Opening Day*+ 2008

* -In the United States
+ -For those not opening new stadiums

It's opening day for Major League Baseball and a lot has changed since last year, particularly in Twinville. Santana and Hunter have signed with the big-market clubs (NY Mets and LA Angels), Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett have reached puberty, and Joe Mauer finally realized he really needed to take some 'roids.

Elsewhere, the Braves brought back Tom Glavine in an attempt at one last shot before their starting pitching staff starts to receive Social Security benefits, and the Cubs may soon become the first team to go 100 years without a World Series victory.

The Tigers are stacked on offense, the Cardinals are suddenly in the running for the worst in the NL, and the AL East remains a heavy favorite (over other divisions) to produce the eventual world champion.

So Knights of Cydonia, what are your picks for the 2008 season? Division winners, Wild Cards, MVPs, and Cy Youngs only please. No one actually knows the rookies enough to make an informed guess about their seasons.

If you're craving some baseball talk, Rob Neyer, on ESPN.com has an all-day chat that will last 11 hours, eclipsing Bill Simmons' current record of 7-some. He's a pretty smart and funny guy, I recommend it.

AL Central-Tigers
AL East-Red Sox
AL West-Angels
AL WC-Yankees
AL Champion-Tigers

AL MVP-Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young-Justin Verlander

NL Central-Cubs
NL East-Braves (biased)
NL West-Diamondbacks
NL WC-Mets
NL Champion-Diamondbacks

NL MVP-Mark Teixeira
NL Cy Young-Johan Santana

World Series Champion-Tigers

If there is interest, we could make some sort of wager/competition on this. Thoughts?

Canadian doesn't understand video games.

Some dude at the Globe and Mail wrote an Op Ed piece about how video games will not be an enduring art form because unlike other forms of art, like paintings, sculptures and movies, video game technology advances and once they are past their prime they do not have a lasting effect on a new gamer. Meaning that if someone played Super Mario Brothers today for the first time would it have the same impact as if someone played it back in 1985. Obviously not, because the video games today have more in-depth stories and game play and the graphics are so much better now. The writer says that if people who don't have the emotional and nostalgic attachment to these old games no one would think it would be worth the time.

He uses Halo as an example too.

The original Halo was rightly considered one of the greatest shooters ever made when it was first released. However it simply doesn't compare with the series' latest incarnation, Halo 3, which has undeniably improved upon the franchise's formula by offering a deeper multiplayer experience, a greater variety of game possibilities (by virtue of new and more interesting enemies, weapons, and vehicles), and a more cinematic presentation.

Of course, it can be difficult to get past our rosy recollections. My memories of Halo outstrip those I have of playing either of its sequels. But that matters little in the matter of timelessness. The question is whether players who are new to an older game will be affected by it in the same way and to the same degree as those who played it when it was first released.

Will the person who views The Godfather for the first time today enjoy it as much as its original 1972 audience? Probably. Hence, it is timeless, insofar as it appeals equally to at least two or three generations of moviegoers.

Will Halo or either of its sequels be as compelling to players who encounter it for the first time 15 or 20 years from now as it was for us? I have my doubts.

This logic seems so flawed to me. I guarantee once movies started having dialog and a diverse soundtrack, silent movies didn't mean shit to the youngsters at the theater. See the problem with this movie/video game analogy is you can't compare these two very different mediums during the era. Let's say you find someone who has never seen The Godfather before and you make them watch the classic film, they will probably find it to be a very good movie. But let's say you show someone a silent film from beginning of the cinema area that they have never seen before and see what they think of it. I bet it won't have the same impression as it had on th audience in the late 1800s.

Yes, the article makes a point about how video games are judged not only on characters, storyline, game play but also on technological innovations, but so do blockbusters featuring special effects.

Most people won't find old sci-fi movies to be entertaining unless they have a nostalgic relationship with the paper plates being held up by string.

Video games are still in their infancy if you look at the big picture. Every year video games are getting "better" but they are improving at a far less dramatic pace every day. The difference between Halo 2 and Halo 3 is not as big as between Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. Sounds very similar to the beginning of the movie industry.

BREAKING NEWS: Dammer CAN fit in Washing Machine

Looks like Loco was right. Dammer can fit inside a washing machine, though reports of him being sock gnome are still yet to be confirmed.

So many excuses...

I would like to apologize for not contributing too much lately. I've been without reliable internet since March 7th and have been traveling nearly this whole month.

I started with 5 days in Greece and 6 days in Turkey, then 2 quick days in Malta, and then 4 days in London, 3 in Berlin (where it felt like I ran into a wall...the Berlin Wall), and am currently in my 2nd out of 4 days in Copenhagen.

I hope that's a sufficient excuse, if that doesn't work, I just had trouble finding the '@' key on all these foreign keyboards. That, and my password has a 'c' in it, and 'c' is where the 'z' should be on some of these computers.

If Adeclipse is a Texas fan, I would like to wish his team horrible luck against the Cardinal tomorrow night...if my internet cooperates and I can watch it on my new favorite site.

When I get back on Sunday I'll do my best with pictures and trip highlights, but my posts usually aren't well-commented on anyway, so don't get your panties in too big of a bunch.

The Airing of Grievances

Seeing as it's almost a holiday* I figured I should celebrate by an airing of grievances. Please do not take offense but I will be going down the list of clan members and tell them what is frustrating me.

*I use the term holiday very loosely. Word on the street is I might be getting my Xbox back within the next 10 days.

Josey: Why don't you participate in creating blog posts or comments anymore, all you do is create weird and often nonsensical polls.

SB: Buy a house. I know you want to be careful and find a good one, but just buy one already. I want to be able to come to MN and drink in it.

Pablito: Answer quicker during work. I gmail chat with you for a reason, and I want a quick response.

Unky Warthog: Post about fucking Malta already. With pics. Either that or come back to the US. I really wish I could have told people to cut you off last Friday.

Unky Eternal: No major issues with you, thanks for the ride the other night.

UnkyPlayboy: You wanted to be in the clan and yet I don't think we have ever heard from you. Please start talking on the blog or we will transfer your membership to DJMaestro.

LocoPollo: Get a coffee table. I have more to say, but I'll keep it civil.

Dammer: Nothing major for you either. Although please make some attempt to come up to SB and Josey's next time I'm there. It's weird that me and you talk the most on the blog yet I think we have met maybe twice.

TILLA: Even though we don't know each other, please invite me to the bachelor party. I enjoy those.

Adeclipse: Oh Adeclipse, you used to be so reliable with posts and comments. Of everything you told us you never mentioned music. And then one day you vanished, claiming that you are producing some record for some random girl. What's up with that?

Most of you will notice, that there is a theme among my grievances. It's that I feel like participation is at an all-time low. And that worries me because I feel like we are going into a 6 month slump, if we can make it through these next few months with solid participation then we can make this last as long as we want. If my post smells of desperation, it's because it is.

Couple other things I am thinking about. Xbox support said it will be shipping my Xbox tomorrow (to my old address). I will be moving Monday night after work. Which I think will be impossible, especially since I will have no one to help me. Not a single person. Usually I would just ask someone to help that I helped move. There lies the problem, everyone in Chicago hires movers. Publish Post

Anyways that's what's going on in my life. Anyone else have any grievences? With me? Besides the annoyance of being constantly asked to participate in the blog?

Not Exactly a Get to Know 'Em: The Daymonster

I asked some KofCers for some interview questions. Only Pablito was nice enough to supply some. Since there is only a handful of questions, this is more of a discussion starter as these questions are very interesting.

Estimate the amount of money you've sent on video games in your life. Do you wish it were more, the same or less? Are there any systems/games you wish you had played but didn't?
That's an excellent question. First I want to go through all the video game systems I have or have had, in approximate order. Commodore 64 (and other computers along the way), Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Gameboy, Game Gear, Virtual Boy (two of them), Playstation, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, Gamecube, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PSP.



As far as an amount of money, it's really difficult to say. Most of my video games from about Virtual Boy and earlier were presents from Christmas and birthdays. I didn't really start spending my own money on games and consoles until Playstation. One of the more defining moments in my life was when I took a piece of computer paper, drew a N64 on one side and a Playstation on the other. I spent the entire day in 8th grade asking people which one I should buy. The Playstation side had one more vote than the N64 and I ended up getting a Playstation. A decision that changed my life from then on. I was dedicated to the Sony video game brand, and will admit to playing golden eye probably three-times in my life.

That is of course until I played Halo, I sold my PS2 on ebay and bought an Xbox. I think the majority of my money goes into games, as I have always had a ton of games by the time the console goes obsolete. I had about 25 games for the Playstation and close to 30 for the PS2. Right now I have about 5 games for each of the three major consoles I own. And about 6 and 3 for DS and PSP respectively.

I am sure I could add up all the accessories, controllers, games and consoles and it would certainly be in the thousands but I think it's best not to look at it that way. Because that's way too depressing.

Compare and contrast the difference, if any, between using a disabled person bathroom stall to a disabled person parking space.
Well I have never parked in a handicap space but I tend to always use the handicap bathroom stall. I just enjoy the extra leg room. Until you asked this question I had never thought about it. What is interesting is how the Handicap parking space is always closest to the entrance to the building, while the handicap stall tends to be the farthest stall away.

I am not sure what I would do if I was in the handicap stall and the other stalls were empty and someone who actually needed the stall rolled up to the door. That would be very awkward.

But anyways, I think it's okay to use the stall as it's a little different. If I park in a handicap spot I have left the area of my car and forcing that person to park farther away. With the stall, I am right there and have the ability to move (provided I can take a few seconds to wipe). I would say using a handicap bathroom stall is closer to parking in the handicap spot IF you are still in the car. It's not good to do, but it's certainly better than the alternative.

Which character are you most looking forward to seeing again when The Office starts?
I think that Micheal is getting worse as a character. He was always dumb but he is getting more and more dumb every episode. Ryan bothers me now and Dwight is too obvious of a choice. Probably Kevin or Toby are characters that I am most looking forward to.

If you could get rid of one law, what would it be?
It would be sweet to be able to shoplift. But I would only want that to apply to me. And some how the law would say that by me shoplifting I would be stimulating the economy. I don't know if that's really what you meant by the question but... that's my answer.

Or the law of gravity. (which is still technically a theory isn't it?)

How many beers does it take for you to be at that perfect point where it feels like you can dodge bullets and you only get head shots (in Halo/COD)? How about in real life?
I have a theory about the perfect level of drunkenness for video games. It only works for me if I start drinking while playing the game. If I go to a bar and come back I'm not as good as if I start drinking while playing (oh man, this is not a good thought during work. I really want to play vids and drink beer right now). But if I am playing I would say it's somewhere around 4-6 beers where I am feeling in the zone.

Dodging bullets in real life? About 20-25 beers.

What is your favorite casual game to play while at work?
Desktop Tower Defense for sure (Thanks Josey). Haven't played it in a while but it's a great, great, game. Line rider is good, but I get really frustrated when I can't get it to do exactly what I want it to do.

Third and final DLC map revealed: It's Lockout.

The third map is called Blackout and is almost exactly same as Lockout except it's at night and is an Alaskan USNC weather station. Read all about it here.

Welcome Back

Hey everybody, it's Monday morning and I am ridiculously tired. After going to Cub Foods at like 5 in the morning on Friday I never recovered any sleep all weekend. I had a great time Friday night and I wish there could have been more KofCers in attendance. But seeing Eternal and SB was a good start.

Also, my sister, who has not bowled more than 5 times in her life, bowled a 189 on Saturday night, in the 7th frame she had this as her score: X / X X X X X. I was impressed. Dammer, Tilla, just out of curiosity, what's your average score?

It's been over 33 days since I last saw my beautiful black xbox. And according to xbox.com, it's still at the service center, which means even if it left today it won't be at my apartment until after I move. So, looks like I will not be getting my xbox back. Bummer. Luckily my PSP and God of War is keeping me occupied for the time being.

Since I am so tired, I am not going to post too much. However I am interested in what everyone did for their Easter weekend, so please share with the rest of us in the comments section. Here are a couple links to get you through the day.

If you want to get your TV, Xbox, PS3, cell phone or any other device colored, this site seems to do a pretty good job of it. You can buy the system directly from them, or send in your old one. Play around with the different color schemes for the Xbox, it's pretty cool.

COD4 is no a MLG game and their pro ladder starts March 31st. Once I get my new internet I would be down to give it a whirl. If you ever wondered how the MLG online ladders work, here is the LONG rule list for the COD4 ladder.

Another Top 10 list from MLG, I haven't seen it yet since my internet is on the fritz, but I imagine it's gotta be pretty good. I guess this one isn't the high pros, it's made up of user submitted footage.

As far as Halo is concerned, the third map in the legendary pack will be revealed tomorrow and the actual maps go on sale on April 15th. Also the Heroic pack will become free late tonight (like 4am CT). That should be good as more people will have them now and we can start playing them on Team Slayer. [Read the latest Bungie update here.]

That's about it. I am bummed I didn't get to see some of you guys this weekend, we gotta plan something soon.

KofC Bracket Challenge Update 1

Alright, note to self: Let CBS Sportsline, ESPN, or Yahoo do the bracket next time. Even with a mere 5 entrants It is quite a bit of work. I have tallied the scores from last nights game and here are the standings.

Dammer: 16pts
Didn't have any pick that he got wrong advancing into the sweet 16. Dammer has UNC, Texas (2), UCLA and Georgetown (2) in his Final Four. Predicted Winner: UCLA
Dammer's Bracket

Daymonster: 16pts
Is in the worst shape of everyone as two teams he picked (Baylor and Kentucky), he had picked all the way to the Elite 8. Daymonster has UNC, Memphis, UCLA and Wisconsin (3) in the Final Four. Predicted Winner: UCLA
Daymonster's Bracket

Pablito: 15pts
Only picked one upset (and 8/9 seed game) and only got one game wrong (USC vs. Kansas St.) Pablito (along with Puyo) have all number 1 seeds in the Final Four. Predicted Winner: Kansas
Pablito's Bracket

Locopuyo: 14pts
Similar to Pablito, Puyo only picked one upset (an 8/9 game) and only got two games wrong. The 8/9 game (UNLV vs Kent State) and the USC/Kansas St. game. Also similar to Pablito, he picked all number one seeds to go to the Final Four. Predicted Winner: Kansas
Puyo's Bracket

Tilla: 11 pts
Tilla had a fairly rough first day with 5 incorrect picks, and 3 of those advancing to the sweet 16. Tilla has UNC, Texas (2), UCLA and Kansas in the Final Four. Predicted Winner: UNC
Tilla's Bracket

If you still have a bracket from like CBS sportsline or Facebook, send it to me and I'll enter it into our little cometition. As long as it was before the start of the games. I'll update the brackets with the scoring after each round.

I really hope my flight doesn't get delayed, or worse. See some of you tonight.

Call of Duty 4 Stats Breakdown

Here are the updated stats.  
Most of our k:d ratios are getting better.  However, Dammer seems to be struggling.  Perhaps it is hard to concentrate with a guilty conscience.  

KofC 2008 Bracket Challenge

Hey there, please read the post below this as I spent a lot of time writing it. But since the tournament starts tomorrow (Thursday) I figured I needed to get this out quickly. Welcome to the first annual Knights of Cydonia 2008 NCAA Bracket Challenge. [Cue introduction music and spot lights]


So I made this excel spreadsheet with drop down menus so you can pick your teams pretty easily. I didn't go with Yahoo or CBS sportsline because not everyone has a user name at those places and I want to be able to get these things back ASAP.

If you want to do it here is what you need to do:
1. Download the bracket here.
2. Fill it out by clicking on the area where the two team names populate.
3. Save the bracket with the your name in the name of the excel spread sheet (ex: the_daymonster_bracket.xls)
4. Email it to kofcclan@gmail.com
5. I will compile the brackets, turn them into PDFs and post them so everyone can see everyones picks.
6. I will keep the blog updated with the current standings and scores.
7. We can agree on what we should play for when I come this weekend.

The scoring is pretty straight forward and is located on the excel spread sheet bracket in more detail. As it gets deeper into the rounds, the worth of that round double. For example: 1st round, 1pt. 2nd round, 2 pts. 3rd round 4 pts... etc. Upsets are given a bonus of the seed difference multiplied by the round's worth. In the first round if a 15 seed beats a 2 seed they get 13 points, as opposed to just 1 point if you pick the two seed to win. These upset bonuses only count in the first two rounds.

Please, please fill it out, so I have something to do.

Video Game Tattoos and New Halo Map

IMPORTANT: At 5pm CST, I will be migrating the website to kofcclan.blogspot.com. Update your bookmarks, homepage, business cards and anything else that has the old information on it.

There is a kind of a lot of news today so try to stay with me.

Video Game Tattoo:
Yesterday's post about the guy with the Halo Legendary tattoo got me thinking. What if he had received a tattoo with the images of his other favorite games. Would they be as cool if it were some other video game character instead of the Elite head and crossed swords?


While this tattoo isn't as cool as these ones, I did get a chance to talk to the man that got legendary tat and he agreed to answer some of my questions. He told me that he first considered getting a couple different games tattooed on his back and sometimes regrets his final decision. He was always a big fan of Pong so he considered the iconic Pong paddle and square ball.


He decided that a large vertical black line might not be recognizable as a video game character and could show through his white shirts. Thus making it look like he was always wearing a jersey numbered, 1.

He also considered his favorite game of all time. It's a rather new game but the programming is top notch, he has been playing it pretty much non-stop since the midnight release party.


That's right, he is a HUGE Dr. Daisy Pet Vet fan.

New Halo Map: Avalanche
They released the details and images of the second new map in the Legendary Map Pack. It will be released on April 15th (tax day! yay!) for 800 MS points. This is the same prices as the Heroic pack but let's hope it's better.

Like I predicted the second map, which was named Cottonball is now named Avalanche and is a remake of Sidewinder. They say it's more of a tribute to Sidewinder and not so much a remake and I think it's neither. It has a similar curved shape but that seems to be where the greatness that comes from the Halo 1 map ends. They have gotten rid of the tunnel system that connected the two bases, and there are no portals nor ladders.


According to Bungie they want to focus the fighting out into the open with vehicles. I never really used vehicles in Sidewinder, well, except for using the turret in the hog to slip through the gate where the overshield and cloak was. I really don't want to be forced to do anything in a map, that seems to take a way the creativity that Halo 1 was known for.

Anyway check out Bungie's write up of the new map and let me know what you guys think. I think Josey knows what I am talking about when I say I am not getting my hopes up.

OMGGH4DS:
Guitar Hero: On Tour for the DS was revealed today. Check out the link. There is a peripheral for the DS, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Dammer gets 50 bucks:
Dammer you did buy the HDDVD player for the Xbox didn't you? Did you get it at Best Buy or Circuit City? Well if you did, and if any other Knight did, you can get a $50 dollar giftcard from the retail stores if you can prove you bought it before the Microsoft called the format "dead".

COD4 Update for PS3 (No one cares? Oh okay.)
The COD4 update just came out for the PS3 version of the game, so I can finally see the improvements you guys have been playing with for a while.

So it's Official (almost)

We have come to an agreement. This picture was taking at the conflict resolution meeting we had. We did not bring guns as a threat, it just happens that all of our video games happen to use guns. (I think we all know this, but in case their lawyer is looking at this, it's a joke. This meeting never actually took place.)

Okay good, now that we got that cleared up. On to official business...

I have gone through all the posts and changed anywhere where it said Columbus to Cydonia. I didn't change it where the post wouldn't make sense if I changed it. Like when we are talking about the letter from the "real" Knights of Columbus ™ ® ©.

I also couldn't change some of the comments where it says "Columbus" but I think we will live. The more I think about it, the more the change is a little bittersweet for me. I think the new logo is cooler and I also think that it was so funny to get that letter that it was worth the change and the hassle. It's a little sad because we were the Knights of Columbus and it hurts to see so much of our storied history get changed with a swift use of ctrl+V.

It was a good thing this happened when it did because I was this close (pinching my fingers together) to getting a "Knights of Columbus" tattoo. That would have been a BIG mistake, almost as big of a mistake as this guys tat.


I am also glad in away that we are no longer associated with a group that is so exclusive. Our clan welcomes females and minorities, I believe that was their issue with our clan more than just simply the name.

I saw the Knights of Columbus at the St. Patrick's day parade and I couldn't help but wonder if any of those guys have heard about us. I am guessing probably not, but it didn't stop be from saying a few "boo's" in their general direction.

Anywho, I am about to migrate the site over to kofcclan.blogspot.com. knightsofcydonia.blogspot.com is already taken, but it only has one post in June of 2006. I am going to see if I can contact that person and get the name from them. I didn't want to do it until people had a chance to see what the new address would be.

Also, after looking through the old posts there are a few things we need more of. We need more comments from Josey, SB, Unky and Tilla. We need more of the Poster Series from SB as well as other hilarious news postings about KofC members.

New Clan Name & Image

EDIT: This post has to do with the our clan when we were the Knights of Columbus. We have since changed our name to the Knights of Cydonia.

So I think what are our good friend, Joseph A. Niglio is doing is ignoring us and our reply, so he can do some sort of bullshit lawyer stuff after 7 days. The good thing is we got 3 more days, before he makes up some ridiculous amount of money he is charging in lawyer fee's and sends us the bill. While I feel we really should call his bluff, the idea of possibly having a new title image and name is getting more appealing to me with every thought.

Last night I made a couple of title images for the blog. At first I was thinking about coming up with a bunch of names and making a image for each. The first name I came up with Operation Stein Grab and here is the title image. I like the idea of having it something like but I think we should try to stay closer to our original roots, and our love for things 'Knights.'

I think a lot have people have really liked the name Knights of Cydonia, I like it too, especially after watching the music video. I threw together this three title images (listed below) two of them won't really make since unless you have seen the music video.

Title Image (Just title)
Title Image (Master Chief)
Title Image (Hawk)

Obviously none of this is set in stone. Not the name nor the title images, but I figured it would a somewhat fun Monday morning post for discussion.

On another note, Bungie said they would be releasing more details on the legendary map pack Tuesday. In addition Team Hardcore is being switched to full MLG settings. I haven't played MLG setting very often but once I get my Xbox back (never) I would like to give them a try.

A couple of things Daymonster wants the KofC (Columbus now, possible Cydonia in the future) to know:
I will be in Minnesota this weekend, and my family wants to know what my plans are. I would like to see some of you guys this weekend, but I know with the holiday festivities that some of you partake in that might be difficult. Can anybody do anything Friday night or Saturday night? I am leaning towards Friday, but I won't get in from the airport unlike like 8:30pm or so.

Also, since I am moving to a new apartment and keeping my ridiculously expensive internets, in theory (emphasis on theory) I should have faster tubes of internet at my new place. That mean we could play Halo without me clogging up the works. I won't know until April or whenever I get my Xbox back (whichever comes second).

Squatting Bear, I don't know when you get from Mexico, but when you do go to Target, two for one BluRay discs. BR for $15 is a pretty nifty deal.

I doubt I could actually get hired for this, but I feel like if I tried real hard (and bought a PSP, which I almost did yesterday) I could do alright.

That's about it, I want EVERYONE to comment on the name they want/image even if it's completely different than what I posted. Also let me know your Easter weekend plans and something the KofC members don't know about you. That's your homework for the day.

We are Totally Screwed/Sued

EDIT: This post has to do with the our clan when we were the Knights of Columbus. We have since changed our name to the Knights of Cydonia.

Alright, so here is the deal. This is the letter that was sent to the groups email address.

To Whom It May Concern:

As counsel for the Knights of Columbus (“KOFC”), I wish to advise
you, in the event you are not aware, that KOFC is a Catholic men’s
fraternal benefit society which was formed to render financial aid to
members and their families. KOFC owns several service marks and
certification marks that are registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark
Office which include "THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS" (Fed. Reg. Nos. 1,634,365
and 1,596,950) and K OF C & DESIGN (Fed. Reg. Nos. 1,589,315 and 1,589,536)
(collectively, the “Marks”).

I have recently become aware of your website within which you
tastelessly make use of the Marks identified above. Please be advised that
the KOFC has never authorized your organization or "team" to make use of
the Marks identified above. To the contrary, KOFC strongly objects to your
organization's use of the Marks in any way. Such unauthorized use of the
Marks constitutes trademark infringement, trade dress, false designation
of origin and dilution in violation of federal and state statutory law, as
well as common law. In order to protect its valuable property rights, KOFC
demands that your organization, its affiliates, distributors, employees and
any other entity or individual acting in concert with it:

(1) immediately cease and desist from all further use, manufacture,
marketing, promotion, distribution and sale of all products and services in
connection with the Mark(s), including without limitation, any such use on
your website;
(2) provide immediate assurances to KOFC that your organization will
refrain from future use, manufacture, marketing, promotion, distribution
and sale of all products and services in connection with the Marks; and
(3) destroy any and all images, webpages, photos, decals, products or any
other items that feature the Marks that are currently used on your website.

Please send me written confirmation within seven (7) days from the
date of this message that your organization has complied with the demands
set forth above, or we will be forced to take such further action as we
deem advisable to protect our valuable rights. Please also be advised that
we reserve the right to resort to judicial remedies (including an
injunction, claims for lost profits, damages and attorneys’ fees) if you do
not respond to the requests set forth in this letter or if additional
violations are discovered.

Very truly yours,

Joseph A. Niglio
Counsel
Knights of Columbus
One Columbus Plaza
New Haven, CT 06510
Phone Number and Fax Number Removed

And here is the response I just sent. It's pretty terrible and I just threw it together because it's really frustrating me. I feel like this guy thinks we are trying to make money of the Catholic organization. I am not saying I wouldn't be willing to make money, but I don't think a casual Halo blog is going to do it.

Mr. Niglio,

I hope you don’t think we were trying to infringe on the Knights of Columbus trademark. In fact, the origin of our name had nothing to do with your fraternal organization, from our perspective. It comes from a quote from the 2004 movie Anchorman. Actor, Will Ferrell’s character says “Knights of Columbus, that hurt!” We thought it was a funny and an appropriate exclamation for a group of teens that play video games. The quote is at the bottom of all our blog posts and we have been using the name as college kids playing video games ever since.

As for your accusations that we are using the name for “manufacture[ing], marketing, promotion, distribution and sale of all products and services,” they are simply ridiculous. We are not selling any product or service and we are certainly not making any money off this and nor do we plan to. This is simply the name that we gave ourselves when we play video games online and this blog is simply a way for friends to stay in touch. I emphasize the word blog because this is not a commercial website and it is simply a place where friends can post their thoughts about video games.

No reasonable person could ever confuse this blog with your organization, nor does this blog dilute your trademark in anyway. A blog that is seen by at most a dozen people does not weaken the name of your worldwide organization of almost 2 million members. We do not appear on the first 50 pages of Google when searching for “Knights of Columbus.” We are simply a handful of college students that enjoy playing and discussing video games, nothing more.

We have no problem putting a disclaimer on every page saying that we are in NO WAY affiliated with your organization and/or any other wording that you choose. Any use of the logo that resembles your crest will be removed and deleted from everything associated with the blog.

However, asking us to delete our entire blog is unreasonable. We hope you will be rational with your response and we look forward to hearing from you.

Essentially this the "real" Knights of Columbus (who is to say who came first/sarcasm) are saying that we are tasteless. Also, if any of you guys have been manufacturing marketing, promoting, distributing and/or selling products, I am not mad at you, but please share some of those massive profits we have been making.

We have 7 days... well 6 now, to decide what to do. I say we fight! We got a lawyer (well a person that may or may not be in law school, I haven't seen any physical proof yet) and endless amounts of cash (Squatting Bear). I say we take this to the Supreme Court! The current SCOTUS has always been tough on trademark holders... oh shit, wait, I think it's the other way around.

Also, if anyone was planning on joining the Catholic Church, I think you are out of luck. Sorry.

New COD4 Map Info

This was released yesterday but I was busy and there was a fierce legal battle happening.

But check out this link with some info on two of the four new maps for Call of Duty 4.

As always new maps look sweet, but I am putting a lot of faith in COD4, more than I have for the new Halo 3 maps.

I might post more later today, but I gotta pee.

Cease and Desist

EDIT: This post has to do with the our clan when we were the Knights of Columbus. We have since changed our name to the Knights of Cydonia.

Daymonster may want to expand this post later and add a rant or funny picture but I thought the other clan members needed to be notified asap so we can all start thinking of a new name.

Earlier today, The Daymonster received an email with a cease and desist notice from a lawyer representing a catholic organization also called the Knights of Columbus. Unfortunately, these guys have the name trademarked and stated we must find a new name and delete any references to our old name within 7 days or they'd begin pursuing legal action.

:-(

So let's see some new clan name ideas in the comments section, okay!

Xbox Support Rant: Part 2 (maybe 3)

It's been 20 days since I had my Xbox. And the good news is it has finally reached the service center, the bad news is I will be moving in about 2 weeks. Well moving isn't really bad news, the bad news is once I move I don't think I will ever get my Xbox. Even if it did come before , I wouldn't be able to get it because it requires a signature. Unless it comes sometime this weekend (which is extremely unlikely) I will not be able to sign for it even on the remaining Saturdays because I will be in MN next weekend and will be moving the weekend after that.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "Daymonster, didn't you call Xbox Support and get your address changed a couple weeks ago?"

Yes, I did, at least I thought I did.

Like you should have already known, shortly after I sent the Xbox in the box they supplied I called Xbox Support and told them my situation and how I would need to change the shipping address to my work address. After about 45 minutes on the phone and giving them every piece of information they could ask for I finally proved I owned a broken 360 and got my address changed.

Call me paranoid but I didn't exactly trust the support people on the other end of the phone. So yesterday I called again to verify that they had the correct address. I talked to Richard, which was for sure a made-up name, I told him my situation and asked if he could read me the address that my Xbox would be sent to when it was finished being fixed. He read me my work address back to me.

This is what I think Richard looked like. Look at his smug face.

Awesome, it really worked I am going to get my Xbox fairly soon. But wait, then he tells me that they can't ship it to that address even though the last person I talked to said they could. I was told that even though it could be updated on their computers there is no way they could get that information to the service center.

I asked him why the other person said it shouldn't be a problem and he said that person lied to me. I then asked him how did I know he wasn't lying to me. He assured me he wasn't. I then asked how do they know what is wrong with the Xbox when they get the package at the Service Center. He said they look up the information one the computer using the ticket number. And I asked when I called and said what was not working on the Xbox originally how did you enter that information in to the computer. And he said he entered it in with the ticket number. So I asked if they could see the new address that was entered with the ticket number. He asked if he could put me on hold and ask his supervisor.

25 minutes later of various Xbox game themes. Richard comes back on the phone.

"No, they can't see that."

He told me my only option was to call UPS and have them deliver it to a different address. I asked him how could I do that, and he told me he didn't know for sure but I would need the tracking number. So, I asked for the tracking number and he told me they don't have one yet because they haven't input the shipping information yet. Why the fuck can't they change the address then?

I also find it hard to believe that I can just call up UPS and have them change the address mid-transit. I have now come to realize that I will never get my Xbox back. Which is frustrating because all Josey needs to do is put it outside his front door with an angry note on it and he gets results.

KofC Survey

As you might have noticed there is a survey link on the top right side of the information bar. If you click on this link a short (11 questions) survey will pop up. Please fill out as much of the survey as you want. Once we have this information we can recap it and see the state of the Knights of Cydonia.

If the pop-up doesn't work for you, you can take the survey here. [Survey no longer available]

Top 10 Halo Kills

It feels good to be back. After 3 days of observing intercity kids at a public school, I can now post and read the blog during the day. And in other good news I just saw that my Xbox finally made it to the service department. Hopefully I'll have it back within 2-3 weeks. Also, I am posting this video.

This is not that new but it's still pretty cool to see some of these kills.

The State of The Knights of Cydonia Website

EDIT: This post was written before we were yelled at by the Knights of Columbus(tm). They wanted us to change our name, so obviously this won't make as much sense now that we are the Knights of Cydonia.

As I hope some of you have noticed, there is a counter on the right hand side where you can also subscribe to the blog. The counter has reached 12,761. It feels just like yesterday that the counter had reached a mere 1337.

I thought I would just update you guys on the state of the blog. Although the counter has reached over 12.5k visitors we only have had 6,346 unique visitors since started the blog in October of 2007.

Last month we had over 2,923 unique visitors and since we average about 50 unique visitors a day (30 returning, and 20 first timers), last month we saw a pretty substantial jump in visitorship.

Here is a world map of where some of the visitors. We seem to have a pretty big following in Europe and apparently someone floating on a raft in the Atlantic ocean directly on the equator.

Here is a map of the continental United States. Pay attention to the dots in Colorado and New Jersey, we seem to get a lot or returning visitors from there and they don't have any referring link (like a Google search or anything) that means they are typing in the address or have it bookmarked. Do we know these people? Why have they not put in for membership? I am sick of Adeclipse being the new guy. He bores me now.


How do these people find the Knights of Columbus? Most of them come from random Google searches and blog searches. Some find us through Google image searches and others, I honestly have no idea.

The one Bier Haus guy, most likely found us through some sort of internet search that gets sent to his email. That's all I could find out, that and he is from California and the email address was the same as the website he posted.

The number one search term that finds it's way to us on Google is "Unky Eternal" Don't get too excited Dave, it's only happed 4 times. The second most popular search is "Knights of Columbus Secret" which has happened 3 times in the last 500 searches.

Here are some other good ones:
Someone from Michigan was searching for "Gohtza Contingency Plan"
A person from Dublin Ireland was looking for the "Best Restaurant in Malta", Unky find this man.
Someone with moral ambiguity in Ontario, CA was searching for "Pinewood Derby Cheating Tips", I feel we have a moral obligation to go to the next Pinewood Derby competition in Ontario, CA and bring this scandal to light.
Someone searched on CNN.com for "Knights of Columbus Drunk"
A few people have been looking for a "Knights of Columbus Rock Band"

The best part about these are not just the searches that they are doing, but that our site looks relevant enough for them to click on it. Some of them make sense but why would anyone click on our blog looking for a Gohtza Contingency Plan?

We get a lot of hits from things like "COD4 patch", "COD4 maps", "COD4 Stat Finder." We also get a lot of Google image searches for Atlantis and watersides. Which makes sense because when I wrote those posts I had a hard time finding good pics on Google.

But my all time favorite for searches has to be some guy from the Ukraine looking for "Squatting COD4 Bear", now I am not sure what the was looking for exactly, but Squatting Bear do you remember some Ukrainian guy while playing that may or may not have become obsessed with you?

Keep an eye out SB, always watch your back.

Josey Needs Some Help

K of C members I would like some advice. I have started running a lot (after I broke my shoulder I can’t lift) and I listen to music during my runs because running is really boring otherwise. My music collection needs to be expanded. Since the last music news I read was that David Cloverdale (member of Whitesnake) was attacked by a bear in his house I need some help. Please make some suggestions for music I should download, I just got limewire so I am ready to illegally expand my music collection. I also lost basically all the illegally downloaded music I got at Luther when I got a new computer. I like a lot of different types of music, including instrumentals (bagpipes anyone), with only two exceptions, no rap and no country (except Cash). So please inform me of bands or songs I should check out. I really appreciate the help, don’t be afraid or ashamed (I listen to Pat Benatar) of suggestions, I will show no hate to any good faith help, whether I like the stuff or not.

Also on another note, if anyone is thnking about singing up for an running races let me know and I will join you.

Thanks, K of C.

Daymonster Needs a Home

This post is short and lame and with no pictures. I don't have much time today but I really need your guys' help.

I am in the market for a new apartment. I looked at about 4 places yesterday and I am looking for some help. I greatly value the opinions and thoughts of the distinguished KofC members, (not so sure about that Playboy character, but I am willing to listen).

Basically I am look for a one Bedroom for less than 1200 / month. I found one older 1 bedroom that allowed dogs and had plenty of room but some girl was already applying for it when I walked in to take a look. I applied for it anyway and told her that I hoped she had bad credit as I left.

I found another brand new 1 BR that has a balcony and a separate kitchen with all new appliances, counter tops and cabinets. The building has a decent fitness center and its located across the street from a grocery store. The one problem is I would be about 400 meters from the nearest El stop and it's a bit farther north than I would normally want to be. It's about 5 blocks away from Wrigley field and it's just under 1k per month. But the worst part is, there is no Air Conditioning. I could put in a massive window unit but that would kind of a pain in the ass.

My other option is a much much smaller one bedroom that also has a new kitchen but no dish washer. It's right across the street pretty much from the El stop and is about 2 blocks away from Wrigley field. The main living room is really small and I can't imagine how I could fit stuff in a way that would make all my shit fit. There is also no balcony or air conditioning. But the rent is like 150/month cheaper.

I'll keep you updated on my progress but I wanted to know what you guys thought about these places. I appreciate the help.

URGENT!

I dont know how to put this...so im just gonna give it to you guys flat out. Another boot has fallen victim to its own weak structural integrity. Here's the story: So there was a case race going on in my cluster (I chose not to take part in it because they were a bunch of nubs who weren't actually racing) and they wanted to watch beerfest. I am of course delighted anytime i hear that name and told them that they could watch the film on one condition; someone has to drink a boot. My friend Chaz eagerly stepped up to the plate with only the best intentions. He proceeded to drink the boot in an admirable time. Obviously excited after finishing the last few drops we set down the boot on a table like one sets down a plastic cup after slamming a beer. The heel shattered (luckily not a drop was spilt) and he came to my room where i was ironically blogging on Josey's Think, Think, Think post. I told him to calm down, and that i wasn't mad. As we all know too well, the death of a boot more like the death of a person than it is like the death of a drinking container. We were both sad, (I was gonna drink the next boot and a little pissed that i couldnt drink one) but we managed to keep our eyes dry (I'm pretty sure there were some foggy eyes last time Gustaf broke the boot).

Anyway, Chaz offered to pay for a new boot on the spot. The reason this post is marked urgent is because i want to get this thing ordered as soon as possible so we can have a boot to drink when some of the knights are here for trout fry. I will protect the boot using my boot i wore after breaking my leg on the scooter when the das boot is being transported and not being used. Josey and SB: where did you get your boots? Let me know and i'll have the thing in the mail pronto.

I hope this post didnt cause too much grief, and i recommend speeding the healing process by thinking of all the boots to be had at trout fry.

"I've had many things shoved up my ass Mr. Badrinath. I got over it, and you vill too".

-words of wisdom from Great Gam Gam I thought were relevant to the situation.

Think, Think, Think.

Well its Saturday, I am on spring break so I don’t have to do shit today. Since Daymonster is going to be gone next week and is looking to the rest of us to keep the posts alive, I will start. I realize this post will not get much attention until Monday, but that’s fine.

So SB and I were at the local bar this past Thursday and at one point in the night the question came up, “would you rather own a bar, liquor store, or a brewery.” I will not share the result of that conversation but it does raise a great topic for discussion. I make a lot of polls and this is an off shoot of that. K of C members I ask you which you would rather own, a bar, liquor store, or brewery, and WHY?

To keep this simple and for better answers, assume that you will make the same amount of money at each, thus “brewery because it would make me rich” is not an acceptable answer. I think everyone is interested to find out who wants to own what and the nonmonetary reasons that drive each member’s desire. I realize this is a hard question, maybe one of the hardest you will ever have to answer, (because all is also not an acceptable answer) but good luck to all. I hope this provides everyone with something great to dream about during work/school.