Saturday, July 2, 2011

League of Legends



League of Legends (often abbreviated as LoL, and sometimes as LofL) is an action RTS video game developed and published by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows, inspired by the Defense of the Ancients (DotA) map for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It was first announced on October 7, 2008, and released on October 27, 2009. The game was in a closed beta from April 10, 2009, to October 22, 2009. It then transitioned to open beta until release.

Players are formed into 2 even teams with 1–5 Champion(s) on each team. Each team starts at opposing sides of a map in an area called the "fountain", near what is called a "Nexus". A match is won when either the opposing team's Nexus is destroyed or the other team surrenders. To destroy a Nexus, each team must work through a series of towers called "Turrets". Turrets are often placed along a path to each base referred to as a "Lane". Along the way, each player gains levels from killing the opposing team's champions and "Minions" (small NPCs that constantly spawn and attack the other team) and defeating neutral monsters (some of which grant buffs known as crests upon death). Killing enemies allows champions to purchase "Items" with in-match gold to improve their statistics. In League of Legends, each player starts at level 1 at the beginning of the match and can obtain the maximum of level 18 with their champion, leveling 4 different champion-specific abilities. 


Maps in League of Legends are called Fields of Justice. There are currently two Fields of Justice that the players can choose from:


  • Summoner's Rift resembles the DotA map. It has 3 lanes and supports 5 players per side.
  • Twisted Treeline is a smaller map with only 2 lanes. It supports 3 players per side.
There are two other maps, the tutorial map called Proving Grounds and the new map that is in development with the name of Magma Chamber.
A match puts two teams with a fixed number of players against each other. Each team has its base, which contains the re-spawn point, item shop and nexus. The two bases are connected by lanes. Periodically, waves of minions spawn from the nexus. Minions are AI-controlled troops that walk down the lanes, engaging any enemies they encounter. The lanes are lined with turrets that engage enemies within range. Once a turret is destroyed, it cannot be rebuilt. A new element in League of Legends is the inhibitors. Each lane has an inhibitor on both ends. If a team destroys the enemy inhibitor, more powerful "super minions" will spawn for that side. Unlike turrets, inhibitors respawn after a fixed amount of time.
Besides the lanes, the maps also contain "jungle" areas. Neutral monsters inhabit the jungle. These monsters can be killed by a champion for bonus gold and experience. Some powerful neutral monsters grant the killer a temporary buff that will help them in battle (such as slowing the enemy and gaining more attack damage, increased damage and increased health regeneration, or an increased mana regeneration and spell cooldown reduction). Another special terrain feature is the brush. Brush blocks the line of sight of units, allowing champions to hide and set up an ambush.
The goal of each team is to destroy the enemy Nexus. The first team to achieve this is the victor. Victory is also attained if your opponent surrenders, using a voting system, but only 15 minutes (Twisted Treeline) or 20 minutes (Summoner's Rift) or more into the game.

Summoners



The Summoner acts as the persistent element in the game, to be used to track statistics and scores for each player.
Summoners gain experience points and Influence Points for each battle they participate in. They level up by getting enough experience, unlocking new ways to influence battles.
The Summoner can also choose two summoner spells to bring with it into an in-game session on the Fields of Justice. These spells significantly impact gameplay, and have a high cooldown while costing no mana. All spells can be improved by masteries.

Masteries

 

Masteries are perks that affect gameplay, they are commonly referred to in other games as "skill-trees". All of the masteries are passive effects although some augment summoner spells, which can be activated. They are grouped into Offensive, Defensive, and Utility categories. Each group has 6 tiers, within a group all but the first tier are locked when you first start, with a successive tier opening with each 4 points spent in the same group. Lines in the mastery tree imply additional unlocking criteria. The summoner can put one point per level (up to level 30) into masteries. Masteries can be re-distributed at will between battles. As of May 23, 2011, players were allowed to have multiple saved mastery pages.

Runes

 

Similar to masteries, runes affect gameplay in minor ways. Runes are categorized into Marks (offensive), Seals (defensive), Glyphs (magic) and Quintessence (all-purpose). They are also grouped into 3 tiers, higher tiers requiring a higher Summoner level. Runes must be unlocked in the Store and it is possible to have more than one copy of a rune. Summoners must arrange their runes in the Runebook to benefit from them. The Runebook has limited number of slots for each rune type. The book has two pages, allowing two different rune builds to be saved and the appropriate one chosen before a battle. More rune pages can be purchased from either Influence Points or Riot Points, however the 7 rune page combo can only be purchased with Riot Points. A combining system exists for runes: combining two equal-tier runes produces a random rune of the same tier, while combining 5 equal-tier runes produces a higher-tier rune.

If you enjoy spending your time playing competitive games, League of Legends is perfect for you. You can download and play for free at  http://www.leagueoflegends.com/ Just click "Play for free"!



Monday, March 21, 2011

2012 prophecy

So i'm sure everyone has heard of at least one type of crazy "2012 end-of-the-world prophecy" by now. With the current "war" going on between the US and Libya, and Libya having Nuclear weaponry, I think if things go bad, one of those prophecies might just come true.

 Scary times we're in.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Nice things to know when dealing with the Police.

If the Police stop you... 

  • -Ask, "Am I free to go?" If not, you are being detained. If yes, walk away.

  • - Ask, "Why are you detaining me?" To stop you, the officer must have a "reasonable suspicion" to suspect your involvement in a specific crime (not just a guess or a stereotype).

  • - It is not a crime to be without ID. If you are being detained or issued a ticket, you may want to show ID to the cop because they can take you to the station to verify your identity.

  • - If a cop tries to search you car, your house, or your person, say repeatedly that you DO NOT CONSENT TO THE SEARCH. If in a card, do not open your trunk or your door - by doing so you consent to a search of your property and of yourself. If at home, step outside and lokc your door behind you so cops have no reason to enter your home. Ask to see the warrent and check for proper address, judge signature, and what the warrant says the cops are searching for. Everything must be correct in a legal warrant. Otherwise, send the police away.

  • - The cops can do a "pat search" (search the exterior of one's clothing for weapons) during a detention for "officer saftey reasons." They can't go into your pockets or bags without your consent. If you are arrested, they can search you and your possessions in great detail.

  • - DO NOT RESIST PHYSICALLY. Use your words and keep your cool. If officers violate your rights, don't let them provoke you into striking back. Wait unil you are out of custody and organize for justice.

  • - Police can arrest someone they believe is "inferfering" with their actions. Maining a reasonable distance. and if cops threaten to arrest you, EXPLAIN THAT YOU DON'T INTEND TO INTERFERE, BUT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBSERVE THEIR ACTIONS.
     
    Know your rights, protect yourself. Don't let police officers violate them.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

People & Power - Blood and dust



This video contains violent material, please take caution before viewing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know it's a little long but it's definitely worth watching.

This video has left a lasting feeling within myself. You never realize just
how much these soldiers do to save another human life. It also makes me
realize just how cruel and stupid war can be. I don't understand why it
has to come down to something of this extent. There are other ways
to solve issues besides killing each other. Sure, other animals in nature kill
each other but they do it for more important things. They do it for food, they
do it for mating, survival of their kin. We do it for things that don't even exist.
We do it for money, we do it for power. We even do it for political points to be
proven. I for one, am against war in every aspect of the term. Not to say I
wont defend myself or those I care for but I won't go so far as to take another
human life.

I heard a quote from a movie once, it's stuck with me. It went something like
"Fighting without weapons may not win you every fight, but you'll be alive."

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Why are you still single?

If you’re single, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself more than once: “Why me?” As for the answer, chances are your friends and family may have been more than, ahem, generous in offering their opinions, and I’ll bet that little voice in your head has had a say, too. But before you find fault in what you’re doing on the dating scene, take a look at what you’re thinking. You may simply be suffering from a slight spell of dating pessimism.

I look at dating this way: sometimes it’s not about what actually happens on dates; rather, it’s your explanation of what happened that makes all the difference in your attitude about love, your dating style, and the energy you’re radiating in the presence of your matches. It’s a theory that Martin Seligman, Ph.D., the father of positive psychology and author of Authentic Happiness calls your “explanatory style.” He says that pessimists explain their problems as pervasive (“No one likes me”), permanent (“I’ll be alone forever”) and personal (“I’m not gorgeous enough”). But you’re far more likely to land in a great relationship if you’re an optimist, which means it’s time to start looking at your negative dating experiences as “atypical,” “temporary” and “not about me.”

Here, for example, are some of the most common (and frustrating) reasons that people believe they aren’t going to find someone to date. If you’ve ever said any of the statements below, I’ll help you pep-talk yourself through the pessimism and remind you of qualities to focus on instead in order to prepare yourself for a successful relationship.

“Nobody is looking for someone like me.” This is a “pervasive” way to look at your situation, declaring that your single status is both far-reaching and without exceptions. But look at what you’re really saying: nobody is looking for someone like you. That is just plain wrong! Take the “specific” point of view instead: for whatever reason, the last few failed dates you had were, indeed, looking for someone different — but so were you! You want someone who loves and appreciates your unique qualities and one-of-a-kind laugh, right? Then keep your eyes peeled for that person. You two just haven’t met yet.

“I’m cursed. I’ll never meet anyone.” This your way of thinking of your current single status as “permanent” — and it’s obviously not true. You meet lots of new people all the time. You just haven’t met anyone lately that inspired romantic feelings in you, which is more common than you think. As a dating optimist, look at your permanent “table for one” reservation as a “temporary” seat at the bar instead. From now on, tell yourself the truth: “I haven’t met anyone I like yet, but I will.”

“I’m not attractive/smart/rich/young/hot enough.” Here’s what’s wrong with this reasoning: You’re taking the opinions of strangers too personally. I don’t blame you — it certainly feels personal because it’s not your résumé or pencil drawing that someone is rejecting; that someone is rejecting you. But if someone doesn’t want to date you, it’s not about you personally, it’s about the connection (or lack thereof). I’ll say that again because it’s important: It’s not about you, it’s about the fact that you don’t share a romantic connection with this particular person. You might be face to face with someone who has all the qualities you want in a partner on paper — smart, funny, attractive, driven, comes from a good family — but no matter how many matches you strike, you can’t seem to fire up that crucial spark that sets your hearts aflame. That’s all the proof you need to know it’s not about you; the right partner will be just as into you, too. Forget about what people might think of you and focus on the connection you feel instead.

“Men/Women just don’t like people as _________ as me.” Yes, they do! Let me ask you this: Do you have a friend? Does one human being out there enjoy spending time with you? Then people do like you — you just haven’t made that specific romantic connection with anyone… yet.

“I’m better at being single. I guess I’m just supposed to stay single forever.” Just because one failed relationship brought you down doesn’t mean you’re meant to be alone for life. You’re allowed to be “good” at being single — i.e. you enjoy time alone, you fly through your to-do lists and you can handle being dateless at a wedding. Your single status is only “permanent” if you choose to keep it that way! Whatever is making you feel bad about yourself is temporary — it’s one person (or maybe it’s a string of them) who can’t make the connection with your fabulous self, not the whole human race. You’re currently single because you haven’t found a specific person you want to settle down with who loves you completely. That’s the real reason you’re single. But if you want a relationship (because you can be good at that, too!), decide right now that you’re meant to be in one and watch the dating world flock to you and your aura of optimism.

Don't worry, be happy.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Attention Yugioh Players!

A new Banned/Restricted List has been confirmed!

Keep in mind that this is a JAPANESE banned/restricted list. Although the TCG list will be almost exactly the same, it will have a few differences. Mainly in those cards that haven't been released here in the TCG.

With no further adue, here's what to look forward to for the next 6 months of Yugioh!

Forbidden:
Goyo Guardian
Cold Wave
Mass Driver


Limited:

Honest
Dandylion
Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
Book of Moon
Gateway of the Six

Semi-Limited

Card Trooper
Archlord Kristya
Spirit Reaper
Debris Dragon
Royal Tribute
Overload Fusion
Megamorph
Solemn Warning
Icarus Attack

Unlimited:

Chaos Sorcerer
Demise, King of Armageddon
Snipe Hunter
Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
Gold Sarcophagus
Skill Drain
Ultimate Offering


Here are a few images confirming this list.



Tuesday, February 15, 2011

What to do?

Oh what to do, what to do! I've been actively seeking employment for the past few months. I check back with the places I apply to all of the time. I don't know if i'm doing something wrong or not but it seems that they just don't want to hire me! I've got a ton of Customer Service skills along with a few years of Technical Support in a computer technology field. I know California has one of, if not the highest unemployment rates in the United States but sheesh. A person would think that with my qualifications I would be able to find SOMETHING!

If you have an idea that you think might help me, please feel free to comment below.