Cranky Bullfrog

Hi Eb0, Good to see you back in again. There's been a lot of changes since you left. Basically, and I'm sure Fatty can comment on this better than I, a number of things lead to some drop in GC membership over time including the aging of CS and games arriving that were pulling CS players away (such as WoW). Obviously the servers don't pay for themselves without assistance so GC was forced to scale back on some of the server count. However, even though we have fewer servers, the play of the game is still very active. We have also combined some elements such as when scoped rifles are allowed and when they are not on some servers (such as the Retrocedence server). There are also some nights in which zombie games or gun games are on too (Thursdays I believe). I have noticed that most people are headed to bed and off the server by around 2:30 AM to 3:00 AM so since I noticed your post was around 3:00 AM perhaps that is why you didn't find anyone - not sure. Which server did you try? Perhaps this points to the aging of the GC crowd as well! Saturday night beginning around 9pm is custom maps night. You should find plenty of people on then and on Thursdays as well. I hope you do rejoin us. There are still many of the older players online. If you see people doing the hacking thing, let an admin know so we can demo the person involved. If they are truly hacking, they will be dealt with. Hope to see you on the servers! Cranky

I'm in too. Voted today - noticed they are up to 45 % and ahead of the others!!! Will vote every day - wonder if we can all vote - from work and home?. If so, I'll increase the count that way too. Cranky

I love Texas Hold-em but not for real money since I am not agreeable to gambling. I would add a second vote to Tristan's appeal to have at least one game table where only play-money is involved (not real cash) - just to encourage GC comradery. If so, then I'm interested in playing. Cranky

My vote for Mayhem is turn it off. I dont' think it really adds to the "fairness" of the game. It seems to just add difficulty and frustration to a game that is aging and already losing subscribers due to its age. I see no reason to make it more difficult. Tonight, it is only 10:42 PM (CST) and already everyone has signed off of Mayhem - many voicing frustration with this mod just before they left. Just something to consider. - Cranky

Wish you guys a great FF06! Sadly Nyx and I can't make it this year. We will miss seeing all you guys and gals again. BTW - anybody know if any of the FF06 servers will have internet connections available to GC members? Just curious. (Doubt it but thought I would ask) Have fun gang! Cya on the servers when you return home again! Cranky

Years ago - at work - my office mate heard me receive a call from one of our hardware guys in the field. He had just turned on one of our process control systems that I was scheduled to go to the field and turn up after he wired it up. He wasn't permitted to turn it on - but he did. I talked him through a problem with it for 1+ hours. It turned out he had left the fixed head disk (most of you are too young to know what that is) in the write protected mode. I had him correct it and then I sat back, looked at my office mate and put on an exasperated face. Then I picked up the phone and said "Bill - I can't believe you did that after I warned you NOT to turn it on!". I knew there would be hours of work ahead for me to straighten it out when I got there. I sat back in the chair again and my office mate said "Jerry...... tell Bill that when you look into his eyes.... you sense that no one is home!" I liked that one - and yes, I told that to Bill over the phone and hung up... ;o) Cranky

I have seen this type of problem occur for a couple of reasons. Problem #1 - One time it happened because my daughter's video card fan had slagged itself (literally melted the plastic blades off the fan and the plastic center armature of the motor melted to the point where it would not even rotate). The video card (a TI-4200) was somehow staying alive despite the complete lack of local cooling. However, it would eventually overheat in a game and the machine would spontaneously reboot. Problem #2 - memory problems. We had a machine that would spontaneously reboot (no warning just boom) due to a defect that had crept in with one of the memory sticks. It was easy enough to diagnose. I changed the machine over from two sticks to one and operated it with first one stick and then the other. The problem stick showed up pretty quick. If you have a spare memory stick, it makes this easier to determine too. Neither of these two problems would give us any warning. The machine would just reboot and start over. Hope that helps you some. Good luck and let us know what you find. Cranky

Hey there Farmer. Actually, the color change is quite normal. I heard about that years ago when my wife gave birth to our first child. Here's some info related to this: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When a baby is first born, the eye still has not fully developed a dark pigment known as melanin that helps “color� eyes and skin. Blue or gray eyes (which many Caucasian babies have at birth) in a newborn mean that melanin is virtually absent within the eye’s colored portion (iris). When your baby is about six months old, you’ll have a better idea of eye color as pigmentation begins to form and brown or darker eyes might appear. The baby’s eye color should be determined by about age one, although some individuals may experience eye color changes through adulthood. People of Asian, African-American, Hispanic, or native American descent often have babies who are brown-eyed at birth because of darker pigmentation (melanin). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ above text courtesy of: http://vision.about.com/od/childrenvision/...colorchange.htm Hope that helps to explain it! Cranky

I have noticed a couple of problems: #1 - logout - can't do - same as the other guys #2 I also noticed that under my account (the info I get to when I click on my name), it no longer shows the link to my posts. Just fyi Thanks Da Cranky One!

Dogs... we have 3 Shelties - great breed - smartest supposedly - they are loving, pack animals and consider us to be part of "their" family. (We had 4 but one passed away). They are protective, noisy (when intruders are around), love to play/work and really affectionate. Just be sure you either have a robo-sweeper or you have one of those shirts that says "no outfit is properly adorned without dog hair" cause with Shelties, you will have lots of hair! regards, Cranky p.s. Shelties LOVE the snow - so if you let them out the door in the Winter, be prepared to wait a bit for them to come back in from "playing".

Duke was pwned!!!!!!!

I'll comment as an individual who does not enjoy listening to people use profane and vulgar language - regardless of the setting. First of all, to say Counter Strike represents realistic violence is like saying that Mickey Mouse actually resembles the real thing. It's a cartoon. You can talk about all the realistic aspects you want, but it's still a cartoon in reality. Yes, it involves violence and yes it involves aggressive behavior but only within the context of a highly restricted cartoon world with unrealistic interactions and outcomes (in fact, there are many unrealistic aspects of CS as compared to real war). So, I say all that to say - it's just a game! Therefore, the only "real" aspect of the game is the very "real" behavior of the players - the human operators who manipulate the cartoon figures and speak for them. That's where the gloves actually come off because the game itself is highly regimented in terms of what you can and cannot do to another player within the game. However, our voices and the things we type are generally unbounded by the game. So, we are free to say or type most anything. That means that within these channels we can act very offensively towards other players. That includes the use of vulgar language, racial taunts, demeaning insults and etc. That's not what we enjoy here. Rather, we enjoy such things as team spirit, cooperation, achieving goals as a group (aka team), and good spirited laughter and humor at times. We enjoy the camaraderie that makes us a coalition of players (hence our name - Gamer's Coalition). That means we have things in common that we share; like our love for the game. We emphasize good sportsmanship and skills development. We aren't about put-downs, demeaning talk, rude behavior or acting vulgar to or in front of one another. Not everyone would agree with you that words are just words. Many a wrong word has been uttered at a time when violence shortly followed. Death, injury and hate-crimes have all come about because of words. The Bible accurately describes the tongue as an unruly member because it seems to be the one thing that most people have the most trouble controlling. It has been the cause of wars, riots and many other social ills for years and probably will always be so. Whether profanity is directed at another individual or just freely broadcast to the open air (or typed), many people find it offensive and do not care to listen to it or see it in prose. Therefore, it's not unusual that a group of friends might want to create a place where they can get together and enjoy a game together in a cooperative and friendly environment without the distractions caused by abusive or vulgar language. If you feel the same way and want to join us in cooperative play, then you would of course be welcome on our servers. We strive to create an environment that supports relaxation, team work, cooperation, and good times together. We want the servers to be a place where adults and kids alike can enjoy themselves. We don't want for those same people to have to suddenly grab for the volume control on their PC speakers or quickly cover their screen because a child, mother or other family member came into the room while they are playing on our server. Cursing adds nothing positive to our society. It is, in general, associated with crude, negative or hostile emotions that are primarily an expression of personal selfishness. There are many ways to vent (or celebrate) and there is no need to allow the overflow or our negative or cruder emotions to spill over onto those around us. Cursing is the last resort of the defeated intellect. Cranky Bullfrog

Sorry to be so ignorant guys but I thought I would ask so I understand better what's going on. This is just a defect in the game right? Not a hax? Does this mean that people who have this "problem" are able to see me behind a box but not hit me until they come around the box - such as on Aztec? (I'm guessing that is the case from the comments). Seems like it truly does give the person with the "problem" the ability to see people in hiding places which isn't too good. If the fix is only voluntary, seems like it will compromise the quality of play until they can fix it permanently. Your thoughts? Cranky

I've got one for you.... This young newly wed couple were enjoying their first day of married life together upon the morning of their honeymoon. The little bride had gotten up extra early to fix her new hubbie's favorite breaksfast foods. Upon the table she had placed a plate of eggs, several slices of bacon and a cup of coffee. Her new husband came into the kitchen, kissed his lovely bride and sat down at the table with expectation. To his surprise, the eggs were crunchy; filled with many tiny bits of egg shell. No matter he thought, I'll just try the bacon. The bacon looked like a sacrificial offering because it was so blackened. He took one bite and almost lost the eggs he had managed to choke down. His little wife stared at him and beamed as he attempted to eat the breakfast she had so lovingly prepared. Finally he decided that maybe he could wash it down with some coffee so he took a big swig out of the cup. He nearly choked to death as an entire mouthful of grains entered his throat! Exasperated, he could no longer control his temper and in a fit of rage, he looked up at his child bride and said "You know, I just don't understand how God could make you so beautiful and yet so stupid!" The little bride just smiled back and replied "Well honey, God made me beautiful so you would love me....." "and he made me stupid so I would love you....." {keep smiling and tell this one to your wife/girlfriend - the ladies love this joke} Cranky

The answer is...... Why not? Cranky

lol, my bf stole an ipod from this kid in his computer class, he was never found out. That sly dork. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is not cool, sly, hip, dope or whatever the word today to steal. To steal is to deprive someone else of their rightful property. To steal is to reveal a sincere blemish in one's soul. The true character of a man is not defined by those things which are outwardly apparent to those who are observing him. Such behavior is easily modified to suit the intended audience. Rather, the true character of a man lies in the behavior he demonstrates when no one is around to observe him. Your buddy may think he has gotten away with something but I can assure you that in the final end of things, there is one who will hold him accountable for what he has done. I would advise him under the strongest possible terms to return the item to its rightful owner. You can't define your sense of morality in terms of whether you like the other person or whether or not you think they "deserved" to have their property stolen. Some day your friend will answer to the ultimate authority on morality and if he has not made amends by then, he will do so at that time. Our moral virtue is the easiest thing in life for us to lose; it is the most difficult thing to restore...... Cranky

I used to support PCs years ago. I always told people there are two types of computer users: 1) Those who have lost their data 2) and those who are going to ..... (make backups) Cranky

I'm having the same problem farmer on the scopeless server. It seems to vary with the number of players in game but I've not determined that for solid fact yet. I have found some relief by lowering my cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate variables down to 50 to 30. (I usually run them at 70-100 with no problem). That seems to get my loss and choke down closer to zero. I can't tell if just reducing those obvious problems is helping my gameplay though; it seems like I'm still lagging out in terms of what I see versus what others see. In other words, I've been shot behind walls I darted behind many times. Yeah, sometimes that happens if its wood or plaster but not if it's thick concrete and it's happened there too. I think somethings up with all the comments that have been entered on this issue of late. I'm gonna try to get a traceroute soon and post up. Cranky

I'll just offer a few personal experience comments.... I think a lot of the problems that affect today's computer users are frequently not actually viruses but rather spyware and adware. I have definitely found this to be the case with my kids' computers. Once you have a good antivirus program such as Norton or AVG on the system and you are keeping your virus definitions up to date on a regular basis, it seems the next thing that affects your computer, kills performance and otherwise makes it a fancy doorstop is spyware and adware. Some of that garbage (spyware/adware) is not only insidious and dangerous (monitors keystrokes) but takes a real toll on your computer's ability to perform. Toward the goal of removing such irritants from computers, I have assembled and use frequently the following tools when getting rid of such pests: Tools for removal/identification: 1) Adaware (I use personal edition cause it's free but I hear the pro version is worth the money) 2) CWShredder (removes variants of Cool Web Search hijacker). This program was bought up from the shareware author but is still available for download for free from various sources 3) HiJackThis (great utility for identifying all the "start-up stuff" in your computer. You have to know what the things in the list are and whether or not you should remove them but with a little practice, reading and self-training, you can use this tool to your strong advantage in preventing the types of spyware that starts itself through BHO (browser helper objects), run registry lines, runonce registry lines, etc. 4) KillBox (great utility for deleting spyware that trys to protect itself on your hard disk drive by preventing you from deleting the files that are associated with the spyware). Killbox lets you select the spyware file and delete it on reboot of your computer - about the only way to get rid of some of these pests. Again, you need to know which file to get rid of but this utility can delete them when Windows won't let you. 5) Filemon.exe (cute file monitor program that will watch your entire file system and show you accesses - in case something is getting into your files/creating a file/etc and you don't know which program is doing it) 6) pv.exe (simple cmd shell utility that helps you get a "true" process list of all the running processes in your computer. Some spyware renames itself so that the task manager list either doesn't show the process or it shows it with the wrong name. This utility shows you all the programs with correct names. When you run it, it dumps out a list of the processes that are running. Can be combined with KillBox to get rid of a pest. 7) Regmon.exe (another monitor program that watches for changes to the registry). If anyone needs any of the shareware/freeware versions of these utilities, I can either upload them to a spot where we can share them or send them to you directly. They are quite handy and I collected them off the net over time. Tools for protection (install em and keep em up to date): 1) Norton Antivirus (still one of the best) 2) AVG Antivirus (great because they have a free verison) 3) WinPatrol (keeps an eye on changes to your registry and lets you ok/abort them) - comes in a free version or pro (pay for it) version. One good web resource for this type of thing is: http://www.merijn.org/ There are many forums where people will gladly look over your "hijackthis" list and help tell you which items in the list are trojans/spyware/adware/etc pests. Merijn has good links to various forums that deal with malware removal. Good luck! Cranky

Best returns of the day there Preacher! HappyBD Cranky

Swat and Swat's father - you might want to PM Fatty to discuss that. He's the right guy to discuss the rules for FF and you may want to take it off-line to discuss it. While it might be nice to hear a show of support for Swat's attendance, it really wouldn't have too much to do with the rules for FF and that encompasses a lot of details with which I am certain Fatty is well acquainted. I don't know the details myself but I would well imagine there might be insurance/hotel/liability/etc issues. Again, Fatty would know for sure. I'd just give him a ping and see what he has to say about it. I hope that's helpful to you. Cranky

Hi Fatty - and thanks.... XL - Cranky L - Nyx Thanks dude! Cranky

Nyx and I saw it last night. Best one in a LONG time. Hope they continue this new saga. Very well done - gritty - real - and you don't have to suspend belief too far to enjoy it (although of course, there is some of that). Great casting - nice to see so many stars in it. Hope you enjoy it too! Cranky p.s. I want his "car"! - would be great in downtown Chicago traffic!

You guys are really a hoot! Maybe I should indeed open up a CrankyPR.net filtering business! Think I would make any money at that? I could even advertise!........ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before our patented PR process is applied: "Lamodude - you stupid moron idiot jerkazoid donkey faced two year old mental midget!!!!! You head shot me one more time and I'm gonna pwn ur a.......Fatty" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- After applying our advanced politeness filter: "Lamodude - I appreciate the time and effort you have expended in perfecting the head shot and to watch you employ it is indeed a thing of beauty... but I would just like to make a simple request that the next time we are on the server together, I would deem it a great personal favor if you would turn the focus of your considerable talents towards the cartoon figure known as Lunk. Sincerely your friend and best game buddy.... Fatty" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cranky

Cranky