I've been replaying Crysis since I got my new video card. I played it stock for a while until I realized that there were patches, and then I updated. In both cases, I have been playing with all graphics settings on Very High. The 260 is handling it very well. Gameplay is very smooth almost all the time, the exception being right after the game first loads. I don't expect that will continue once the alien ship comes into play, but we'll see.
My old card, the GeForce 8800GTS 640 MB would have absolutely choked at these settings. I couldn't even run the first couple of levels on it, let alone the back half of the game. I think I had one setting on Very High and a couple on High, but most were on Medium. Even at those levels, it paused sometimes and had very low frame rates at others.
So, yeah, I'm happy. When the new Crysis: Warhead comes out, it should run even better, as the developers claim to have optimized the engine further.
EDIT: I've played through the whole game, and the only time it really showed any really noticeable decrease in framerate was the final couple of battles aboard the aircraft carrier. Not bad for the "midrange" card.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005
STORY
Shit like this is why our country is having such economic issues. Corporations that make billions of dollars a year should be paying the most taxes, not the least. ESPECIALLY since these are the bastards that lobby the government to get their own way all the time.
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Fixing our economy is simple; No tax breaks for corporations, and a 1000% import tax on all goods not manufactured in the US. Companies would stop sending our jobs away real quick, or they'd be replaced by people willing to make it here. You cannot have an economy where we make nothing and buy everything, it will crumble. (It IS crumbling.)
Shit like this is why our country is having such economic issues. Corporations that make billions of dollars a year should be paying the most taxes, not the least. ESPECIALLY since these are the bastards that lobby the government to get their own way all the time.
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Fixing our economy is simple; No tax breaks for corporations, and a 1000% import tax on all goods not manufactured in the US. Companies would stop sending our jobs away real quick, or they'd be replaced by people willing to make it here. You cannot have an economy where we make nothing and buy everything, it will crumble. (It IS crumbling.)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sunday Thunderstorm
We had a nice thunderstorm with hail today.
It washed all the mud from my Jeep.
And made me feel like Winter was here already.
Sterling Renaissance Festival 2008
My wife and I went to the Sterling Renaissance festival this weekend with my mother and her roommate. Of course, I got picked out of the audience at one of the shows to play a part - Jack the Mackerel, King of Beggars. I got to sit in a chair and pick topics for songs and eat food, as well as toss grapes at peoples' mouths (which I totally suck at), judge a sandwich eating contest (which I declined to participate in), and laugh at the people who got splattered by egg when they refused to move for the egg toss competition.
Some bloke named Lenny showed up at the end with a cream pie, ostensibly for me. He asked me to repeat after him, "Lenny, give the cream pie to me", to which I repeated "Lenny, give the cream pie to Tom." I don't know what happens if you are dumb enough to repeat after him, but everyone seemed genuinely surprised that instead of refusing to repeat after him or blindly repeating after him, I instead altered the statement. After a second of hesitation, Lenny shrugged and smacked poor Tom in the face with a cream pie. That was very amusing.
Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on how you look at it) we didn't get pictures of my performance. My mom got some on her cell phone, but knowing how technically disinclined my mother is, it should take about 10,000 years before we ever get those.
Here I am trying on hats. I didn't actually buy any, but everyone thought I should get this one. Too bad nobody got a picture of me doing my best Errol Flynn impression when I put it on.
Some bloke named Lenny showed up at the end with a cream pie, ostensibly for me. He asked me to repeat after him, "Lenny, give the cream pie to me", to which I repeated "Lenny, give the cream pie to Tom." I don't know what happens if you are dumb enough to repeat after him, but everyone seemed genuinely surprised that instead of refusing to repeat after him or blindly repeating after him, I instead altered the statement. After a second of hesitation, Lenny shrugged and smacked poor Tom in the face with a cream pie. That was very amusing.
Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on how you look at it) we didn't get pictures of my performance. My mom got some on her cell phone, but knowing how technically disinclined my mother is, it should take about 10,000 years before we ever get those.
Here I am trying on hats. I didn't actually buy any, but everyone thought I should get this one. Too bad nobody got a picture of me doing my best Errol Flynn impression when I put it on.
Knights and Ladies spinning their warhorses before a joust.
Jousting. Duh.
I also got to offroad for a bit in the parking lot after the festival closed. The "parking lot" is a big cow pasture full of mud. My Jeep is now covered in mud. I am happy.
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