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Why should someone who doesn't play games online be required to have XBL Gold to browse the Internet with Internet Explorer, listen to music on Last.fm, or watch movies on Netlfix?

This is where people are scammed. You don't need XBL Gold to do this stuff. Microsoft forces you to pay if you want to use that functionality on an Xbox 360. This is the ONLY device in the world that charges a toll for accessing the Internet on an already-paid-for Internet connection.

There is a line that should be drawn between XBL services that should require Gold and the rest that should be open to every Xbox owner. Microsoft ignores the line and forces everyone to pay no matter what online features they want to use.

The are a lot of people out there paying for XBL unnecessarily. Who would not otherwise be paying for Live if something as simple as Netlfix ran for Silver members. These people are being scammed.

For those of you who pay for Live and use online multiplayer and chat, you don't see a problem because these look like bonuses to you. Your perception is obscured. There are some real ethical problems with the current structure of XBL and its sad to see so many people continue to support it and even worse to try and justify it.

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GameSpot's Tom McShea seems to agree with me in his article titled Xbox Live: No Longer the Gold Standard (http://www.gamespot.com/features/xbox-live-no-longer-the-gold-standard-6401861/)

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He didn't pull me from a burning building or rescue me from a frozen lake. But when I was suffering from a depression that had me constantly on the brink of suicide, he was the man who kept me on this side of the abyss. 

He was my therapist, but that word is so clinical, and doesn't accurately describe who Dan was to me. Friend? Yes, even though I usually only saw him in the confines of the office of a mental health clinic in Warren, PA. Father figure is more accurate, I suppose, but whatever you call him, he was the one that convinced me that life was worth living. His office was the safest place on the planet. It was there that I felt most vulnerable, and most cared for. He is the reason I am still here today, rather than a memory, or at very least, rather than a human husk, withering away in a hospital for the remainder of my days. 

He shared with me stories that a professional therapist shouldn't generally be sharing with his patient, and yet it was exactly the right thing to do in my case. I would record myself playing Christmas music on cassette tape and give it to him as a Christmas gift. I went to a church where he was a guest pastor one Sunday and marveled that this man could radiate such kindness and generosity. I read about his exploits with his boy scout troop, and wondered if those young men knew how fortunate they were that someone like Dan could be in their lives. 

I also know that Dan was an imperfect man. But I wasn't prepared to discover that several weeks ago, this man responsible for me being here to share this story today went missing. Vanished from his house, his wallet and keys left behind. No note, no goodbye to his wife Penny, no sign of a break in, no indication that something was wrong. He was simply gone. 

The police have searched, and the Conewango Creek and local branch of the Allegheny River have been scoured. No one knows if Dan, at the age of 69, wandered off to take his own life, or fell into the river and was washed away. Perhaps he was discontent and troubled, and decided to travel where he couldn't be found and live out his last days in peace. Perhaps he simply went for a walk to some unknown place and suffered a heart attack, and hasn't been found in spite of the exhaustive search. 

But it doesn't seem that Dan is coming back. 

The last time I talked to Dan was a few years ago. He sent me an email entitled "The real story...for those with a warped sense of humor." It was a typical viral email that people might send, this one with pictures of fairy tale princesses as they might have ended up. Snow White with her several babies and a good-for-nothing prince sitting in front of the TV. An obese Little Red Riding Hood wandering through the forest, sipping on a Big Gulp and carrying a basket full of bread. It certainly wasn't the most socially sensitive communication, but it's what I have. 

I love you Dan. I hope that you are close to God now. 

Edit: My mom shared this YouTube link with me of Dan leading vespers in 2012. http://youtu.be/dmVaCIoxeI0

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i can't think of anything else but her, i don't know where to go, nor do i have anyone to talk to, and i'm too embarrassed to tell my friends that i'm actually crying over such a short lived relaionship. guess she was more than just a girlfriend to me. she was my only getaway of this loneliness and boredom. she made me feel hope once again and i just can't get over all of these now. yeah! i'm such a loser. not sure why i'm posting this here,guess i just needed to save this moment right now for  i'm going to feel numb for months and i'm afraid i've got to get back on medication once again. i just wish i could get back in time and kiss her while i had the chance.

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other games ive picked up are the 3DS, Ghost Recon Shadow War, Gear of War 2, Dead Rising 2, Resident Evil 3, and Parasite Eve 2

plan on getting Porta 2 next week hopefully

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More importantly, at least for me, it drove Howard Stern to Sirius Satellite Radio where he has prospered since January 9, 2006. As you can tell from the people I edit, I am a huge Howard fan. I have been listening to the Howard Stern Show since about 1993. Now, nearly five years later, his fans are all waiting for him to decide whether he will return to Sirius after his contract expires at the end of the year. I do hope he sticks around because my weekdays will not be the same knowing that he won't be broadcasting on Howard 100.

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Anyway the best solution is to take a break from Internet as a whole for a week and see what would happen.

Sorry guys i won't be able to comment on your blogs until next monday.

Until then Sayonara

~Hassan

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http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/open_create_account.php

It's the highly-acclaimed updated DotA, Google/Wikipedia for more information!

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http://uk.gamespot.com/users/Hizang/

Ok so yea, seya there!

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Just a bit of fun really. Click the link to join the website, create a brute and fight to the death with other brutes trying to earn bonus weapons and perks. Good time killer for 10 minutes a day I tell ya!

If you use the link above to make a brute you will gain some exp boost

Happy crapping guys...and pass the link on!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So this will be a pretty quick blog.

I just want to say that I had extensive time playing the Wii over the holidays as my 8 year old and 4 year old nephews (visiting from out of state) didn't want to do much of anything else.

Since day one I have denounced the Wii - not in a way that it is insignificant but in a way that I have believed it truly is only a childrens console.

Those of you who know me or who have followed my postings very long know that I have always been, am and will always be one of the biggest graphics whores around - however that doesn't mean it should sacrifice good gameplay. Graphics though is the primary reason the gaming industry progresses forward and generations of new hardware are developed.

So that being said I haven't seen too much value in the Wii for myself. Again - I have been happy that Nintendo has the console as it keeps allot of people gaming that wouldn't ohterwise. I just wasn't interested in owning one...

Until now!

I will happily say that I am now a Wii convert - for anyone who hasn't played one extensively - I encourage you to do so. The graphics are barely PS2 level, this is true - but the motion controls are nothing like Sony's Six Axis (which are half ass and only annoying IMHO) - instead the Wii Mote is very accurate and actually fun to use. It creates a new level of immersion that I have yet to experience with other consoles.

Especially in games like Golf and Bowling - those types of games make you feel as if you are actually playing the sport and not a video game.

Anyway while I still only own the 360, PS3 and PC at the moment (oh and still a PS2 as well) - a Wii is definitely on the horizon for me.

So no more bashing the Wii from me - or implying that it is a console only for kids. While many of the games are definitely child oriented and not the ultra violent adult oriented gems that are required to satisfy an older gamer such as myself - the more and more I looked around the store shelves at games for the Wii, I quickly realized there is a fair share of adult oriented games as well.

So Viva la Wii.

If you like me have left the Wii alone for fear of going blind (couldn't resist at least one obscure reference - LOL), I wholly encourage you to spend some time playing with one. Not just at a store for a half an hour - find a firend with one and give it 8 to 10 hours at least before making your final assesment because you may find a longing for that Wii Mote once it's gone.

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By the way does anyone know when the Playstation Home Service launches? Just wanted to know...

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