Thursday, December 29, 2011

Star Wars: The Voice Acting Republic

Preface: I have been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMORPG by Bioware that launched on December 20, 2011. This post pertains to certain voice actors used in the game.



I have restarted the bounty hunter quest-line several times -- either because I didn't like a choice I made, I rolled on another server, or otherwise -- and each time, I keep coming to the same conclusions: the Male Bounty Hunter voice acting is credited incorrectly on several websites.

I've looked around, and it seems that early discussions indicated that Steven Blum (who also voices a several other characters in the game) was confirmed as the Male Bounty Hunter voice...but then I found that the credit on a few websites (such as IMDB) is being given to someone I hadn't heard of -- Tom Spackman -- who is basically a watered-down Don LaFontaine (the "movie voice guy").

None of the voice-acting lists I've seen have been fully confirmed, and I tend to treat IMDB as I would Wikipedia -- that is, don't trust it unless I hear it from the horse's mouth. But I am curious to find out if anyone else thinks that the voice is Steven Blum emulating David Hayter (who also worked on voices in the game).

Here are some clips the demonstrate my point:


Steven Blum
as Spike Spiegel from "Cowboy Bebop"





David Hayter
as Solid Snake from "Metal Gear Solid" (various titles)





SW:TOR Gameplay
on Hutta, the Bounty Hunter starting zone
(discussion starts at the 8:40 mark)





And finally a link to the page of the alleged voice actor
Tom Spackman



I mean, it's still early, so people are trying to attach names to voices (and so-on) but I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! I listen to the snark and tone, and hear a combination of Spike and Snake. The playable character is a Bounty Hunter and a Mercenary, which SCREAMS to be an homage to both of those characters.


Anyway, just a passing thought I thought I'd share!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I need to write more...

Somewhere, in the race that has been this year, writing fell to the wayside. For that, I am sorry -- to my readers and myself. I find ideas don't come to me as clearly as I'd like, and I fumble over words. I never fumbled over words before, but unless I sharpen my creative, sharp tongue soon, I feel I will rapidly lose the capability of true wit.

Yes, I think I'm witty. Wannafightaboutit?

Obviously, I have Twitter and Facebook, to write little bite-sized packets of mind musings. But those barely serve to quell my hunger. Every now and then, I find myself craving a meal, so to speak. What a fugue is to whistling a jingle. A pas de deux to dancing a jig. A schematic to...well, you get the idea: I need to write something of grander substance.

I have a good excuse: I started a solid job as a contractor with Texas Instruments. I work with a small team -- nestled within larger-growing layers of teams -- where I am the baseline. It's exactly what I needed right now, and is giving me some stellar experience. I quite enjoy my coworker and boss -- Joe and Elaine respectively -- who have been a trememndous help in my transition into the corporate, contractor workforce. I find myself constantly challenged here.

But that's just my excuse: it's draining. After spending several hours working in a constantly evolving environment, one needs to embrace escapism in whatever manner they can. In all honesty, I fall back on friends, television, videogames, or some combination of the three.

But it is summer: the season of bad television. Except for Game of Thrones. Go watch that shit right-the-fuck now if you haven't already! Seriously. I'll wait...






[/whistle]






...right? RIGHT!? Anyway, it depresses me to admit that I haven't been writing, playing music, or even running as much as I said that I wanted to at the beginning of the year. I'll fix that.

Also, for those of you that didn't know: I have a puppy now. His name is Fenris and he's 95% Timberwolf, 5% Husky, which makes him 100% amazing. Trust me, I did that math. He's also my new running partner, since he's finally old enough to keep up with me. This should make things interesting. We'll talk more soon. Until then...


...Over and out,

David Lucio

Monday, January 10, 2011

Check in - 10 Days

So far so good, I think. I'm being mindful of all my resolutions as things come up. I haven't started the breakfast thing yet, and running almost immediately hit a halt when I got ill last week; I wasn't going to make it worse by trying to work out.

But otherwise, the ongoing resolutions are proving to be easier than I originally thought. I've even been brainstorming ideas for my website. I figure I'll wait until my birthday (March) before officially starting the project, so I can treat it like a gift to myself.

Speaking of which, I found the first thing on my (tentatively titled) "list of outlandish, shiny things I want, but don't expect to get at all, for my birthday." It's, quite simply, a masterfully crafted case for my iPhone 4.

The EXO 5, Silver or Black Aluminum Cases with Rosewood Sides just looks classy as hell to me. I'm not quite sure why. But, since it costs half as much as the phone itself, I am not really banking on getting myself one -- much less anyone else getting it for me.

I came across these on Gizmodo and fell in love. In my defense, I also saw a jetpack on there I would love to have as well, but I'm being reasonable with myself!

A few months until 25, and I'm already dreading it. I figure it's a big-enough staple that I should celebrate. Some kind of party, perhaps? With a theme maybe? We'll see as the day draws closer.



Over and out,

David Lucio

Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Resolutions -- 2011 Edition

It's been a long, arduous year, filled with many trials for almost everyone I know. Many of my friends and family have had to contend with employment issues, romantic problems, or the deaths of loved ones -- some at the same time -- and I was not immune to these. But sometimes I let myself get so involved in the bad, that it envelops me, which is why the latter part of this most-horrendous year was dedicated to finding the hope and brighter side of everything that happened.

I think (read: hope) that it worked, because I have been generally happier lately, all things considered. And through it all, I found out a lot about who my real friends were, how amazing my family really is, and just how far you can push a nice guy before he stops caring. That last one is especially true when it comes to my list, because I made too many concessions for people in 2010, which consistently backfired. So, as I begin to piece this list together, I'll start it off right:

In 2011, I resolve to...


1) ...stop letting people who aren't my friends -- or who aren't being good friends -- dictate who I can or cannot spend time with. Avoiding a party full of great people just because my ex didn't want to see me and got my former best friend to tell me off is the last favor I do for someone who so clearly hates me. No more, 2011. We decide who our friends really are!

2) ...stop putting off going to the doctor. Starting January 1, I will finally have great health insurance for the first time in almost four years! I keep toughing through things, hoping I'll get better naturally, but let's face it: I'm not wolverine. So in 2011, "If it's broke, fix it."

3) ...cover my ass on the little things. When times got tough, and I had to tighten my belt, I thought renter's insurance was a simple corner to cut! But even in one of the safest neighborhoods I've ever lived in, things went awry, and I lose a lot of stuff. So this year, I will err on the side of caution once I start rebuilding my temple of technology.

4) ...Run! A lot! In a little while, I'm going to go buy some new running shoes, and soon enough I will break them in. Maybe, by the end of 2011, I will even try a half-marathon. I might have used to run track in early college, but I never willingly ran past seven miles. I was too scared of my asthma, but finding a fix for that goes along with No. 2 on my list!

5) ...be less liberal about my use of the words/phrases "awesome," "legendary," "mind = blown," "snap," and an iterations of "best. thing. ever.," when they're not applicable. I know it annoys some people, entertains others, and the majority of you have probably written it off as normal (albeit weird) for me! So it's not stopping completely, just becoming more frugal. Because even I recognize that things like finding a lost guitar pick do not merit note, much less a, "Best. Day. Ever!" Not all the time, at least.*

6) ...keep telling people I care about the truth, or what's on my mind, or when I think they're doing something amazing, because people deserve to hear that. Good people deserve honesty, and to be reminded that they are appreciated or admired! In the same respect, people need to be told when they're out of line, or wrong, because letting someone continue on in ignorance will only beget more issues later. But don't worry, I know how to pull my punches.

7) ...start eating breakfast, and eating healthier. I say this every year, and it goes well until about March. I will try again, because my amazing older brother -- Daniel, who is a vegan -- has been showing me more and more that I can enjoy many (not all) completely natural, healthy foods. Just, you know, no more vegan-friendly gravy for Thanksgiving.

8) ...continue doing what I love for a living! I am constantly grateful that I get to do web-development, and that I am using my degree to its fullest, because I enjoy it. It's not a luxury many people get, and though I may gripe about work now and then (really, who doesn't?) I am always careful to remind people that I love my job. I wish this kind of luck to anyone else who is looking for a position: love what you do. It makes getting paid for it so much sweeter.

9) ...build myself a website. I might as well make good on what I wanted to do last year now that I have some money. I don't know what I'll do with the site, but odds are I'll just move my blog there, or start trying my hand at amateur photography/videography. I mean, really, I should put my entire skill-set to use for myself once in a while.

10) ...buy a girl flowers! No, I don't have anyone in mind. And no, it doesn't necessarily have to be romantic. I have bought single roses plenty of times before, but it has been several years since I bought a girl a whole bouquet of flowers (and I remember exactly when too). So, along with caring for my new Peace Lily, I will also shell out for what I used to believe was a pointless, and very fragile token of affection. It's on the road to change.


-- That's it for now. I'll add more as I think of them, but I'm tapped out. Have a wonderful, safe, and Happy New Year!




*Addendum: My use of the phrases "crazy-random-happenstance" and "bam, said the lady" are infrequent enough that I will continue using them. Plus, they really are kind of awesome.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Moderately Misogynistic Rant

I still don't get it: girls are allowed to like manicures & pedicures, romantic comedies, planning their ideal wedding since they were kids, scented candles, and a bunch of other stereotypical hullabaloo...and we -- as gentlemen -- generally keep quiet about it, and go along with it.

But yet, women have no qualms pointing out to us when they think we're stupid (or "lame" in this case) for liking sports, action flicks, videogames, firearms, or other awesomeness? Why the double-standard, ladies?

Thank goodness for the common ground. And even more so for both sides of the argument that genuinely enjoy the other gender's stereotypical tendencies. I'll admit that I enjoy a good concert -- not just a rock show, but a symphony -- or an art gallery once in a while. More often than not, I enjoy a good romantic comedy because I find them charming and hilarious. I literally have scented candles in my fireplace because sometimes I just want my damn apartment to smell like cinnamon rolls without having to bake! AND YES, I CAN BAKE!

But please, for fuck's sake, stop making me feel like I did back in high school -- alienated and degraded -- just because I make one little comment about the fact that I want to play the new World of Warcraft expansion that releases at midnight!

I can't even get it until after work tomorrow, ok? I'm an adult, who puts his adult responsibilities first, and I just wanted to add my little bit of manly (albeit nerdy) desire into what millions of other people are treating like a holiday. So seriously, ladies, if you have a problem with the fact that I love videogames: piss off.

That goes for you too, guys. Don't act like most of you weren't gung-ho for Black Ops, Madden, or Red Dead Redemption earlier this year. To each their own.


-- David


I admittedly refuse to bring either Harry Potter or Twilight into this argument, because frankly those speak for themselves in both fandom and ridicule. I respect both in at least that degree...Justin Bieber is another story, He just needs to die.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Did I give up on my blog?

No.

If you take note of the date that I took hiatus (around May 9) then you can see where I started to drifting off into the next month and a half of being busy.

At first it was being busy with clients, trying to finish some freelance projects. During that time, I was also apartment hunting. I found an amazing one in Euless, and my move-in date just happened to be the day after I finished my biggest project of the springtime: Stephanie Williams Photography

I began packing and moving over the next week, and drove my father home so that we could take care of some family business in the Rio Grande Valley. I never relish going back there, but I did get to see a lot of family. In those three+ weeks, I drove a collective 3500 miles or so.

Once I got back, the first order of business had become "unpacking" and "getting a job." I attacked both with as professional a frenzy as I could muster. The unpacking came easy -- aside from moving the heavy furniture donated to me by my best friend, Jessica.

The job hunt -- which had approached about 6 months already -- proved a continually insufferable. I rewrote my resume, updated all of my online job-listings, and scoured through a number of different search sites looking for adequate (read: not-at-all-shady) job listings.

On Thursday, June 10, I updated my Monster.com resume and profile; I mean, I really ironed that sucker out with ambitions and goals for my future in web design, etc. Within two hours of finishing, I received two calls -- approximately 20 minutes apart -- requesting phone interviews. I obliged both right then and there, respectively; one went extremely well and the other I felt went terribly.

The one that went well asked if I would be able to come in for an interview the next morning, at their offices in Dallas. I canceled any plans I had for the rest of the week (including plans for the very night), went on a hunt to find a printer so I could have fresh copies of my new resume, and made sure my suit was ready to go.

The story of my interview is tremendously long, but basically it went well. So well, in fact, that by noon of June 11 I was offered a position with NowLegal.com as one of their new web developers! I made it through my first week there last week, and am happy to say I am doing extremely well there! I love my new job, the people I work with, and my cozy little office.

Now, that brings me to today and this blog post: All this time, I have knowingly been neglecting this site for hopes that I would focus on much larger objectives. I have still, however, taken a picture every day (I keep track of them via an application on my phone) to contribute to the 365 project!

I promise that once things settle down with the new job, new city, and trying to fix my personal life, I will be back to post them all...I really will. In fact, by the year's end, I plan to buy that web-space I've been gawking at and finally build my own site from the ground up. At that point, I'll even put in a separate section JUST for my Chronicle Project. Sound like a deal?

Good. Then it's settled. I still love you all and such, but I must continue ignoring this space for the time being. I'll let you know when things clear up.


Sincerely,

David Lucio

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Entry 129 - Mothers' Day

My mom lives in another time zone, almost a day's drive away, so I don't get to see her often. Instead, this year, my brothers and I conspired to put together a web page for her Mothers' Day Gift. I hid it within the website she asked me to start making for her high school reunion, and let her in on it today. She loved it.


Happy Mothers' Day, all of you maternal-types out there! Keep up the great work.

Entry 128

My favorite exceptional couple, Kyle and Ashleigh, invited me to come out and shoot some pool. More so, they wanted to see how I've been the last month or so. We did some talking, catching up, planning for the next couple of weeks, and the Kyle proceeded to clean the floor with me at billiards. Good times.

Entry 127

Got to spend some time with an old friend, Kelly. It had been a few years since I'd seen her, so we had a lot of catching up to do. The entire thing was very spur of the moment, and turned out to be a nice surprise.

Entry 126

I was working on some server-side organization for Steph's website, and then all of the sudden my power went out. It wasn't out for very long, and the work was saved anyway, so I decided to wait out the outage by the pool. Can't really program without power...