Jon22: The Website of Jonathan Dobres

A very good friend of mine and interesting human being, Grant Oberg, finally bites the bullet, mans up, and raises the barn at his own domain. Now all he has to do is update on a regular basis. Remember, Grant, you done paid good money for that there blog. Although if I’ve said it before, I’ve said it a thousand times: .com domains are only appropriate if the site is a COMmercial entity. You’re not selling anything, except for the precious remainder of your free time.

I’ve decided to read The Lord of the Rings at last, thus completing the last of my requirements for a masters degree in being a dork. It’s really unacceptable that I’ve made it this far without reading such a classic. Most people who have seen me carrying the massive three-in-one volume assume this isn’t my first time through the epic. I’ll have to read Neuromancer, Snowcrash, and Ender’s Game before I’ll even be considered for the PhD. So, in the name of all things Tolkein I say, “They’re taking the hobbits to Isengard!” Via Orac of all places.

Penny Arcade’s Mike “Gabe” Krahulik responds to this CNN article about teenagers who are going around hurting and killing the homeless for fun. The police report on one particular incident indicates that the teens likened the experience to a violent videogame (you can almost hear Jack Thompson sharpening a pencil). Krahulik responds, “I’ll tell you right now I’ve never seen that in Grand Theft Auto. These kids were twelve kinds of nuts and that’s a fact.” As one of the most prominent gamers out there and a father, his response is worth a read.