CE Wills

    Hey, everyone. I just read an interesting article on Washington Post.Com by Mike Rosenwald. It was titled Who Is the Route 29 Batman? This is a true story about a guy that the cops pulled over. The guy was driving a black Lamborghini with Batman plates. There were yellow Batman symbols on the doors. They had a video from the police car that showed him being pulled over. He was wearing a Bat-suit which he said cost him $5000. His gig is that he visits sick children in area hospitals and hands out Bat-Toys and Bat-books to cheer the kids up.     His name is Lenny B. Robinson and he says that the 'B' stands for Batman. He is perfectly sane and is just a good dude trying to make a difference. He is a self-made millionaire and is currently having a duplicate of the Batmobile custom-made at a cost of $250,000.    It was a hoot, watching the cops having their pictures made with the Bat Guy. Someone asked him where Robin was and he said that the boy won...

    Hey, everyone. No, this post is not about a Japanese fantasy I had during the night. It is about a new game by Big Fish games. Carley, the puzzler, tried this game yesterday and I thought that I would give you the low-down as part of my efforts to render fair-play to the puzzlers among you. Here's the recipe.    This game, at its heart, is a 'match 3' game. There is an additional element also. There is a grid that can be rotated to align a key and perform an unlock . This allows the player to gain puzzle pieces for a jigsaw. All is fine, so far.      My wife liked the game. So she was going to buy it. Well, Big Fish is odd about their games. They give you a free sample, which is nice, but you have to buy the game by going through the game, rather than through the app store. I don't really know why this is, but it creates a lot of drama over buying a game.     I don't want to get into all the details but the result was that Ca...

     Hey, everyone. If you need a new shooter game for the weekend but are a bit cramped for funds, may I make a suggestion? Try a game called Mission Sirius HD . This game is free, as one might expect from the title of the post. Let me say that I have only played it a few minutes so far. My purpose in the early review is so that you can have the chance to get it for free, before they start to charge some dinero.     Let's start out with the surprising file size: a whopping 561 MB. Over half a gig of action for zero money. It is incredible that people can criticize a free present in a review. That is something I hate to have done to me and I just about won't do it to someone else. But I digress. Here's the recipe.      You awake in a creepy lab, somewhere, presumably on another planet. Perhaps on Sirius, hence the name? Once you awaken you go through a short but excellent tutorial. They teach you to target by tapping a spot on the...

    Hey, everyone. I was out late tonight and enjoyed driving home. It was a pretty night with warm temperatures and the mountains as a backdrop for my music. I was just cruising along, very relaxed, until I started to listen to some of that music. You know, some of that driving music from the sixties.    Get your motor running    Head Out On the Highway    Looking for adventure    And whatever comes our way Yes, you're right, that is Steppenwolf, with Born to be Wild. Great song, from the Easy Rider movie soundtrack. Peter Fonda starred as a dude who was touring around the USA on a motorcycle. A young Jack Nicholson played a small town lawyer in the film and Dennis Hopper was Peter's pard. Try it some time. It was considered very cool at the time but to the casual, modern eye, it will perhaps seem a little silly.     So, I drove the mountain roads quite fast for a while until I started listening to slower so...

    Hey, everyone. I am still playing the game called Mass Effect Infiltrator . I have had a good time with it and am just now at the half way point in the game.      You know, a lot of the space shooter games have assault rifles and shotguns, which is fine. This game allows you to use some other excellent weapons, as well. To be honest, it is cool to have a bunch of Biotic weapons. Just tonight, I scrounged enough dinero to buy a pull biotic. This high tech weapon helps you drag the enemy out from behind cover. It picks the dude off the ground and levitates him in your direction. Then you can shoot him with your more conventional weapons.      The Leash biotic enables the player to attach a crackling, electric tether to an enemy. This is like a Taser that sucks the life out of him and then casts him aside in a broken heap. These futuristic weapons certainly add to the fun when you are in a pitched battle and you are so upset th...

     Hey, everyone. One of the signs of the times is the entry of  women into the trades. Plumbing is a good example. This week an update to the hugely popular game called Plumber Crack appeared on the app store and was eagerly downloaded by several million sharpshooters. Ice cubes started flying all over the planet with a new target: a lady plumber.     It seemed a bit more 'natural' to flick the ice cubes now. It didn't bother me to buy this lady a butterfly tattoo. I liked the way she giggled, quite lady-like, when I found my target. Is it my imagination or do I have to throw the ice harder now?     Someone asked me a question the other day. Let me think... oh, yeah. They asked me how to achieve the highly coveted Sharpshooter Award . The answer is that you must achieve a throw that lands the ice cube in its place without it bouncing around. More or less a straight shot, or in basketball parlance, nothing butt net .   ...

    Hey, everyone. It's brutal. I have fought my way through this massive Star Destroyer, trying to reach the side of Inalli. After decimating the ranks of the enemy with my Ion Shotgun, I have arrived at a medical facility and have indeed found my woman. The problem is, simply put, that she is on the other side of a glass partition. I watch helplessly as machines poke and prod her anatomy. I smash my head against the wall, to no avail. How can I reach her? I go berserk and rampage through the hallways, killing every living thing. So near and yet so far away! I vow one thing; if I can't save her, I will damn sure avenge her!      Hey, everyone. It is I, Randal Ezno. Of a truth, I am engaged in warfare against the corrupt Cerberus regime. Whoever has imprisoned my Inalli will not live to see another sunrise. Yes, readers, I am playing the massive new game entitled Mass Effect Infiltrator . I am having a good time with this game. I am even winning some ...

    Hey, everyone. Happy pending weekend to you. If you'd like something to read this weekend, head over to Amazon and download my ebook called Climber's Reward . It is free for the next few days. Let me say that it it not for the younger folks. It has adult situations and language.      Climber's Reward is the story of the swinging sixties, an era that I am intimately familiar with. It is the story of Beck Oswald, who comes of age in California at the height of the Vietnam War. After an affair goes bad, Beck flees town by the extreme means of joining the Army. He finds himself in Southeast Asia. The Phoenix Group uses him for assassinations and these skills translate to a future career in the private sector.     This is the story of a contract killer, a man who finds solace for his tortured past in the arms of lovely women. It's a fast-paced read and I hope you like it.     From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills...

    Hey, everyone. earlier in the evening, I started to post a blog that suggested you refrain from buying this game. I was stuck on the second level and it was extremely tough. I was having a hard time getting used to the controls and developing a strategy. For sure, you need to ignore the instructions when they try to get you to jump from behind cover. This will get you killed and you have to start the level over, yet again. I do not exaggerate when I say I played the Ice Giant level 30-40 times before I beat it. When I finally beat it and moved on, I was transported to a mother ship and was on my way to see the nice-sounding Inalli, only to see armed interlopers on our huge vessel. So I got into a pitched battle with these rogues while listening to a propaganda recording of our fearless leader. One suggestion for EA Games, please give us the ability to mute that guy's B.S. without muting the musical sound of our gunfire.      The credits (in-game c...

    Hey, everyone. A few months ago I wrote a blog post about a game called Six Guns . I was very excited about this western-themed game. It was a huge game, very deep, and commanded the better part of a gig of space on the Padster. The graphics were very nice, also. Well, what happened was sad. The game sent me out to a place called Aspa Hill. There was a special tree there, which the Indians revered. I was supposed to save it from being burned down, which I did. For some reason I never got credit for this shootout with several bad guys. Three on one and I put them in Boot Hill. But thereafter, the game kept wanting me to go back to that !#** tree. I wasn't able to go on the cool missions at creepy forts which were being attacked by ghouls. I didn't get sent into dark mine shafts where flaming rivers of lava flowed. Finally, I gave up on the game with so much promise and deleted it from my device. I mean, that is a lot of space and if you can't play the stupid game, wh...

   Hey, everyone. We were coming home today and saw an unusual sight. It was a beautiful day and we had gone to the valley to do some work. On the way home, on our rather tortuous mountain road, we came upon a van stopped in the middle of the road. A clearly upset, elderly lady was standing outside the van and waving her arms about as she stalked back and forth in agitation. I thought, at first, that there had been a serious wreck or a fight. When I came to a stop we began to see what was going on.     It seemed as though this elderly couple had been driving along and came around a curve and saw a litter (herd, flock, covey) of puppies milling around in the middle of the road. Of course, puppies are dumber than bricks and do not realize that cars will hurt them. The nearest house was about a fourth of a mile away and evidently no one was home. The lady was trying to attract someone's attention at the house, to no avail. One car went around the van, very careful...

    Hey, everyone. My wife and I watched a movie this evening. It was a good one, but I'd seen it before. Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius is the story of the legendary golfer from Georgia who built the Augusta National Golf Course. By all accounts he was a class guy and his spirit hovers over life in Augusta to this day. I lived there for many years, so I should know. But this post is not about him or that movie.    When my wife went to bed a moment ago, I was turning out the living room lamps and saw a curious thing lying on the end table. It is always there, so I don't know why it struck me so, seeing it as I did. It is a small penguin which Carley uses as a bookmark. One of the grand kids gave it to her several years ago and she has used it ever since. You can bet that it is precious to her. When you think about a kid spending their money on you, buying you something out of a heart of love, it is a special thing.     Granny's are also special....

    Hey, everyone. I was wanting a new game to highlight the Retina Display of the New I-Pad and I wavered between Mass Effect Infiltrator and Infinity Blade 2. Since I don't really like sword-fighting games I chose ME: Infiltrator. It is a stout $6.99 and still has in-apps, which is irritating.     This game is almost a shock when you fire it up. Not so much on the cut-screen video, like some games, but the game itself, with the retina display, is a jaw-dropper. I was trying to take screen shots of my 'avatar' as he blasts guys and it was getting me killed in battle. He would throw some sort of Ion Grenade, which would blow the enemy into the air. Then, as he was in the air, you tap him to target him again and your guy shoots him before he hits the ground. Really cool looking.     My co-pilot assassin, Carley, was watching me get my butt handed to me and suggested that I place my blue circle of a target reticule inside the red circle on th...

    Hey, everyone. One of the most popular games on IOS right now is called Plumber Crack. Yes, you heard right. To say that this is a different kind of game is putting it mildly. Here's the recipe for this mildly disturbing walk on the wild side.       You have an obese plumber to come over. He is wearing low-riders and working underneath your kitchen sink. There is an ice cube on the screen before you. You must flick the ice with your finger and send it flying down the plumber's pants. When you hit the bull's-eye the poor dude hits his head on the pipes and sees stars. Sometimes he reaches back to 'dig for gold' or merely pulls his pants up.     As you hit the target, a meter fills up on the left side. Coins fall from the dude's pocket when he writhes about due to chills. Gathering the coins fills the meter. When you fill the meter, you are awarded 'Crack Bucks'. I am not kidding. With these rewards you can buy some very interes...

    Hey, everyone. I've had a chance to use the New I-Pad for a few hours and here are a few initial impressions, subject to change since the time has been short. 1) It seems that the battery goes down a little faster than my I-Pad 2. I have to say that I did several app updates this evening, which may account. One of the reasons that this might be true (about the battery) is... 2) The pixel-crazy display. This retina display is pretty sweet. It didn't knock my socks off like I had expected, given all the hype, but then, I like to wear socks in March. It is better, no doubt. 3) The camera has definitely improved on the new padster. I like the little blue square that shows you where your focal point is. This is like an idiot's guide for the novice photographer, I suppose. Hey, a 5 megapixel is equivalent to my Sony and it is simpler to use. 4) I was over at IMore.Com a while ago and they speed tested the I-Pad 2 and the New I-Pad. The 2 was just a tad faster. I was su...

     Hey, everyone. I just got my I-Pad 3 from the Fed-Ex guy. He said they had 168 of them to deliver out of their local office. I unboxed it and had a moment of near panic when I punched the home button and felt no response. To my relief, when I plugged it into my PC, it started talking to me.     As you may know, there is a limited amount of IOS devices you can have registered on your PC. Earlier today I went on I-Tunes and unregistered my I-Pad 1. That was a bit traumatic, as we have been through a lot together. Did I hear a whimper as I cut ties to it and 'wiped' it? Yes, I think so. "You fell for the newer model and another pretty face, CE! How could you?" By the way, if you want to wipe yours clean, your device I mean, just do the following: 1) Go to settings. 2) Tap General 3) Tap reset 4) Tap 'erase all content and settings'.      Let me say that I got these directions from a guy over at ZD Net.Com.   ...

    Hey, everyone. As you're standing in line; in Japan, Singapore or California, you might be reading this on your cell phone and wondering, what the heck do I put on my first I-Pad? Here's a few ideas, even though I am on my way out the door and don't have time to describe each one. 1) Shadowgun 2) Nova 2 3) Rage 4) App Shopper 5) 9MM 6) Carnivores, Dinosaur Hunter 7) Bookworm 8) Plants Vs. Zombies 9) Modern Combat 3 10) Rainbow 6 11) Chictionary 12) Real Golf 2011 13) Asphalt 6 Adrenaline 14) Hidden Wonders of the Deep 2 HD 15) Kindle 16) I-Books 17) Nook 18) Pulse 19) Flipboard 20) Scrabble 21) 4 Elements HD 22) Comixology 23) Judge Dredd 24) Bullet Time 25) Desert Zombies 26) Fairway Solitaire HD 27) Juxtaposer 28) The Author's Green Retreat ( Go to the site,tap arrow at top of page and select 'add to home screen' from the drop down menu. 29) Infinity Blade 30) Akzend 31) The Treasures of Montezuma 3 32) Searcher Pro 33) Let...

    Hey, everyone. I had a guy that commented on the armored shooters in the extension pack for Shadowgun. First of all, thanks for your comment. Secondly, I'm sorry that it took so long to get back to you. Thirdly, I have no idea, right now, how to kill those armored guys. I'm having a lot of trouble with them and have recently decided to step away from that game for a few days. For my own sanity.    I'm sure you've seen those huge, thick books in the stores that tells you all the needed knowledge for the big console games like Call of Duty . Maybe some hardy soul will write one of those for the beaten, down-trodden refugees from Shadowgun . What about it, M adfinger Games ? Can you throw us a bone?     From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills. P.S. I've been taking out my frustrations by playing Rage.

    Hey, everyone. I thought I'd talk about games for a while. The river of cool games has slowed to a trickle lately, so I recently bought Batman: Arkham City Lockdown ... and it drives me nuts. The graphics are great and it is a highly rated game, but swiping the screen with a finger for punches and kicks is not my thing. Let me be clear, it is not a problem with the game but it is not my type of game. I didn't even enjoy Infinity Blade for the same reasons. You may love it. I read an interesting article from a guy that said you should buy, early on, 99 cents worth of Bat Bucks (5000) for upgrades right off the 'bat' (ha,ha). This will enable you to progress to the parts of the game which are more fun. I just deleted this $2.99 game. I should have paid the same amount of 'dough' (joke) and bought the full version of Pizza vs. Skeletons. I must say that there are different 'skins' for your character, wallpapers and a batarang mini-game. I guess for the...

    Hey, everyone. I thought that I would mention the free books promotion for your Kindle, PC, I-Pad, cell phone or other device. Starting at midnight Pacific Time on Monday, I have two books on Amazon that will be free for 48 hours. They are called The Dan Tattoo and KGB Retirement Program . Each of these are full-length novels and each of them is the first book in their own series of three novels. They are fast paced, action packed and I think you'll like them if your tastes run to the adventure genre. Let me say that they have adult language and situations, so they are not for young folks.      I'll have to check, but this should be worldwide on all the Amazon stores. This is good because my blog has been read in well over 100 nations. In fact, about 40% of my viewers are outside the United States.     If you try the books and like them, please tell a friend or mention it on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you.     The Dan T...

    Hey, everyone. Glad you could stop by. I was in the back 'yard' and noticed the new growth on some of the trees and bushes. It seems to be extraordinarily long this year. The reason for this is because we have just seen the end of a drought that has spanned 7 years. A lot of wells had gone dry in the area. Creeks had gone dry. Many plants, grass, flowers and trees had died. Now it is spring and life returns. This particular tree has a spurt of new growth that is about three feet long.     I think that people are similar to plants in many ways. We think that we are never going to get out of the rut we are in or the problem we are in. We fail to recognize the seasons of life. The very young and the very old, in particular, fret when we don't see progress. The very young fret because, #1 When you are young, time seems to drag by and #2 Because young people are impatient, with the energy of youth almost demanding action in each phase of their life.  ...

    Hey, everyone. I went to see John Carter today and I really enjoyed it. I was shocked that the movie was only showing 3 times all day at the theater where I saw it. Another theater, which I sometimes go to, only showed it twice. I think that the movie should do very well but how can it if it is disrespected like this? Normally, when a blockbuster comes out it is on about every hour with 3 or 4 screens showing it at each of the bigger theaters. Did the producers make someone mad? Anyway, here's the recipe for this show.     John Carter, a Confederate soldier during the War Between The States, is transported to Mars by a medallion that he has taken from a Martian. This Martian belongs to a race of men know as the Therns. They are the only white men on Barsoom, which is what the Martians call Mars. These Therns have instigated a false religion in order to control the red planet's people. They have even ventured to earth with their schemes. They are held i...

    Hey, everyone. It is a big week in Geekdom. Tomorrow, John Carter comes to a big screen near you. Yesterday, the new I-Pad was announced. Spring has sprung, also. Plus, any day without snow and ice is a pretty darn good day at the green retreat.     I'm a little bummed out that Siri didn't make it onto the new Padster. Guess Apple figured that a better camera, an upgrade in speed and graphics power, faster network compatibility and all that, was sufficient for a new piece of gear. With my legendary, steely resolve I kept my word about not buying the new model. Remember the other day when I said that because of the trends in games, about making them too hard, as well as all the problems on the app store, that I would not buy the new I-Pad? Well, I was resolute for a day, at least, before I went on the Apple Store and pre-ordered the new model. I don't know what happened. I was just sitting there updating IOS 5.whatever and I started thinking. What if I ...

    Hey, everyone. I bought a game today called The Last Man Standing . This game is made with the Unreal Tech Engine and the graphics are outstanding. When you pay 99 cents for a game with graphics this crisp it is pretty cool. Here's the recipe.    Far in the future there has come a woeful time. There has been a mutated virus, the sort of problem that has turned most females into zombies. These ladies have destroyed all males with one exception. This dude looks pretty rough and if I could transport myself to this era, I would probably be the best looking guy on earth. Ha, ha.      Your controller is a non-mutated, non-zombie lady, who is very attractive. She sends you out on missions to kill the undead women. You appear in a foggy forest and face off with wave after wave of these pitiful creatures. Fortunately, you have a Gatling gun and the women have, well, ... let's talk about that.     As you fight your way through wav...

    Hey, everyone. I came across this bobcat track the other day in a remote area. Notice that it has four toes and a rear pad. Also notice that there are no evidence of claw marks. This happens because the cat family keeps their claws sheathed until they are ready to use them. Unlike the dog family; dog, coyote, wolf, whose claws show all the time. This print was 2.5 inches across the widest part. A mountain lion's is very similar but they will measure about 4 to 4.5 inches for a mature lion. As big as a man's fist.    If you look in the bottom right of the print it appears that the cat, or some other critter, has overstepped the print and smushed it down a little bit. Also notice how the print is beginning to crumble a bit at the edges, but not much. This print is not all that old. Maybe a day? It certainly had not rained since this animal passed by.     Note also that the track of a bobcat or mountain lion is more rounded than a dog, wolf or ...

    Hey, everyone. I just wanted to say a few words about Davy Jones' death. I watched this guy on the Monkees' TV show back in the sixties. As a teenager, you jumped at any opportunity to watch or hear rock and roll. I don't remember that much about the episodes but I certainly liked the music.     It's funny, but the group was created for the TV show, instead of the other,normal, way around. They put out enough good songs so that they became hugely popular just for the music's sake. I went to I-Tunes a year or two ago and bought a bunch of their songs. They had 10 or so that I really liked. Last Train To Clarksville and Daydream Believer were my favorites. I have a picture in my mind of what some of the old 45's looked like from that era. I can see the label of Pleasant Valley Sunday at this moment.     My wife was a teeny bopper at that time, I didn't know her, and she had a mega crush on Davy Jones. "He was sooo cute." Well, I guess ...

    Hey, everyone. I try to blog about a variety of interests. At the risk of over-doing the gaming reviews, let me tell you about a game. Final Run is a new game which involves driving cars through a post-apocalyptic world. You are trying to escape from a forbidden zone which has been isolated to prevent the spread of a zombie plague virus. You are trying to bring a brilliant scientist ( a fetching female) to the safety of the outside world. She is helpful in that she understands things like radiation poisoning and can even build a decontamination unit while you flee.      You are hiding from an evil former employer who wants the good doctor back and wants revenge on you. They call this dude, 'The Chief'.      There are 19 levels in 3D and it is supposed to be a very long, and deep, epic game. I had made it through 3 levels and was, according to them, at the 4.4 % completion point. Unfortunately, as I tried to go back and get a cool ...

   Hey, everyone. It's a beautiful day here at the green retreat. It is sunny and breezy, with a temperature in the 60's. I wanted to give a little love to the puzzlers among you. Really, as I get stuck on more and more action games, I play more puzzle games. Besides, this puzzler is an action puzzler. Let me say, before I forget, that this game is free. There are additional puzzle packs for sale at a modest price, but there are 100 levels in this game. Here's the recipe.     You are a brainy doctor named, appropriately, Doctor Who. It seems that some Daleks, Cybermen and Silurians have captured a family and sent them backward in time. With your capable assistant, Amy Pond, you navigate your way through rooms. Inside these rooms are robots that kill you, spikes that kill you and puzzles that require that dreaded component from a shooter dude, you have to think. For instance, sometimes you have to slide a massive stone block over a switch in order to hold the sw...