JohnnyBGamer

Shift+Enter and WordPress

Lately I have been working on redoing some staff bio pages for the church project I am working on. One of the problems I have come across is the way WordPress drops to a new line when you press the enter key.

3275758192_7e3927d553_n — *Photo by Peter Løvstrøm, Creative Commons

For example, I wanted to put my pastor’s name and then his title below his name:

John Smith

Pastor

Notice that when I press enter it creates a space. This formatting issue has greatly troubled me. Made me think that I was going to have to go into the HTML coding and individually code lines or something. Instead, my good friend that is web design, Scotto, told me to press shift + enter to do single line spacing. Guess what, it works!

John Smith
Pastor

Thanks Scotto!

Assassin’s Creed III: Shifting Emotional Gears

Note: The following contains spoilers regarding Assassin’s Creed III. Turn back now if you have yet to play this game. You will thank me. I promise.

Three hours into my Assassin’s Creed III play-through, I finally came across the emotional meat needed to sustain my gaming appetite. Up until this point, I had been playing through what I now know was a three sequence long prologue. Using Haytham Kenway as the player’s gateway into the world of ACIII was genius if not jarring. After months of seeing the protagonist Connor’s face splashed across multiple web sites and magazines, my initial reaction to Haytham was a resounding, “huh”. Why am I not playing as the awesome looking assassin on the front cover of the game? Who is “Haytham Kenway”? Time certainly did reveal that all along I was playing as both Connor’s father and as a much hated Templar–plot twist!–.

I was excited to finally play as Connor last night. His story seems to be fueled by revenge, much like Ezio’s story in ACII. How this The Patriot meets Pocahontas/The Last of the Mohicans mash-up plays out remains to be seen. I will be back.

Assassin’s Creed III Impressions

The adventures of Haytham Kenway continued last night as I dove back into Assassin’s Creed III. During my hour play time I:

Accidentally fired my pistol at a British officer walking by (this did not go over well)
Recruited some men sympathetic to my cause
Killed a slave trader
Freed a group of Mohawk Indians
Met Pocahontas–I tease! Pocahontas was not a Mohawk Indian–.

Overall, the game’s story has not been as compelling/coherent as Assassin’s Creed II so far. I am hoping that the story line soon picks up and that my $60 purchase is justified.

Assassin’s Creed III

A few weeks ago, I did something out of character, I went and pre-ordered Assassin’s Creed III (ACIII).

Last night I went and picked up my pre-order at Gamestop. After being carded by the clerk, who said I looked under 30, I quickly exited the store. An hour or two later I found myself waiting for the game to install. 10-15 minutes later, I was treated to an opening video that highlighted that something bigger than the war between the Assassins and Templars was about to unfold, the end of the world is nigh. Only Desmond, the “link” between all of the Assassin’s Creed games and the player, holds the key to the planet’s salvation.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. – Morpheus, The Matrix

The Mark of an Assassin

Note: Spoilers are incoming! If you wish to remain an ACIII virgin, steer clear. You have been warned.

Contrary to any promotional material you may have seen, ACIII opens in Britain with a tutorial assassination–how clinical sounding–at the London Opera House. In the boots of Haytham Kenway, you wade through eager operagoers and make your way to your seat and contact.

Notice how dimly lit the opera house is in the above picture. The poor sap, whose soul you’ve come to rid from this world, will never see you coming. And so the saga of Assassin’s Creed III begins.

I managed to play for just under an hour last night. In that time I assassinated a man, journeyed to the American Colonies, and met Benjamin Franklin. My only criticism so far is that the game seems perfectly happy holding my hand and guiding me through the various assassin processes. Like a child, I want to break free from that hand and truly discover the world that exists around me. Patience, I tell myself.

2012 Vice Presidential Debate Recap

The dreaded morning after the debate. Today is the day that the media puts its own spin on how the current Vice President and potential Vice President fared. Words such as “feisty”, “fiery”, and “sparks fly” will be used. If you were a web editor, which headline do you think would generate more clicks?

Vice President Joe Biden Schools A Young And Dumb Congressman Ryan
Acting Like A Child: How Joe Biden Acted Like My 3 Year Old Last Night

As I sat on the couch watching last night, I heard a lot of numbers being thrown about. Numbers concerning social security, troop withdrawal, and the impending debt crisis. Had this been a church sermon, I would have had an easy-to-follow outline. Alas, I did not have that outline and that is what killed the debate for me. I wanted solid answers; I wanted to see two men act like men. All last night left me thinking was:

How/why has Joe Biden been in politics so long? He kept referring to his track record, to historical events he was actually present to vote for. All I could think was that he is a part of the cause and a major part of the problem our nation faces today. When the Vice President wasn’t acting like a child by making faces, interrupting, and generally being rude, he took on the tone that was demeaning. I didn’t appreciate his demeanor.
On the other hand, we had Congressman Paul Ryan. Ryan would often answer questions and then point blank dodge others. At times all he needed to do was answer a question with a simple one sentence answer. That was all I needed to hear. I did like how he would sit patiently and wait his turn. Ryan came across as civil. We need more civility in politics. I do wish though that he had kept his answers shorter and more concise.
The moderator, Martha Raddatz, was a breath of fresh air. She asked thoughtful questions that demanded thoughtful answers. Very rarely though did I feel that either candidate answered her questions well. Disappointing.

The countdown to the election draws nearer. Are you going to vote?