Rich Garner

I played WOW. Really, I did. For about three levels. Then my hunter… yes, ‘hunter’… laid down, went to sleep and never woke again. My free trial had ended and I had no intention of forking over $15 a month to have my hunter’s head handed to me every time I tried to kill 10 of these or 20 of those. So I put my check in the “Tried It” box and returned to my first and true MMO love; Guild Wars. Read the rest of this entry »

I saw TransFormers Revenge of the Fallen tonight and it was a BLAST! Some of my favorite characters were given props in some really great action scenes and the most intense battles the silver screen has ever seen. But in all the hype and huff of the Hollywood-ization, one critical factor has been forgotten: The kids. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe I should rename this blog to “The Garner Zoo” since, as of this writing, the animals now equal the number of people in the home. Besides the Garner 5, we also have a cat (Pug), two birds (Baby and Buddie), a hermit crab (“the crab”) and now a baby bearded dragon (Ed). My good friend, and one of the preachers in my church, Ed Anton might take offense to this… but I assure you I wanted to name a lizard ‘Ed’ since long before I was in the church. But this ‘Ed’ ALSO has a spiritual impact on my life. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have read my ramblings regarding online game services before, you will remember my deep love and appreciation for Goozex; an online game trading service that allows you to spend points to acquire used games.

Since my first love is PC gaming, it’s only natural that I would spend most of my on-site time browsing the thousands of available computer games. I look on with fond memories as I scroll past many of them. Yet, with limited points in my account, it’s hard to really pick between so many. But since 100 points on Goozex is worth exactly $5.00, it’s not hard to pick up more than one.

So here’s my pick of The 60 Best PC Games for 100 Points along with some brief explanations of each. (I did not pick expansions, games that you could get for free elsewhere, or games that I have not played.) Read the rest of this entry »

I’m an online junkie. I work from home, breaking every so often to check my Twitter or Facebook. I log on to play intense battles with friends from other states (and even other countries). I even leave my TV tuned to my PC channel so I can watch streaming media from my own sofa. I live online and I love it. However, there is a very disturbing trend (not just online, but in entertainment in general) that has led to more and more shows, movies, and games developed under the myth that your work will gain an audience ONLY if you throw in provocative females, lewd behavior and a few f-bombs. Read the rest of this entry »

The year was 1995 and this little sleeper of a movie was released with almost minimal notice. Yet like that thought-provoking movie, our media industry has endured a very long and difficult existence before it found it’s true audience.
In the movie “Hackers,” a band of young computer experts turned the world upside down by not only stopping an ecological catastrophe, but also redefining the very nature of crime, information, freedom and art. The movie was not very accurate regarding the computer-elite subculture, but the message still stands today: The curious youth of today continues to redesign our future. Read the rest of this entry »

I was so excited to be able to go to our church’s Marriage Retreat this past weekend that I might have overdone it a bit. See, I’m normally trapped in my house unable to get in a car due to cripling back pain. But warm weather, plenty of rest and physical therapy, and of course the grace of God, I was able to make the hour long drive with little impact.  But what I gained from the event was well worth any additional suffering I am to endure. Read the rest of this entry »

I write this in one of my worst moods… so how’s THAT for a “don’t-say-I-didn’t-warn-ya?”

As some of the readers of this blog already know, I have a unique case of degenerative disk disease. This means that a lower lumbar disk in my spine has become ‘dehydrated’ and is causing pain. But in MY case, my disk first became engorged, pushed up next to my spinal cord, AND THEN dehydrated. There is no way to ‘re-hydrate’ it, therefore, it’s locked in it’s size and position. Read the rest of this entry »

So much of my time is consumed with online activities; work, research, design, communicate, collaborate and (of course) play! Following the old axiom “if I do it, others probably do it too,” I can only assume many more people spend a sizable chunk of their day online.

So, during Christmas, I’m trying to think of ways to encourage my online aquaintances that do not require they log off to enjoy my gift. Read the rest of this entry »