N F L   P I C K S    -   W E E K   1
9-11-'99 / 02:22.69 P.M.

I've just posted up the Rice World staff picks for Week 1. Rice's picks may be absent when you read the article, but just check back a little later and they'll be up. Click!

*Editor's note: It's complete now. I apologize for my tardiness *slap self*

In other news:

- The US OPEN is coming to a close. I must admite I lost interest when Pete Sampras withdrew w/ an injury, but at least Andre Agassi is still there.

- As of now, Hingis is having a difficult time putting away Serena Williams in the final. Serena is better than Venus. She's much more composed and calm.

- I am still a little bothered by the Star Wars theory. As much as it sounds cool, I also don't want it to be true. But it would be awesome if it was, though initially disheartening.

- Everyone, yesterday was Rice's 18th Birthday! Happy Birthday man. I've got your cigarettes right here. =) I was gonna get you porn, but I figured all your perverted friends already hooked you up w/ that stuff. J/k.

- I am now going to enter the 3D world. I just bought a Voodoo 3. Heh heh heh. To celebrate, I will kill at least one person in Quake 2.   Knowing my skills, I won't ever be able to kill anyone........ I don't even know what the hell strafe means.

- THE SIXTH SENSE was the #1 movie in America for 5 straight weeks. Amazing. Even THE PHANTOM MENACE didn't do that. However, if you look at the competition, such critically acclaimed movies as THE CHILL FACTOR and DUDLEY DO-RIGHT, you can understand how it was able to reach that record.

- Goddamn Bridgette Wilson is so hot. If you don't know who that is, I suggest you find out. Go watch MORTAL KOMBAT, BILLY MADISON, LAST ACTION HERO. She's a hot blonde. Right now she's in the new comedy LOVE STINKS.

- I just watched a great video, THE SPANISH PRISONER. Go rent it. It's similar to THE USUAL SUSPECTS and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL in terms of the plot puzzles.

- I just got the new CHRISTINA AGUILERA and THE BEATNUTS albums. I'll review both. And I'll be sure to include lots of pics of Christina.

- Oh yeah, the new NOREAGA album might be my next acquisition, so cross your fingers. Heh heh, somehow, I know you guys don't read my rap reviews. It's all good............bastards......

- My current favorite song is "Nookie" by LIMP BIZKIT. There's so much sing-along potential with this song. "I did it all for the nookie! So you can take your cookies and stick it up your, stick it up your...." Like a chump, like a chump.......

- Mind running blank. Gotta go.

I'll be back.............(T2 theme in the background)

--> Gerry

O H   B O Y    O H   B O Y   O H   B O Y . . .
9-10-'99 / 01:01.38 A.M.

I would call this the "Link of the Day", but that term seems to mean more along the line of "Link of the 'Whenever I find something interesting'". Anyways, everyone has got to check this article out. A twisted theory involving Anakin, Vader, Obi-Wan, and Yoda... stemming from the Episode I disappointment that the author experienced. When I say twisted, I mean TWISTED! The scariest part is that it's very convincing at the same time!! Click!

The text is a little miniscule compared to typical web documents, so you may have to squint. It's also quite a read, not short by any means. Definitely worth it if you're into those conspiracy theories. My eyes grew wider and wider as the paragraphs progressed. Bah, just... go read it! =)

N F L   P R E V I E W    1 9 9 9 - 2 0 0 0
9-9-'99 / 06:22.30 P.M.

How can I resist posting something on this day? 9/9/99! Heh heh... the next such similar occurance would be... um... 1/1/11, or even better, 11/11/11! Hehehe... =P

Oookay, I've obviously had too much coffee. The point is that the NFL season is starting up, now that pre-season is over! Yes! I love football (American, of course) for many reasons, all shared by my Co-Editor in Chief Gerry in his most recent article. If you're a sports fan, click! If you're not... well... click anyways! =)

In other news: I just read a ZDNet article detailing a nasty trojan virus that's been circulating AIM/ICQ via a JPEG file. My suggestion is to never leave auto-receive on unless you absoultely can trust that person with your computer life. Get the full monty here: click!

Sammy Sosa has 59 homers now. The man is crazy, even though his team always loses when he homers. What's up with that? Anyways, I'm pretty sure he'll be the first to have back to back 60+ home run years, along with McGwire, if he can crank out more dingers. Hm... it seems as if individual contributions don't help out a team effort as much, in any field for that matter, not just baseball. I'd take a solid starting lineup over a superstar in a crap-ass lineup anyday.

Since I'm such a computer geek, I can't help but get the urge to write tech articles once in a while, even though I know that the entertainment articles are more fun to read. Hey, it's my site, and I'll cry if I want to... What was I saying? Oh yes, there has been a LOT (and I'm not kidding either) of sites out there that have been teaching people how to build their own computers and such. I'd wager only about a handful of them are even decent, with 3 or 4 being outstanding. My idea is sort of along the line of building a computer, and try to break it down enough so that users can also refer to my guide while upgrading. Admittedly, such a task is not hard at all. As a matter of fact, it's quite elementary. I mean, just plug it in here, stick this here, and voila! I may be making too big of a deal out of something that any 6th grader can accomplish, but I'm hoping to make it so not only is it accessible to newbies, it also contains some tricks I've learned from experience of assembling and disassembling systems ranging from 386's to the hottest PIII's. I wish I had the funds to provide screenshots, but since I'm merely a broke-ass college student, you'll have to settle for descriptions, maybe even a custom drawing at the Paint Shop once in a while. Basically, I want to integrate all that I've learned about personal home PC's into this article slash idea. Beyond the field lies material that I can only dream about understanding, and definitely beyond the scope of what this site is about. What do you guys think?

... I can't believe I just typed all that. I'm going to drink strictly de-caf from now on.

A R O U N D   T H E    R I C E
9-6-'99 / 06:05.29 P.M.

Hey guys, just like to thank all of you for the great anniversary Rice World just went through. Now with that out of the way, back to good ol' articles and reviews. The Gamers section is now functional with readable content, the only thing that it's lacking are the screenshots for the strategy guide, but fear not, for once I get 'em, I'll notify everyone that it's updated. For now... those interested in mastering Q2DM1, click!

Other Rice World related news: My Grim Fandango game review is published in the Reviews section. I think the Game reviews will remain where they are. For a while, I pondered whether or not to move them to the Gamers section, but I've decided that the Gamers section will be exclusive to special features done by Wisdom. Anyways, check out how I rated the LucasArts adventure game here: click! Gerry's working feverishly on an NFL season preview, so look for that by the next update.

I recently attended a small LAN (Local Access Network) party between my friends, and I gotta tell ya, Midtown Madness (review here: click!) dominated the night. We hooked up 5-6 computers between us and ran through our usual routine of Quaking a few hours before we got bored and moved onto other games. Microsoft's city racing game sports a feature called Cops & Robbers, where basically we took teams and attempted to stash more gold than the opponent in 30 minutes. It was helluva fun smashing each other with Mustangs and Pickup trucks while our faster teammates with the Roadsters raced for the gold in a snowy Chicago night. There are some clipping problems and and sometimes when you ram into your opponent, the network packet might not register, but those are minor gripes. Bottom line: if you have a chance, try it out. Preferably 6 people, and more than 3.

Lesse... only one big news in the Industry this past week, and it's from Blizzard, the company behind Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo. At the European Tradeshow, they announced Warcraft 3. Yep, after a few years of MIA, we're back to the land of Azeroth. However, this time Blizzard believes that the RTS (Real Time Strategy) genre has already been wrung dry thanks to Starcraft and Command & Conquer. Instead, they're pioneering a new genre known as the RPS, or Role Playing Strategy. They're focusing on character building, and hands-on fighting in small groups (remember Eye of the Beholder?), while also allowing strategic settings in buildings. Due out sometime later next year. Can't wait! =)

O N E   Y E A R    O L D
9-2-'99 / 03:22.04 P.M.

b-day.gif (2844 bytes) This is it, huh? You know how some companies have their history plastered in the title? Such as, "Since 1776!!" or some crap like that? Well, Rice World has now been online and semi-frequently updated since... 1998! Heh heh.. no really.

I'd just like to take a moment here really quick to thank a few people that made this site possible. First and foremost I have to thank the people that visit Rice World. Nuthin' but love out for y'all. Extra props go out to Mr. None, Leo, Gasman, Joseph, Wiz, and the rest of the message board gang. =) You're all the heart and soul of the site. Without visitors, Rice World would just merely be "another" homepage gathering dust and hanging out to dry out in the sun of the internet.

I'd also like to acknowledge the miscellaneous others that have contributed articles to Rice World at one time or another. Thanks to Dan (Kansur) for his songs of the week (back in the days!) and other odds and ends you've done for me. Even though you have your own site (plug: click!), thanks for contributing here as well! Thanks to Cruise for... the Heretic review. =) Heh heh, just jokin' man. I know you're workin' on the Next Gen Console article (4 months and counting now!), which sorta reminds me of game development. *cough* Unreal *cough* Prey. Heh heh.

Last but definitely not least, I'd like to thank Gerry Wang for his massive contributions to Rice World. He has grown from a guest writer (see: NFL Madden 99 review) to nearly the status of co-editor in chief. Rice World is completely non-profit and non-income, yet Gerry was still able to juggle school, work, family & friends, and writing articles. Also consider the fact that only about 20 unique individuals visit ths site regularly, it's quite an achievement in both self motivation and time management. Those that have read his articles, do not deny you have at least once, but more likely many many times, cracked a smile or rolled on the floor laughing due to his hilarious (and never politically correct!) antics. I can spew out cliche's such as, this site wouldn't be what it is today without him, etc... but I prefer to let his writing do the talking.

Hey Gerry...... thanks, man.

T E C H N O   B L A B B L E
9-1-'99 / 01:08.39 A.M.

Lotsa bombshells dropped on the industry these past few days. Warning: this update is one of those geek talks, so many (most?) would not be interested in what I have to say. However, for those few that share my enthusiasm....

geforce.gif (8102 bytes)Next generation hardware is so close to debuting to the public that I'm starting to have spasms anticipating the first hands-on preview article published by one of my favorite daily webstops. Easily one of the fastest growing companies in graphics card history, Nvidia has already captured the hearts, and the wallets, of millions of customers in the world with their TNT-series product. The original TNT was a tough competitor. The TNT2 was a winner. Just very recently, their PR boldly stated "On August 31, 1999, the world changed". Indeed, as the curtains fell to reveal the GeForce 256 (previously code-named the NV10), the world's first in-silicon Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) on the consumer level. Featuring the first affordable on-board Transformation and Lighting for the end consumers, the GeForce chip is without doubt, revolutionary in every way. To put it simple without any gibberish of hype, it doubles the power of the fastest TNT2 currently available.

savage2k.gif (17621 bytes)Just a few days before Nvidia's announcement, S3 announced their own next generation chipset labeled the Savage 2000. Previously code-named the GX4 (as opposed to Nvidia's NV10), the Savage 2000 claims technology equal to that of the GeForce. On-board Transformation & Lighting seems to be the big thing amongts these new next gen. chips, and the Savage 2K does not disappoint in that arena. Add in their own proprietary S3TC texture compression, S3 may have a strong competitor on their hands. However, their lofty claims are not backed up by final silicon, in contrast to the impressive GeForce.

glaze3d.gif (6943 bytes)Now just what in the world is the Glaze3D? Sounds like video card meets Martha Stewart! Well, it's also a new 3D chip (again?!) developed by some relatively unknown company called Bitboys Oy. Hey, don't look at me for an explaination of the weird name. I think it stands for something in another language, but don't quote me for that. Anyways, the Glaze3D is what I affectionately like to call paperware. The specs look nice. Really nice. Specs that surpass even the GeForce. But heck, anybody can produce paperware. All ya gotta do is whip out a pencil and a notepad, jot down all the glossary terms and their numbers (i.e. 100 MHz core clock), jack up the numbers (i.e. 90,000 MHz core clock), and get it out as a press release! Metabyte's SLI / Parallel Graphics Processor technology (where you can hook up any 2 cards in tandem) was mere paperware. Time shall answer the mystery of the Glaze3D.

It seemed like it was so long ago since 3dfx was the king of consumer graphics. The voodoo era has waned, and 3dfx has lost much of the market share. However, competitors have learned one thing about 3dfx, and that is to never expect a quiet resignation. A few weeks ago, 3dfx's T-Buffer was THE gossip amongst geeks. Features such as motion blur, depth of field, and advanced anti-aliasing had eye-candy enthusiasts sweat with anticipation. Promises such as graphical advancements equaling those done by Pixar (Bug's Life) and Industrial Light and Magic (Star Wars) on the personal PC had developers whispering revolution. Couple that with 60 frames per second at 1024 x 768 resolution comes out to a product that may put every other chip on the market to shame. However, as with the Savage 2K and the Glaze3D, 3dfx's Napalm is still paperware and unannounced. The industry has no loyalties, and tolerates no failure. There is only one true winner: the consumers. Yeah baby!! This is the time to be alive! Erm... hm... too bad I'm broke. =P

Enough about graphics cards. That's pretty boring, even for me. =) How many of you use hotmail as either your primary or secondary source of e-mail communication? Ah, undoubtly most of you have heard of the horrible hacker that crashed Hotmail and allowed ANYBODY with a computer to access ANY of the 40 million members' e-mail account. Holy shit! Good thing Microsoft responded swiftly (not swift enough in some's opinion) to the incident and has plugged the hole. And that's not all. Users of Internet Explorer 5.0 are vulnerable to a very serious ActiveX hole present in the browser. It allows any half-assed wacko net dood to exploit the weak wall of security with a few simple lines of code in ANY web-document, and gain control of the internal guts of your Windows OS. I believe Microsoft has responded with a patch to the problem, and I strongly urge die-hard I.E.'ers to download and apply it. That is why I am anti Internet Explorer. It's integrated too tightly into a fast but crappy (in terms of security) operating system. How much longer can Microsoft put out patch after patch? Hopefully, Windows 2000 will solve many of the existing problems, once it begins shipment. For the security patch, click! For more dirt, click!

Back to hardware fella's. But don't worry, it's not about video cards, it's about our favorite boy in blue, Intel. Amist all the hype of next generation technology, we must not forget Intel has announced their next gen. Pentium III, the Coppermine, months ago. Although not truly as big of a jump as, say TNT2 --> GeForce, it is still a step forward in the eternal quest for computer nirvana. The news here is not Coppermine itself, but rather the timeframe of release. Originally slated for November, it has now been upgraded to October. A quick reminder to those who forgot what Coppermine meant: a shrink of the CPU die down to .18 micron and integrated on-chip 256 kilobytes of level 2 cache. Coppermine was designed to complement the Camino i820 mainboard chipset set to be let loosed in September. Camino features 133 MHz front side bus speed and AGP 4X tech. Originally it was meant for Rambus Direct RAM, but memory problems persisted and thus was scratched for the temporary solution of PC133 SDRAM. No doubt that Intel's accelerated plans was due directly to the threat of AMD's Athlon. No matter though, because Coppermine will hardly unseat the Athlon. Looks like AMD's got the shoppers' attention this Christmas season.

Hang in there, we're almost done! Intel's high-end workstation group has been hard at work at their first true-64 bit CPU, code-named (sick of code names? I am...) Merced. Merced will offer enterprise level performance with their IA-64 architechture to rival SGI, Sun and Digital (producers of the popular Alpha chip). Although this piece of news do not affect consumers such as me and you directly, it will play a big role in the background as Merced slowly integrates itself into various server backbones, allowing for more net traffic as the number of web surfers in the world continue to grow exponentially.

G4.jpg (27017 bytes)Let me round out this article-sque post with a final point at Apple. They are now officially back in the business and doing quite well, thank you, due to the success of the iMac, and subsequently, the G3. Heck, it seems like everybody in the 'hood is up'ping their tech, why not Apple? The logical successor to the G3? The G4, duh. I admit I may know a little bit of computers, but I know nothing of the Macintosh. Oh, I can navigate their OS pretty well, thanks to their extremely user friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface). However, I never... understood much about Macs. I know the Power Macs use CPU's developed by Motorola, who are better known for their... I don't know, pagers? Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that Apple has always provided a "twist" in the ever stale industry. They were the first with GUI, even before Windows. They were first with the Trash Can idea (Recycle Bin), first with a smooth sampling rate from the mouse, first with button-less shutdown and power-on, etc... Much of today's PCs borrow (perhaps unknown to many consumers out there) from Macintosh innovations. I tip my hat to Apple for that. However, even though I have lost many hours of sleep due to the thought, I could not for my life fathom a reason for the one-button mouse. I probably never will. It's quirky, semi-facinating, but horribly impractical. The iMac's puck-shaped mouse was probably the largest step BACKWARDS any company ever made in the history of the industry. I just don't get it.... Apple can design top of the line processing technology, but I guess adding a SECOND button is just the straw that broke the camel's back huh? Ya right... Granted, you can go out and buy a replacement just like that, but... sigh... I give up. I have more gripes about the Macintosh line of computers, but that's for another update for another day. I'm spent.

R I C E   W O R L D    Q U I C K I E
8-28-'99 / 04:25.34 P.M.

As you may have noticed (those that still use http://welcome.to/rice.world), they have commenced their gay practice of forcing advertisements into your face. Pain in the anus. Well, if I were in their situation, I wouldn't talk trash about them, but I'm not, so ha! =) Okay, I'm digressing again (bad habit). I'd just like to point out that the old link will be discontinued as of next Wednesday, September 1st. The new link is http://riceworld.tsx.org, so please keep that in mind (or bookmark it). Of course, my host is still FortuneCity, so those that fancy memorizing long names:

http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/skyliner/83/

Oh boy. Fun, isn't it? I recommend tsx.org. You can get your own at www.tsx.org (duh) if you use geoshities or tripod or some hard to remember host names. =P

Q U A K E   I I I    A R E N A :   R O A D   T O U R
8-28-'99 / 03:16.58 P.M.

Q3A-tour-poster.jpg (30961 bytes) I must admit. I love Q3A. I may not be good at it, but I love it. Sorta like basketball. Not too good at it, but I love it. So when id software and Activision announced their Road Tour back in August, I was estatic to hear that they would be headin' towards L.A.! I was even more elated to find out that L.A. would be their largest, and final stop of their road tour before they head back and hack out more code for the final version of the game. Where in L.A.? Well, a little snooping came up with none other than Activision's Headquarters! I'm there baby! Sign me up! =) 

Plus, all the id developers will also be at the L.A. stop, including John Carmack, Paul Steed, and all those other geek programmers. Rock on! I'm not done yet. In addition to their regular stops, they also have "interval" stops at places such as local Universities and CompUSA's. Could UCLA be one of their stops? *cross fingers* Oh, and for those of you that aren't 18, you're outta luck, unless you want to drag your parents with you. I know some maybe pointing out right now that I'm only 17, but soon, I will turn 18, and definitely before the Q3A Tour Bus stops by!! =)

Get the nasty right here: Click!

P U F F   D A D D Y   -  F O R E V E R
8-25-'99 / 12:37.69 A.M.

*gasp* Gerry is sober! Guess who's back in the muthaf*ckin house, wit a fat d*ck in your muthaf*ckin mouth. That is directly quoted from Snoop Dogg, Rice =)

Well, I've finally decided to get around to writing the review for the most anticipated new album in........ days? At least for me. I am a huge fan of Puff Daddy, the ubermogul/record producer. Is his sophomore album any good? Read my review and you'll see. Click!

In other news:

- Runner-up quote of the update: Ralph Kiner, New York Mets broadcaster, during a recent telecast: "All of the Mets' road wins against Los Angeles this year have been at Dodger Stadium." (1989)

- I was wrong about Sammy Sosa. He's whuppin ass and shooting for Big Mac's record of 70. Of course, Big Mac ain't going down w/o a fight. You know, both these guys are headed for the Hall of Fame. McGwire deserves it, but what has Sammy done besides hit 66 HRs? Look at his career as a whole. He still needs to pile on some more numbers before he's worthy.

- Ricky Williams' ankle injury is worse than reported. Time to drop him from fantasy teams. Pick up Edgerrin James instead, who had an impressive showing in the exhibition preseason.

- STIGMATA and STIR OF ECHOES are coming out. Both creep me out. When Patricia Arquette starts speaking Latin in that Satanic voice, oh shit........ and the trailer for STIR OF ECHOES freaks me out too. All those dead mangled people who are after Kevin Bacon. They ain't friendly like Casper!

- Wow, we don't fully realize the extent of the catastrophe in Turkey. An estimated 40,000 are dead. That's like the population of UCLA dying in a matter of seconds. Can this happen to us? I, for one, am scared to death of "The Big One."

- What happens when Y2K hits? Why is everyone turning the other cheek? C'mon, do I have to go buy firearms and water and batteries yet?

- You know, I thought Lake Michigan was the 2nd largest Great Lake too. =)

- I am going to propose 2 new features to Rice, regarding the evolution of Rice World:

1.) G vs. E Football Picks, where me and Rice make our picks for each game independently, and see whose record is better. None, and avid sports fan as well, may also join in. If all three of us agree, then hmmm, is it time to lay down some bets?

2.) He Said, She Said Movie Reviews, where the female perspective on movies is featured. I know this initially seems like a ghastly notion, but hey, it might be refreshing to hear a female talk about movies like PORKY'S. =)  Plus it would do wonders for our ratings in the female demographic, which I know are sagging. Pun intended.

- Vote in the Rice World Bitch Contest Semi-finals. We have a very qualified field of talent here. Alyssa Milano romped through Round 4, destroying the hapless Sarah Michelle Gellar. Will she destroy the others? May the best beeotch win. Hey, I don't wanna hear a peep about the Wildcard selection! =)

Gerry Wang, out. Roger that, Houston.

A R O U N D   T H E    R I C E
8-24-'99 / 07:50.12 P.M.

*gasp* I'm updating at a normal (well, for most people) time! Okay, that was a lame comment, but yeah, anyways. =) The finalized version of Midtown Madness review is complete! Check out what Microsoft has to offer gamers with their new entry here: click! Written by none other than... myself. I hope that doesn't dampen any enthusiasm. Har har...

In other news: the good ol' familiar http://welcome.to/rice.world may be shot down soon... maybe as soon as August 25th. V3 Redirect, the service that is providing you the easy to remember name, is starting to implement gay things like pop-up windows (like Tripod) or permanent frames (like Xoom). In response, I have signed up for a NEW redirect service known as tsx.org. Please update your bookmark (if you even have one for Rice World =P...) to point to http://riceworld.tsx.org. As of *now*, both are working, but once those gay pop-up advertisements start harassing my site, welcome.to will be deleted. Thanks in advance!

Gerry is working on (I think) a new album review hailing from the infamous Bad Boys label. Watch for that in coming days. I'm starting to rev up some playing time for C&C: Tiberian Sun, now that Midtown Madness is done (It dominated my life for the past few days). So that's my next project. Remember, a new section will be opened (the gaming section) on Rice World's 1 year old birthday, operated by my pal Wisdom. He's been keeping his inaugural articles / editorials a secret from me so far, but I'm sure it'll be an entertaining read. =)

It seems if Regis Philbin's new game show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", is a big hit with the network television stations. Have you all heard about the controversy, though? About how one of the contestants answered the $64,000 question correctly, but some dumbass who wrote up the answer card had the WRONG answer? Sucks... blah, who cares. I never liked LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee anyway.

P.S. I hope you minesweeper players feel my pain as I present this screenshot of my recent... um... foray into the expert level. =P

minesweeper-expert-166-almost.jpg (91151 bytes)

N F L   F E V E R    2 0 0 0   R E V I E W . . .
8-22-'99 / 07:43.02 A.M.

... is now posted up in the Reviews section by your tired webmaster who just pulled an all-nighter. I stuck some pictures in there, so I think that format is going to stay and the old format of dumping a few at the end of the game review will go. Enjoy, click!

Coming up will be my Midtown Madness review, and after that, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun. Oooh yeah, lotsa reviewing for me lately. I need some sleep... like... now.