- So, the first thing I wanna talk about is the things I'm doing artistically. I've written some more stand-up comedy material, and I think I'm ready to try it out at an open mic night. I was fairly confident about the whole thing, until I saw a preview for the movie "Funny People," and I remembered that one night isn't a ticket to success. Gotta keep it going.

- Speaking of art, you'll recall in my last journal entry that I was writing a steampunk-ish story. Well, I've refined it a little more. The main character will be a man by the name of Marcus Craft. Hope you like him.

- Took down all my sprite stuff except the "10000 Hits" marker. I'd rather stick around, thank you.

- There's talk of me swinging by England one of these days. Not just because everyone in the UK thinks I'm awesome, but a few people in particular make me want to visit. Nothing is even remotely set in stone yet, so don't expect me to invade... er, visit any time soon.

- Been thinking of opening an MG Store on Cafepress or something to earn extra cash. I don't exactly expect to make a living off of my website, but a little more money rolling in wouldn't hurt.

- I wanna thank for the new DA icon. Makes me a member of his secret club, I've heard.

- Finally, rant time! This time, on console fanboys.

As many of you know, I am a fan of RPGs of all flavors. And it is for this reason that I am looking forward to the release of Final Fantasy XIII next April. I'd heard that the release was also planned for the Xbox 360, due to Square Enix's belief that PS3 exclusives can't sell enough to make any money. So, FF13 went multiplatform.

My exact response was "Well, bathe me in ranch and call me Caesar. How 'bout that."

But, an online acquaintance of mine felt the need to suddenly get in my face about it recently, in the manner of saying, "you see? Sony sucks! PS3 sucks! Your beloved Final Fantasy is coming to Microsoft now, too!"

This prompted a different response: "Go away."

Seriously. I could not care any less about which console someone prefers to own. It's your money, you should spend it however the fuck you want. Buy the console of your choice, and enjoy yourself. Please. But, for the love of all that is good on pizza, will you please leave me alone about whether Sony sucks or Microsoft sucks? All it does is prompt my mind to dub console fanboys as "sheep."

Why "sheep?" Because it means the marketing has gotten through. These game companies know that they can't just sell their consoles as one possibility out of many. They have to sell it as the elite gaming experience, where theirs is clearly the greatest and everyone else clearly can go choke on a big can of "Kiss My Ass." The console wars have become arguments about who has the best toys on elementary school playgrounds, just with a slightly older audience. It insults the intelligence to try and read one.

I kind of expect this behavior out of people age 14 and under who wander onto the net. They're just kids. And you expect children to behave childishly. But once you reach the age of 15, you're clearly capable of cognitive reasoning. And that should be enough to tell you that console wars are the ultimate exercise in futility. They accomplish nothing, convince no one, and never end.

I'm not saying that you can't have an opinion about which current gen or last gen or even first gen console is superior. I'm just saying, "I couldn't care any less. Now go play with your toys like a big boy or girl."