Arc, I just want to say there is no way that Strider didn't know how much he meant to you.

Teddy is one lucky pup.

Thanks, means a lot to me.

If he was the most tested athlete ever, how the hell could he have duped the system for that long?  The entire testing process would have had to be corrupt from the mailroom to the top!

Everyone has a price. If you have the cash.

Update: We slowly dealt with Striders passing and now I can remember him without crying.

We are dog lovers and need them in our lives, they add so much to this adventure called, life.
We phoned the breeder of strider and she had a pup almost ready to go to a home.
Long story short we went and picked up, Teddy, a few days ago. He will never replace Strider, but I'm sure he will construct his very own room in our hearts.

He is such a great puppy and he is bringing another level of healing to us.

Again you all are amazing with the kind words you gave.

So a new adventure has started, just in time for our big move to cabin life.

Life is good.

Nada enchilada.

Just to add also, I formatted my HD and did a complete, fresh instal of Windows 7 64bit.

I know some people supposedly had glitches with the new content/patch, but I've been fine. 5 hours or so post patch, no crashes.

I've been looking in on a few BL-2 forums, including the official one. There seems to be a common denominator for those who are crashing all the time. Nvidia cards. I have a GTX-580 latest drivers, and I used older ones. I crash every session. There was mention of a utility to make sure your processesors weren't "parked" when they should be used. I made sure all my cores where 'firing" when they should, no joy there.

But enough of the player base is complaining of this same problem I'm sure they're looking into it.

Borderlands has become un-playable for me. It was running very stable and smooth. Now I'm crashing(hard lock, have to re-set the PC) every single time I play. Sometimes if I keep at it, I can get a half hour of play after 4 or 5 crashes. Nothing has changed on my end, just wondering if anyone else has noticed something similar?

Must just be for 360's. I'm there now with a 16 zerker, nothing in the fireplace, except a cardboard cut out of Mr. Handsome.(PC)

Not sure about "clearing cookies" but in the army after a night of too much German beer I use to "woof my cookies".

Didn't want to put it off too much longer, trying to coincide delivery with our moving date..Melted the CC on this:(Also a fair number of accessories)

   3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) edit
   Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit edit
   Microsoft® Office trial edit
  12GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS) edit
   2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M edit
  1TB 5,400 RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
  17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED edit
  Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0 edit
  Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

All the fancy trimmings that go with Alienware stuff.  I should be good to go for a while with this. Also has a good Creative sound system that my mini-bose speakers will sound great on.

I can't, or wont see this as a permanant change. I love desktops too much.

Thanks for sharing that. Sounds like this was an encounter that was planned rather than just a random meeting.
I don't know where you are on spiritual matters, but I believe "Stew" was a divine encounter that was meant to give you hope
in a hopeless situation. You were blessed in deed to have been "given" this man as a mentor-confidant.

What a great testimony to the good that's in this World. While others would try to tell us otherwise.

The "stews" of this world are indeed Angels sent to help us along the way. Sounds drippy, but I believe it.

A gaming cabin.hmmm. I better make sure there is a bed in it...cause that's where I'll be sleeping if I pulled that off.

I thought about "hiding" the PC in plain site. But I'm not sure I want to take that on as a project and have to keep running it by the wife to make sure it all fits in.

Alienware have a really good looking gaming laptop for around $1900 canadian dollars. That one comes with an ATI-7970m vid card..12 gigs of fast ram..i7 quad processor...17.3 inch screen @1900 x 1280.

damn, I'm already starting to feel burned out, and I'm still in act 2.  it's not that the game is bad, far from it, but to me it seems like too much of a good thing; if this were a dinner then they've made the courses so big that I'm full halfway through.

Same.

Yeah, I agree about the graphic card problem with laptops. I looked at some today that had the more powerful nvidia cards in them. The GTX 680m was one. And a beefy looking ATI CARD.  So I think they're getting better in that department. Still a bit uncomfortable with the future choice ill have to make.

Great thread. I posted a couple of months ago about the very sad passing of my 12 year old Airedale Terrier. I wasn't sure how long it would take till I was ready for another "best friend". Strider left a huge set of boots to fill.
Long story short..The wife phoned the breeder of our old buddy and she had a litter on the ground. a couple of weeks ago we picked up our 8 week old Airedale pup. Teddy is a very cool pup, and although he'll never take the place of Strider, he will give us his unique loving for many years to come. I'm amazed at how Teddy is easing the missing of my old buddy. I thought all I'd do is remember him every time I looked at Teddy. Same breed so it would be hard "not" to see him in the pup.

Anyway, I have no regrets in getting the "Tedster"...My walks are starting to be fun again. 

Hahha, I know right? She's made a lot of concessions to accomadate my gaming hobby. I've gotta give her somewhat of an effort to go along with her wishes. The PC I'm running now is still doing a good job with the latest and greatest out there. The GTX 580 turned out to be a great upgrade for me. Maybe saying a "Gaming Laptop" is a bit of an oxymoron. Similar to "military intelligence" 

I was looking at Alienware offerings just a while ago. According to a lot of hardware sites, Alienware can be a very good choice.

I'll keep kicking the bucket and see what rolls out.

But were they, Canadian Woods?  Thanks for the info mate. I buy all my PC componants from TigerDirect. I've found them to be great if you like putting together your own rig.
But I've never investigated their laptop stuff. I'll follow the links and look into others, like ibuypower, actually I went with them for the system Im on now.(through TigerDirect)

I understand my wife's request. She's going for the rustic, simple cabin look. Bulky PC desks and multiple lights blinking and flashing ruin her suspension of disbelief..

I would still love to here from anyone who currently uses a laptop for their gaming pleasures.

Again, thanks BlackJack.

We just sold our house and are moving to a really nice all season log home. The thing is, we're down sizing a fair bit with our cabin in the woods. My wife who does everything on her laptop, no gaming though, ask me if there was any way I could get rid of my space consuming Desktop PC?

I really haven't even considered this alternative till now. In all honesty is playing new games on a laptop even worthwhile thinking about?
Is Alienware a good line to look at by Dell?

I don't use the tablespoon for anything. Its like a tool used for shoveling in the grub rather than tasting it.

Fred Flinstone = Tablespoon
007 = Teaspoon

playing an Outlander, loving how fast she moves.  had trouble deciding which pet to pick at the beginning: ended up with the bulldog but was tempted by the Papillon and the hawk.

Yep, I went with the Bully as well. Gave him a fish that changed him into some beastie type dog, this fish gives the pet a permanant change until you catch another fish that can change him back. At least what he changed into is a tank type pet...

lv.8 Eng.
Very slick class to crack cranium with. I haven't had any trouble yet progressing through story quests, or side-line one.
Putting point into only 2 stats atm. Strength and Vitality. Seems to fit the bill for this class. Loving the loot so far.
Much more rewarding than D-3.
20 bucks, its a no brainer.

Good old Edmontonians. Some big names have come out of that frozen berg over the years..Gretzky made his name there..

They probably lost the fire in the belly to keep them coming up with new, innovative stuff. Like a good boxing champ should do, say good bye before the embarrasment starts. Maybe the retirement should have happened pre-Swtor.
But in any event. They have many years of work to be very proud of. Obviously two very gifted and hard working guys.

I made plans to keep my schedule clear tomorrow, but now I do have to take my wife to a doctor's appointment. I don't mind of course... well, maybe just a little . She suggested that I might want to go to the midnight launch at my local Gamestop tonight to pick up the game so I can get in more play time tomorrow. That was a bit of a shock, since she always thought those midnight affairs were a bit silly for a man approaching sixty . So, for those who have attended midnight launches at Gamestops, just how out of place would I be?

<...........58
But never been to a mid-night anything concerning gaming. That's mainly because I can't stay up that late(no lie) But one thing I've come to realize no one cares about age much at gaming events...It would be a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.(soot, burned on black)
And I imagine there are some very cool dads out there who bring there young-uns to these events.
Go for it!!! and a big high five to your wife. Mine has no interest what so ever in gaming, but she respects my choice of hobbies and every 2 years or so gives me the nod to get a new rig.

Not a huge fan. But I did enjoy inglorious basterds. And isn't funny that the scene in the restaurant with the Nazi Jew hunter and Shoshona was one of my favorites of the movie. The way he gushes over the German Strudel with fresh creme makes me want some as well. And the question you're asking yourself throughout the scene, does he know it's Shoshona or is he just on the make?
Loved the over the top performance of Pitt.

Had a productive night last night.  Finally hit level 20 (that extra skill slot is fantastic), got 100% completion on 2 maps, wrapped up the first part of the Norn storyline, found two new green armor pieces and a green sword, and finally got around to dabbling in crafting.  

Such an awesome, awesome game.

That is truth. I'm so into this game, yet I haven't got a toon much higher than  10. Other MMOs I have the feeling I need to level as fast as I can to get level specific items: mounts, etc.. But right off the bat in GW I don't feel the need to hurry at all.

Played all the races and the "tree people" are my favorite at this point. The attention to detail in this game is astounding at times. I'm blessed with the ability to be able to run the game at the highest settings. Pure visual bliss. At first I wasn't that blown away with the graphical style, but I get it now.

Played all the classes to the level 10 range. There is only 2 I have no desire to go higher with. Necromancer, and Ranger. For my first run to level 20 I think will be with the "Nuker", Elementalist.

I enjoy the way They have implemented the social side of things. Swtor could learn a huge lesson here.

A-   Would be my score.

Think "chain" attacks Gratch. Starting with the lowest each hit gets you to the next attack unless interrupted, then its back to the first hit again. Make sure you're putting points into your skills then adding any new one you aquire on your hot bar. Once on the hot bar you'll see a little white triangle at the top of the skill icon. click it to reveal what skills you can put in the same slot just by clicking on them in the window that just opened up.

Really enjoying the game so far. I've taken a couple of toons to the 7-9 range. I haven't been on as much as I'd like.
I think I'm going to go Engineer for the first crack at higher levels. So much fun shooting pistols, blunderbuss rifles, underwater spearguns, tossing grenades and laying mines. I really like the ease at which to change from one discipline to the other. The guns have got that sweet spot of sound and action to really make shooting mobs in the face.
I picked the Root folk as my race and really digging how they've been fleshed out...or should I say barked out?

As a non- guild, solo player I think I've got lots of hours of fun ahead.

Running everything on max with a GTX-580 feels butter slick.

So happy that this game does what's advertised for a change.

This will be my home game for months if not a year or two.

Something that we've reluctantly become accustomed to.
No joy here either.

Kato down! I repeat Kato down!

Incoming Arty barrage...sending e-vac.

GW2
D3
Vessel
Microsoft Flight

Is it just me or is there less buzz around here for GW2 than usual for a AAA MMO release?

Which in a bass-akwards way might mean we've got a keeper here.

So, this Saturday marks the start of Guild Wars 2 maiden voyage. How appropriate that today I couldn't log into SWToR. Time had run out on my sub but I decided time had also run out for my time in SWToR.

Perfect timing as I like having a go to MMO for my gaming time. Mind you I wasn't that impressed with the couple of tests I jumped into. But I have a gut feeling that this is going to mature very nicely.

So cheers guys. Here's to a smooth launch and months of fun.

I think a Tree People Thief will be the starting toon of mine.

Ah that's great. You will have endless hours of fun, and friendship.
All the best with your new friend.

Have her head over to OO and take a look at the Perpetual Photography thread.  There are a few excellent photogs hiding in there, and they've passed along a lot of tips and Google+ circle recommendations for others as well.

Will do, ta.

My wife and I just looked through most of the entries. Kellie is a pro-photographer, mainly weddings, birthdays, graduations, etc..But she would love to broaden her skills into outdoor scenery as well.(I think she's already great at it)

We thoroughly enjoyed the photos and I was pleased to find out I can make them my desktop pic, with the old right click, set.

Thanks for the heads up.

And Canada, like in 1812 fires a shot across the bow of the good ship Yank..............Its on!!!!

at least you guys had better luck back then

Say's the Nation with 400 million to the one with 35 million. No excuses, just sayin. 

Well, my dear old Strider went to the happy hunting grounds at 6:00 pm today. For the last 3 or 4 days he got dramatically worse which just re-inforced our decision to end his pain.
The Vet, didn't even try to get us paying for the latest drugs, operations, what have you. She was absolutely sure it was the right time.

Strider couldn't get on the table so we all sat on the floor of the room we were in. There was myself, wife, vet and her assistant. Strider layed on his side, his tail slowly thumping the floor as we stroked and patted him. I couldn't have cared less about the people there, I just started telling him what he meant to me, and how grateful I was for his friendship.

The needle went in a vein in his rear leg.....Strider didn't jump or whince, he just lifted his head, and his eyes locked on mine....................................I fell apart. I heard the Vet say his heart had stopped..............I almost ran from the office to the santuary of my van....and let it out like I've never done before. It kind of shocked me how deep the pain was of losing my buddy.
Since being home I've done a half dozen things from routine with Strider, each time forgetting he's gone. This is gonna take a while I can see.

Again guys, thanks a bunch for your supportive words and the empathy you've shown me.

" I know that I know, that I'll see you again old friend. Until then, so long for now Strider. You've made my life so much richer."

Thanks all. Took him for a bath today at a local dog-wash place. Wife put a sling under his belly to hold him up. I drizzled the water over him and gently washed him. It was good for all 3 of us to do that, not sure why. It almost felt like we were preparing him for....well anyway. He enjoyed it as best he can now. Gonna keep him comfortable for a couple of days then say good bye.

Thanks again.

His name is, Strider. And he's a 11 year old Airedale Terrier. The best dog anyone could hope to become buddies with. He's goes everywhere with me, or use to. In the last few months his back end has become weaker and weaker. Its not hip-displasia, but another spinal cord type problem. More common in bigger breed types.
I have to carry him down the stairs to get outside so he can do his business. I want to cry everytime I see him trying to get up just to get a drink of water.

I've been with him when he's run after and caught up to all kinds of animals. I live near a vast trail system full of deers and the occasional black bears. To see him take off after a couple of deer is a thing of beauty. He was very athletic and co-ordinated. I was walking him on two different occasions when he caught groundhogs. He just had that natural terrier instinct in spades.

Airedales more than most breed's don't show their pain. But I can see it in his eyes now. I'm loosing a friend and it's killing me knowing what I have to do soon. All of my kids grew up with him, and my wife just adores him.

I know there is a loving God. He gave me Strider to take care of for 11 years.

I'll miss the old fella. I'll miss him too much.

The MMO genre has been my gaming preference ever since I spawned as an Armsman in Albion.
I should say that Flight Simming took up a huge chunk of my gaming time for years also.

But the soap opera that is the MMO genre of the last couple of years, has just about squeezed the last bit of joy I was getting from them.

The old saying, " nothing new under the Sun" certainly could and should be applied to this genre.
It really hasn't improved or changed much in years. We all set off full of vim, vigor and enthusiasm when a new one is released. Within the first month you can start the doomsday countdown.
But yet we hang around picking scraps off the decaying carcass of a half baked, half done game. Same old same old.

We've even made the statement.."give the game 6 months before you judge it" ...a knee jerk response to the obvious lacking of a new MMO. say what?

They have been dumbed down, over simplified, and a luke warm mess trying to please everyone.
And you know what  Honest Abe Lincoln said about that.
You can please some all the time
You can please all some of the time
But you can't please all, all of the time.

It's like some one needs to shout out, " The King has no clothes on"

How long can you keep painting over something before it brings the house down.

Fed up with the whole affair.