Disqus - Latest Comments for KJToo

Re: Over-Encumbered

Kris Johnson — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 15:04:38 -0000

I'm almost not ashamed to admit that I watched a 20-minute video of someone playing Goat Simulator last night. Bear Simulator does have a certain appeal to it.

It is ridiculously easy for me to set up a Terraria server (I have one for my son and his friends) should you ever decide to give it another go. Ditto Starbound.

Re: Over-Encumbered

Kris Johnson — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 14:30:27 -0000

I think I've already mentioned Banished, which has eaten approximately 50 of my hours in the past two weeks. Terraria and Starbound are others that have huge time-sink capabilities if they should push your buttons. I suspect you might not have the same affinity for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Farming Simulator 2013 that I do.

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - Surely you wanted to see a photo of my lunch...

Kris Johnson — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:04:53 -0000

That's at the China Buffet on Vine St. It was quite tasty.

Re: http://new.websnark.com/post/6764100740

Kris Johnson — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:44:54 -0000

I picked just about the perfect time to start reading comics again. It was only last week that I decided to peek in on HIJINKS ENSUE and that led me back to both QUESTIONABLE CONTENT and GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS. I spent many, many hours over the weekend catching up on all three of those strips, reading a backlog of nearly two years worth of updates.

And what happens as soon as I'm all caught up? WEBSNARK begins updating again and talking about 66.6% of the comics I've been reading! I feel like Doc Brown and I hopped in the DeLorean, fired up the flux capacitor and took a trip back to...well, I'm not sure exactly when, but let's say somewhere in the 2004-2008 time period.

I'm glad to see you back, Eric (you, too, Wednesday!); I've missed your...perspective, I guess.

Re: Considering the Third Places | Christopher T. Miller

Kris Johnson — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:15:05 -0000

I have no Third Place; not because such places are difficult to find in my neighborhood, but because I rarely get the urge to leave my First Place. It's not unheard of for me to spend 48 or more consecutive hours in my house, not setting foot outside for an entire weekend. Despite living in a small house with my wife, our five-year-old son and our two cats (with whom I share an office), I never feel confined by my First Place; I don't get cabin fever.

Is there something missing in my life because I don't frequent a Third Place where "where the community meets to engage in broader, more creative activities"? Depends on your perspective, I guess. Honestly, when I see the word "community" my first reaction is to avoid wherever it is they're meeting.

Does my creativity suffer because I haven't sought out a place that provides "comfort with an element of freshness and unpredictability"? Probably. I haven't felt terribly creative for a while. I sometimes feel like I should be channeling at least part of my energy toward output rather than sitting passively on my ass and relentlessly consuming, but then the movie starts on Netflix Instant and I stop caring for another 90 minutes.

Re: Writer and Software Developer | Christopher T. Miller

Kris Johnson — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:44:19 -0000

As a general rule, I prefer novel-length fiction of the speculative fiction variety: fantasy, science-fiction, techno-thriller, a bit of horror and almost no slashfic at all (almost). I really enjoy audiobooks, but I do a lot of pulp 'n' ink reading as well (avoiding wretched hardcover whenever possible) and recently received a Kindle as a Christmas gift (and love it). I'll read anywhere I can: a few minutes on break at work, listening to an audiobook on my ten-minute commute, a chapter or two in the "library" (AKA bathroom) at home—pretty much any place I can manage. My six-year-old iPod has been a workhorse where audiobooks are concerned; it's the best Christmas gift I've ever received (the Kindle may prove to be a strong contender for that title in the coming months). I do not like reading anything longer than a blog entry on a CRT/LCD screen.

As far as tropes go, I'm a bit tired of vampirism, lycanthropy and the like being the result of blood-borne pathogens; to me that's all extranatural as opposed to supernatural. I'm sure there are contemporary vampire stories that hearken back to vampires being cursed by The Almighty and zombies rising from the grave at the behest of a houngan, but they're certainly not in the majority that I've seen.

Re: http://kjtoo.tumblr.com/post/807178595

Kris Johnson — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:29:13 -0000

At least two.

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - Scrambler Marie’s Bacon Cheeseburger

Kris Johnson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:21:14 -0000

I had a nasty headache, so I wasn't in a mood to appreciate food. I suspect it was nothing to write home about and doubt it could compare to a Burger Nuts bacon cheeseburger.

Re: No. I said there was a STORM.

Kris Johnson — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:16:55 -0000

Holy...

Also: shit!

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - Evening Wood

Kris Johnson — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:59:52 -0000

I'm sure I have no idea what you mean.

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - There are at least three things wrong with this...

Kris Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:29:14 -0000

Oh, look, I can reply directly to you! As I said below, you're right on both counts. The third thing is the silly T-1000-looking chrome bits on the costume.

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - There are at least three things wrong with this...

Kris Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:28:01 -0000

Actually, those things are wrong. Not in the sense that the image is an inaccurate representation of the "new" Captain America, but rather because the only true Captain America, Steve Rogers, has no need for a gun or a knife. And before you say it, let me disqualify the Captain America that appears in the Ultimates; that's a whole different universe/reality/what-have-you. As for the chrome duds, that's just silly. And wrong.

Re: KJToo on Tumblr - There are at least three things wrong with this...

Kris Johnson — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:14:47 -0000

@Sam — Right on both counts! I don't remember if the third thing was the combat knife or the fact that the upper half of his costume appears to be made of chrome; it's been a while since I posted this.

Re: Pseudopod 147: Orifice by John F.D. Taff

Kris Johnson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:38:48 -0000

@willywoollove — You can find a list of the stories I've narrated so far here, but I'll post an on-site list in the near future.

Re: Pseudopod 147: Orifice by John F.D. Taff

Kris Johnson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:32:54 -0000

@John — Thanks for the comment and for the very creepy story. I enjoyed reading it and I'm glad you liked the end result.

Re: Star Wars: My Chinatown Moment

Kris Johnson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:15:13 -0000

@Sistah — Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Stick around, there may be more in the future.

Re: Star Wars: My Chinatown Moment

Kris Johnson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:14:18 -0000

@Willy — Thanks again. I should note with some dismay that my son has recently taken to parroting "Star Trek is this generation's Star Wars", which he picked up from the television ads for the Trek-reboot movie.

Re: Star Wars: My Chinatown Moment

Kris Johnson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:12:05 -0000

@Rachel — Thanks. I'm waiting for the opportunity (whether joyful or not) to introduce him to a few things I don't love, like cleaning litter boxes and mowing the lawn.

Re: Star Wars: My Chinatown Moment

Kris Johnson — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:33:40 -0000

@Greg — That's a pretty extensive list. I disagree about Jar Jar, at least to the extent that he ranked #1 on your list of gripes.

Re: Star Wars: My Chinatown Moment

Kris Johnson — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:24:05 -0000

@Mick — Yeah, I have to think that any Jedi with half a brain would look at the prophecy, consider how far and wide the influence of the Jedi spanned and how the Sith hadn't been heard from in ages and say, "Hey, if any of you happen to land on some backwater planet and your SensorExcel for Women tells you a kid's midi-chlorian count is off the [insert made up Star Wars curse word here]ing charts...kill the little bastard."

Re: Annual Birthday Haul: 2009

Kris Johnson — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:10:05 -0000

@Willy — First, thanks for the birthday wishes. Second, MU-HAHAHAHAHAHA! You've fallen into my clever ruse and now I know your secret identity!

Also, I loved Virtual Light. I "read" the audiobook several years ago, which was narrated by the late, great Frank Muller.

Re: The Return of the Native

Kris Johnson — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:54:48 -0000

@Rachel — Mr. Miller : Game Night :: Arby-Q : Arby's

Allow me to elaborate: In the halcyon days of fast food roast beef, Arby's offered a barbecue beef sandwich called the Arby-Q. Then, they didn't. I wandered in to the Arby's in Painesville one afternoon to find that my go-to sandwich was no longer on the menu. What was I left with? Beef 'n' Cheddar, that's what. Beef 'n' Cheddar. Now, don't get me wrong, the Beef 'n' Cheddar is a fine sandwich—when I wanted to change things up a bit, I would get the seventeen Beef 'n' Cheddars for a nickel deal (a nickel went a long way back in the late 1990s)—but it's certainly no Arby-Q. I was understandably dismayed; more so when I discovered that the little comment cards you fill out don't go directly to your congressman but rather to management of the local franchise, who are wholly incapable of introducing the legislature necessary to ensure that the Arby-Q remains on the menu until the sun goes supernova.

It was a dark time.

Then, Arby's brought the Arby-Q back and...well, this is where the analogy really falls apart, because they only brought it back for a limited time and it really wasn't the same Arby-Q I remembered—the barbecue sauce was just...off—but for a brief, shining moment it seemed as though everything was going to be all right again, and order had been restored to the universe.

So I guess right now I'm just hoping that no one has been messing with Chris' sauce.

Re: Moving On

Kris Johnson — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:38:25 -0000

You know we've got some new immigration policies, right? I hope you've either (a) filled out the proper forms, or (b) been working on your Jedi mind trick.

BORDER GUARD: How long have you had these children?

CHRIS: Three or four seasons.

CATHY: They're for sale if you want them.

GUARD: What? For sale? Sir, please turn the ignition off and step out of the vehicle.

CATHY: He doesn't need to step out of the car. These aren't the children you're looking for.

GUARD: Lady, you'd better put your hands where I can see them right now. Sir, turn the ignition off and step out of the car. I'm not going to ask you again.

CATHY: He can go about his business.

GUARD: Lady, put your hands on the [CENSORED] dash.

CATHY: Move along. Move along.

Re: HOW-TO: Provide Poor Customer Service (Micro Center Remix)

Kris Johnson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:46:18 -0000

@blob — The laptop issue has been resolved, though it took far too long and was too much of a pain in the ass to get there. Laura's got a new laptop that wound up costing us less than $100 out of pocket, which is nice. I'm sure I'll post the specs in the near future.

In-store services was, as always, fine. We got our questions answered and were in and out of the store in less than an hour. The laptop is nice, and I wish we'd had enough dough to just buy two of 'em so I could have one. But the process leading up to us setting foot in the store to get that new laptop really didn't impress me at all.

Re: HOW-TO: Provide Poor Customer Service (Micro Center Remix)

Kris Johnson — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:52:25 -0000

@Rob — Mr. Funsucker, they call me.