Life

[Thompson]

Relevant content at the bottom, but you should read the whole thing anyway.

[Armchair General]

I have sproglets. In my household, whatever I say goes. I tell them Santa is like Satan and that he won't be coming to them in any case, because they are evil and need to be punished. I actively encourage them to strike themselves with willow branches at 0400 Christmas day. Traditionally, on Boxing day, we give them salt and alcohol to rub into their sin purged wounds, whilst mother and I watch from the balcony in our leatherware, sipping alcohol free Gluhwein.

To be honest, my kids aren't in to Christmas that much.

[subbes]

You should teach them about Krampus while you're at it.

[Roderick]

Slate recently did an article on our nation's greatest holiday, Sinterklaas, from which Santa Claus was derived in the United States. It proffers that it's a racist festical:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/holidays/2011/12/zwarte_piet_holland_s_favorite_racist_christmas_tradition_.2.html

But, really, the thinking behind that is a little... one-sided and overly sensitive.

[Armchair General]

You Dutchies and your Black Peters, you're all racist Christmassers the lot of you. I prescribe you 3 willow branches Rodi.

[Garple]

Yep, at least you have a love life!

Yeah...I'll take those problems any day.

[Roderick]

Black Pete is no more racist than Cuban Pete

[elmuerte]

wait... Santa's elves are not slaves?

[miffy495]

Well crap. That really nice laptop (Asus G53SW) that I got in October seems to have a bad LCD panel on it. I noticed a small red line in the upper left corner of the screen last night, which has now become a vertical line going the entire length of my screen. Found my receipt and called up Memory Express (province-specific computer shop chain that I purchased it from) and they told me that since I'm under manufacturer warranty rather than having spent the $200 on their in-store one, they'd probably have to send it back to Asus. I'll need to make sure I can save my HDD before it gets sent off, and will likely be without my laptop for the first week of the year. Whoo! In the meantime, when playing a level of Renegade Ops this morning, I didn't find it TOO big of an issue, so I'll still be taking it to my folks' place in BC next week when I go to visit and doing my down-time gaming on it anyway. Can't stop the Saint's Row!

[Thompson]

Didn't really know where else to post this, so here will have to do.

Some of the most incredible scumbaggery i've ever seen.

[Nappi]

Didn't really know where else to post this, so here will have to do.

Some of the most incredible scumbaggery i've ever seen.

I love the internet for things like these.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Take that! I hate poor customer service. Hurrah for the internet.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Oh wow, I just found this on the Ocean Marketing site: "Your Brand is no stronger than your reputation - and will increasingly depend on what comes up when you are Googled."

[Thompson]

Oh wow, I just found this on the Ocean Marketing site: "Your Brand is no stronger than your reputation - and will increasingly depend on what comes up when you are Googled."

See this massive Reddit thread for every imaginable piece of information on the guy.

Internet justice is being served, and internet justice is the best justice.

[subbes]

I got a speeding ticket today (85/70, reduced to 78/70 because I was so nice and basically pulled myself over as soon as I saw the cop car pull out) on the drive back from my in-laws.

Can't decide whether to spend extra to go to driving school and keep my insurance rate low, or spend less in the short term to just pay the fine and cross my fingers that my insurance rate doesn't increase because I have a piece of shit 11-year-old car and am an almost-middle-aged woman.

[DanJW]

See this massive Reddit thread for every imaginable piece of information on the guy.

Internet justice is being served, and internet justice is the best justice.

This is the most fascinating game news since Limbo of the Lost.

Here's the best coverage I found. The Avenger Controller makers just put out a massive press release (finally).

But even here some things are weird. The new PR consultant they have, Moisés Chiullan, says:

“We have to move forward and take care of Avenger’s customers,” Chiullan said. “I can’t worry about the fact that there isn’t a bus big enough for me to throw Paul Christoforo under. The internet did that for me. I think they set him on fire too.” He continued, “I just hope that people will have the common decency to leave his wife and child out of all this. They didn’t send those emails, Paul did.

Who talks like that in a press release? And the appeal for Christoforo's family seems a little non sequitur and more like something he himself would say.

I am checking for updates far too many times a day. The guy is just so lacking in genuine remorse (as Krahulik said, there is a difference between being sorry and being sorry that you got caught) that the schadenfruede is almost totally guilt-free.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Yikes, I would have expected the last part to read: "We hope we can push on past this and put the errors of the past behind us." THEY hired the guy, after all, and it wasn't the first time he'd gotten involved in bad PR for the controller. Instead they're letting Paul take the fall, and trying to sound like they're taking the high road. I guess that assume that all gamers are hormonal 14 year olds with anger issues, and so are trying to join in on that wave.

Another crappy PR company?

[Nappi]

I can’t worry about the fact that there isn’t a bus big enough for me to throw Paul Christoforo under. The internet did that for me. I think they set him on fire too.

Where the fuck do they find these PR consultants?

[Thompson]

Read Christoforo's response here.

Not that I don't have respect for anybody, but if someone's badmouthing me or being a little punk or being a jerk, they don't deserve respect, you can't expect to go up and say 'Hey you piece of shit,' and expect respect. Send an email, introduce yourself. ... I trust everybody until they give me a reason not to respect them. I'm not a tough guy, not a bully, but at [the] same time [i'm] not going to take shit if it's uncalled for.

[Armchair General]

Christoforo is clearly a dick, who still feels cheated that this has happened to him. Personally I think it's brilliant that shit customer service has been exposed so massively. I hope other companies take note.

Thanks Dan.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Read Christoforo's response here.

I foresee a new career path for Mr Christoforo.

[Thompson]

I don't know the mayor of Boston, that was taken totally out of context, I was just joking around. I am from Boston, though, and I know a lot of people who own clubs. I know some influential people, like the guy who runs the door at the convention center.

Best thing the guy has said throughout this entire saga.

I have to ask though, exactly what context are we supposed to view the 'mayor of Boston' thing through? You can't just claim something's been taken out of context when we have 100% of the possible context.

[Lu]

Hahaha, that's what I thought too. Also:

http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/4238/article/oceanstratagy-paul-christoforo-himself-speaks/

He really needs to learn how to shut his face.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Hahaha, that's what I thought too. Also:

http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/4238/article/oceanstratagy-paul-christoforo-himself-speaks/

He really needs to learn how to shut his face.

More BS, but no more than anyone else would say in that situation. Interesting that he claims he was only doing customer service as a favour. Makes the company that hired him all the more responsible, especially if they knew about the previous complaints against him. A very serious accusation about his predecessor, too. If he's not completely right, he'll get sued for libel.

I think it's time to leave the guy alone. I kind of feel sorry for him now. He was an asshole and he got bitchslapped... By the internet.

[Thompson]

I think it's time to leave the guy alone. I kind of feel sorry for him now. He was an asshole and he got bitchslapped... By the internet.

I wanted to feel sorry for him, but then he just continued to be a total dickbag, hard to feel sorry for somebody so intent on blowing their internet brains out. Even in this gameranx interview he still acts like a prick.

So, I had an e-mail come in, and the e-mail was like “That's fucked up shit, you're banned from PAX.” I didn't know who he was when he sent me that. So, of course, I send an e-mail right back, and I'm like “Who the fuck are you? What do you mean I'm banned from PAX?” So I got into it with him.

I don't know the mayor of Boston. But I do know a lot of people. I was born and raised there – my whole life. I can walk into any club that I want, anywhere I want, anywhere in the city, drinks are free, I don't have to wait in line, do anything I want. Because I have a lot of connections – the city itself is my roots. So, I probably have some connections that I could make a call, get me into the convention center if I wanted to attend the show, whether he wants me there or not. Doesn't make any difference – I could probably get in.

So, I said that to him, and he says “Well, I'm gonna post this up on my blog.” And I still didn't know who he was. I was like “Who the hell is Penny Arcade?” So, I looked at his website, and I was like “Oh, whatever, my son could build this website,” and I said that. Then after he posted it, he said “Google my name.” So, I googled his name and I figured out who he was. But I still didn't really know that he had 10 million viewers on that site.

Making a real strong case for my sympathy there mate.