i dont know how hell feel about this game. well see.

 How to make a blockbuster free: Ars explores Firefall

 

By Andrew Webster

What do you do when you have a team that features some of the top creative minds behind games like World of Warcraft and Tribes? If you're Red 5 Studios, you create Firefall. The upcoming sci-fi epic is a multiplayer, team-based shooter that looks gorgeous, but won't require a cutting edge gaming rig to play. And it'll be free.
Ars spoke with James Macauley, executive producer on the game, to learn more about why the high-end online shooter won't cost a cent.
One of the biggest concerns with a free-to-play game is how important the premium items are. If spending real-world money on virtual guns and armor gives you a significant advantage, it takes a lot of the fun out the experience. This type of system rewards those who are willing to spend money, instead of those who actually spend time playing the game and improving their skills. Money becomes a substitute for skill. But Macauley says this won't be the case with Firefall.
"We're still in the process of setting up the details of our micro-transaction system, but one of our primary goals with Firefall is to make sure that players can't just buy their way to the best equipment," he told Ars. "We don't want gamers purchasing experience points or levels, though we do think buying perks that improve your efficiency at certain tasks makes sense. Marketplace transactions are situated for creating a more enjoyable play experience. Firefall fans will be able to buy things like paint for their battleframes, bumps to their resource collection, and items of time convenience.
"Above all else, Firefall is skill-based game focused on player progression, and we won't allow a marketplace to change that."
Like most online games, Firefall features a great deal of character customization. But it doesn't have classes in the traditional sense. Instead, you can equip battleframes, which are essentially your character's armor. But each one has its own attributes and gives your character different skills. Each can also be swapped depending on the situation. It's almost like being able to change classes whenever you like.
"Rather than forcing players to pick a specific class at the start of the game, and then play it through the duration of that character, each character has access to different battleframes that can be quickly customized to fit the given needs of any situation," explained Macauley. "If your team is being hit particularly hard by a group of enemies, you can equip your Medic battleframe and become a healer. If you need to dish out more damage, a quick switch to your Assault battleframe will accomplish that. Our goal with battleframes is to give players a unique experience that's flexible to their needs. Of course, you'll need the right equipment for the right job."

 

Firefall is gorgeous to look at, despite being a free release—just watch the trailer above. The semi cel-shaded art style is reminiscent of Team Fortress 2, while the vast alien world evokes memories of StarCraft and Starship Troopers. There are massive, large-scale battles and bug-like alien creatures. But this isn't a game that will force you to go out and buy a new computer just to play it. Red 5 removed the price tag on Firefall in order to attract as wide an audience as possible, and the studio is hoping to make it as accessible as possible from a technical standpoint, as well.
"Another potential barrier to people playing and enjoying Firefall is with our system requirements," Macauley said. "This is a topic we've worked on since the beginning of development on this project. We're still optimizing the game, and haven't announced our final system requirements yet. However, Firefall is an online game, and when we release the game in late 2011, we want to make sure it's equally as playable for people with a high-end PC as it is for someone with a bargain gaming rig."
Given the names behind the project, it's natural that expectations are high. But that doesn't seem to phase the developers.
"Something that sets us apart from our past work is the unique approach we’re taking to the game," Macauley said. "Not only is our team focused on making a top-notch title with a high production value and an eye for detail, we’re also making it free to play and free to download. That’s a rare combination."

NEWS - TODAYS *IT* JOBS: ACCOUNTING & IT

i have tried to steer daniel in the direction of some of his passions, art, gaming, graffiti, etc. so, hed be in a career, hed like, enjoy, and feel he was fulfilled within. it will be interesting to see what direction he ends up taking. MICHELLE

Today's 'it' Jobs: Accounting and IT

By Ali Velshi, CNN chief business correspondentJanuary 6, 2011

(MONEY Magazine) -- Anxious parents of teenagers often ask me what the best course of study is for their kids. As a liberal arts graduate (religious studies, for the record), I may not be the best person to consult about which majors will pay off, but I do study job growth patterns. My answer: accounting.
Accounting jobs are expected to grow 22% between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's much higher than the average of all professional occupations (17%) and translates to almost 280,000 new jobs. 

Why? In an increasingly complex financial world, more people are needed to keep track of more money. And when money isn't where it's supposed to be, accountants are employed trying to find it or uncover who took it. Accountants, however, don't just keep the books; they also advise companies on the best ways to deploy their cash.
Accountants also play a big role in my favorite economic trend, globalization. A flatter, more financially intertwined world means greater demand for expertise in international trade and mergers-and-acquisitions rules. That's one reason the large public accounting firms are hiring, and expect to be for years to come. (See "Best Jobs in America" on cnnmoney.com.)

20 highest-paying jobs

But the beauty of accounting as a profession is its flexibility. Accountants can work for multinational corporations or small bookkeeping operations. About 8% are self-employed. Your child will have to study hard: Lucrative, globally attractive jobs such as public accounting require four-year degrees, then an advanced degree or CPA designation, which takes years.

When it's time to switch

While those demands are fine for twentysomethings, accounting isn't a field for mid- or late-career changers. You won't recoup your investment. A better bet for those in transition: information technology.
Growth prospects to 2018, at 30%, are even better than in accounting. And while IT encompasses highly trained network and systems engineers, you can enter the IT world through different doors -- from the help desk to project management and analyst jobs, all with real career tracks -- and with different types of education. 

Online training or a two-year course of college study is often sufficient to make a move, says Brad Karsh, president of JobBound Outplacement in Chicago.
Just as important, this is a field where the experienced worker has a leg up on a kid. "Companies value the 'application knowledge' you bring to the table," says Jack Cullen, president of Modis, a leading IT recruiter. "If you've worked in telecom and have experience with billing systems, companies value that when they staff a project that deals with billing."
And the fact that you've worked to gain a new competency tells an employer you're "easily adaptable to a new environment," Cullen adds. These days, that's the most important skill of all.

HUMOR- STUDENT DRIVER

As an instructor in driver education at Unionville-Sebewaing Area High School in Michigan, I've learned that even the brightest students can become flustered behind the wheel.


One day I had three beginners in the car, each scheduled to drive for 30 minutes. When the first student had completed his time, I asked him to change places with one of the others. Gripping the wheel tightly and staring straight ahead, he asked in a shaky voice, "Should I stop the car?"

1-9-2011 FIRST SNOW OF 2011

it never fails, sometime in january (usually closer to my birthday of the 26th) we have snow.
and just like when we lived in South Carolina, this entire place shuts almost all the way down.

these images are of the dusting...the start of what wed live though for the next month...looking out or going out in a bed of white surrounding us...
ENJOY
MICHELLE

1-7-2011 CHICK-FIL-A SPICY CHICKEN BISCUIT FREE SAMPLE

im subscribed to CHICK-FIL-A website, and get notifications in my email for anything upcoming as far as free food is concerned.
we used to attend the CHICK-FIL-A 1ST 100 GRAND OPENING Events, until it just became so much to do and no guarentees anymore that wed even get a slot. weve been super fortunate that we did each time (6 events total, to date) but as each event passes, the crowds become bigger, and the chance to be one of the 1st 100, become slimmer and slimmer.
plus, with the addition of a new job in craigs life, we decided it would be better for him to work, than to schedule time off for these events.
and...it just so happened, as we are weaning ourselves away from those coveted 52 free tickets for a free chick-fil-a meal (52 of them free!) they decided to start letting the public sample new food they want to introduce on thier menu.
and so, if your signed up on th web page, youll get a ntice for something they think theyd like to push out on the market.
and...its FREE! (heck, thats the only reason we even went to those event, and id be on camera, was to promote the fact that they gave away 100 sets of 52 FREE meals (in ticket form) to those lucky 1st 100!)


so, it happens they have gotten all social, and now you can get a free meal (several if you work the timing out right) simply by scheduling when your going to go in, printed copy of your reservation, in hand, for your free sample of the next great meal from chick-fil-a!


so, i scheduled this last one...a FREE SPICY CHICKEN BISCUIT. we each would get one, and wed pay for the extra that comes with the meal. hasj browns and a drink.


yes, saturday mornings can be quite fun, if your getting free food. just ask my family...lol


Craig, taking his 1st bite. :)
(sorry about the glare, we picked a seat that just happened to have the sun beaming in on MY side of the table)



DANIEL, trying to avoid my taking a pic of him...lol





Me..taking my 1st bite.





and the meal








my impression of the spicy chicken biscuit:


it was just like every other fast food spicy chicken meal.
nothing extraordinary.
except, its was FREE! lol


MICHELLE

JANUARY 1 2011 NEW YEARS DAY PIC

took this pic as we were driving around, looking for someplace to celebrate with the first meal out for the year 2011. beautiful colors.
MICHELLE