- The amount of devotion fans of the long-running SimCity franchise have to
their virtual world is astonishing, at times, alarming. Throwing oneself into a
digital dwelling place full of virtual characters reeks with a certain degree
of pathetic-ness, a fact underscored by the uproar from those fans because of
server issues for game developer Maxis that have put SimCity in danger. The
game’s always-online infrastructure is struggling to handle player demand for
the newest version, which requires a constant connection to the Internet. Maxis
and publisher Electronic Arts addressed the issue in a post on the SimCity
forums. “This has been an exciting and challenging week for the team here at
Maxis, the culmination years of planning and development,” Maxis senior
producer Kip Katsarelis wrote. “We are hitting a number of problems with our
server architecture, which has seen players encountering bugs and long
wait times to enter servers.” Although the companies have asked for patience,
neither has offered an apology thus far. Users continue to experience long
waits to load the game and even when they are able to gain access, SimCity
often fails to load once it does connect. When the game crashes, users have
reported that SimCity doesn’t save their progress. EA shut down its servers
once to install updates in the hopes of alleviating the problems, but it did
not work. Maxis’ next step is adding additional servers in the next few days to
relieve some of the stress on the existing service. It is somewhat odd that
neither company anticipated the high demand for the game given its previous
popularity and had to go out and get extra servers to meet that demand. In the
meantime, Maxis will also shut off what it calls “non-critical gameplay
features” like leaderboards, achievements, and region filters, according to a
post on the forums from the game’s community manager. “This is, obviously, not
the situation we wanted our launch week and we want you to know that we are
putting everything we have [into] resolving these issues,” Katsarelis added.
“We ask our fans to be patient. We share your passion for SimCity and thank you
for your support.” SimCity fans could also get an IRL life and make friend in
the real world, but that may be too much to ask………
- Miracles do happen, even in Afghanistan. The tale of former
Red Army soldier Bakhredtin Khakimov, an ethnic Uzbek, proves as much. Khakimov
went missing in action (MIA) in 1980 during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
and no one had any idea where he was for almost 33 years. He has finally been
found by a team from Warriors-Internationalists Affairs Committee, a nonprofit,
Moscow-based organization that leads the search for the former Soviet Union's
MIAs in Afghanistan. Now living under the name of Sheikh Abdullah and working
as a traditional healer in the Shinand District of Afghanistan, he was
discovered living a humble life as a healer and the story of how he survived
the war was finally shared. "He received a heavy wound to the head in the
course of a battle in Shanind district in September 1980 when he was picked up
by local residents," the organization said in a statement posted on its
website. "He now leads a semi-nomadic life with the people who sheltered
him." WIAC first located Khakimov two weeks ago, but he had do
identification to prove who he was. He was able to positively identify photos
of other Soviet servicemen who served at the time and bears a strong
resemblance to pictures of Khakimov from his Red Army days. "He could
understand Russian a little bit, but spoke it poorly, although he remembers his
Uzbek language," the organization said. "The effects of his wounds
were clearly manifested: His hand trembles and there is a visible tic in his
shoulder." The organization’s deputy head, Alexander Lavrentyev, relayed
the story of how Khakimov was nursed back to health by a village elder, a
herbal healer, who taught him his trade. "He was just happy he
survived," Lavrentyev said after meeting personally with Khakimov in the
city of Herat in western Afghanistan. The former solider married in
Afghanistan, but is now a widower and interested in meeting his relatives back
in his homeland. He reportedly converted to Islam in 1993 and lives in an
extremely rural area. Khakimov is one of 263 Soviet soldiers whose fate is
unknown following the bloody nine-year campaign in Afghanistan and WIAC is
working to locate them. So far, 29 have been found and 22 were repatriated to
their home countries while seven elected to remain in Afghanistan……
- Noel Gallagher knows a little something about bands
breaking up and rumors of those bands getting back together. He was one of two
root causes of one of the more incendiary band breakups of the past decade when
he and brother Liam dissolved Oasis in 2009. They have sniped back and forth
through the media ever since and scoffed at rumors of a reunion while insisting
the other one desperately wanted such a revival of the band. Like most music
fans, Noel Gallagher took note of iconic rocker David Bowie’s comeback to the
music scene and used it as an occasion to pile sh*t on other artists who make a
return after time away from the music scene. Gallagher said that Bowie's
recent comeback "blew his mind" and suggested that returning with a
new album rather than a run of cash-grabbing concerts filled with past hits
shows how ridiculous most reunions are. "It's great to hear his voice
singing something new. The more you hear 'Where Are We Now?' the better it gets.
The video's mad – like his f**king cat directed it,” Gallagher said in a rather
nonsensical rant. "What it proved to me is that reunions are fucking sh*t.
If you had turned on the news and it had said, 'David Bowie is to do a fucking
series of concerts next year,' everyone would have gone, 'Oh great, can't wait,
that's it, let's talk about something else.' But we're still talking about that
song. New music and records rule, but reunions for gigs are sh*t, you know.”
Bowie’s new album, “The Next Day,” drops next week and although there is
growing speculation that Bowie will not tour at all to promote it, Gallagher
postulated that any live dates Bowie may play would be "f**king bedlam.”
Bedlam, maybe, but an amazing sight for fans who are too young to have ever
heard Bowie live……..
- Do the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals
know that the regular season hasn’t even started yet and that when it does, it
is six months and 162 games long? Both sides should check their calendar app
and adjust accordingly because right now, they’re treating spring training
games like they’re September contests with a direct impact on the pennant race.
Specifically, the staff ace for both teams needs to down a chill pill because Roy Halladay and Stephen Strasburg are far
too amped up. Strasburg, the Nationals’ phenom with a flamethrower for a right
arm, started the theatrics when he r hit Chase Utley with a pitch. Halladay
responded by going high and tight on Tyler Moore, a pitch that sailed behind
Moore's back an inning after Strasburg hit Utley. The Phillies won the game 6-3
and while the outcome means little, the tensions because the two teams were
curiously high. They do have a bit of beanball history, as Philadelphia
All-Star left-hander Cole Hamels hit Washington rookie Bryce Harper with a
pitch last May and was suspended for five games because he stupidly admitted
the pitch was intentional. The Nationals gained revenge by winning the division
and ending Philadelphia's five-year run atop the division. Their battles this
season should be even better if Wednesday is any indication, even if Halladay
went with a lame baseball excuse that pitchers frequently use when they throw
at a batter. "It slipped," Halladay said of the pitch. "I mean,
really, I think that's not necessarily the case, but we do need to protect our
guys to an extent. I'm not saying that's what happened. I don't think you want
to do it but, you know, it wouldn't have been the worst thing had it got him
after getting one of our good guys." In other words, “Yes, I threw at him,
but I can’t exactly admit it.” For his part, Strasburg said he had trouble
gripping the ball on a cold, windy day. "I don't have any reason to throw
at him, do I?" Strasburg said. "I mean, I don't understand why they
would think I was throwing at him. ... It's spring training. If you're going to
throw at someone or send a message in spring training, go ahead." Just a
few weeks to go until the regular season and it’s already getting
interesting……..
- Waaaaaiiiiit a minute…polygamy is wrong? Even worse,
it’s illegal and a reason for a mayor to resign his position? That harsh lesson
was hammered home by Oakland (Tenn.) Mayor Scott Ferguson, whose term came to
an abrupt end Wednesday night when the
Oakland Board of Aldermen accepted his resignation. Ironically, Ferguson was a
Church of Christ minister before becoming mayor, so it seemed reasonable to
expect that he understood the concept that a man can only be married to one
woman at a time. In his defense, at least Ferguson didn’t attempt to politick
his way out of his mess. "I decided to resign because I have not been true
to my wife and I have neglected my family," he said. With two wives and
multiple children, he probably should have specified which wife and family he
was speaking about, but the comments appear directed toward t his first wife
and the mother of his four children, Laurie. His second wife is a recent
addition to the family, as Cordova resident Miguelina Mora wed Ferguson a few
weeks ago on Valentine's Day in West Memphis. A marriage certificate and court
documents filed by Mora back up her story and curiously, she is now seeking a
divorce or annulment because Ferguson entered into the marriage fraudulently
because he is still married to his first wife. The spirit of sharing is clearly
lost on Mora, so Ferguson is probably better off without her. According to Fayette
County District Attorney Mike Dunavant, a records check showed that Ferguson
never filed for divorce from his first wife. He claims he is attempting to
reconcile with Laurie, something he will have more time to do now that he no
longer has the hassle of helping to run a city………
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