GameCrush - PlayDates? - Camming for gamers?

I saw mention of a new social networking site aimed directly at gamers and thought, "that's cool".  Then I read a bit more and thought, "Is it like match.com but for gamers?  What a sausagefest."  Then I read more and it's actually a site where you pay for a "PlayDate" ($6.60 USD for ten minutes) with someone...so...it's a...?

"SAN FRANCISCO – March 23, 2010 GameCrush, now available in public beta, introduces an entirely new interactive social gaming experience allowing gamers to meet, match and pay to play online games with other users (PlayDates). GameCrush is the only online service that allows gamers to choose a companion to spice up their favorite online games. Both Players and PlayDates define the experience they want- either “flirty” or “dirty”, choosing from some of the most popular console titles and casual web-based games. To register for free, visit www.gamecrush.com."

So, it's a thinly veiled cam site?  Brilliant, I wish I had thought of this years ago.  However, there's something that sticks in my craw about the operation.  While I would join a facebook for gamers there's just something...I can't put my finger on it.  There's something rotten in Denmark. 

Now I'm not opposed to anyone flouncing their goodies for good old American dollars (or Euros or yen) for an ultimately empty act of voyuerism.  Maybe I just prefer a separation of gaming and smut (a la church and state) and there's an extra touch of sadness to gaming/cam, sort of like calling a 1-900 just to have someone to talk to or hiring a hooker to play MarioCart with.

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

HYR Cooks...impending recipes of madness?

As many of you fine folks may know I have dipped my toe into the waters of North African spices and condiments (ras al hanout, harissa, etc) but I might be one verge of attempting to try my hand at some dishes.  I was poking around and saw tajine; a cooking device that lends it's name to the dish(es).  Basically a variation on the ubitquitous dutch oven/slow cooker using a melange of spices and good stuff along with any number of variations of meat, veg, starches, etc.  So...it's North African stew?  Sign me up, though I might be more inclined toward chicken than lamb but it's been years since I've had lamb so...tastes change right?

Here's a recipe from Paula Wolfert for Tunisian Egg and Parsley Tagine that sounds brilliant.

Dead Snow (2009) Dir. Tommy Wirkola

Dead Snow is a Norwegian movie that had fallen off my radar until about a week ago when a friend and I were looking up zombie movies - rather I was looking up zombie movies with Nazis in them.  It has a good amout of humor in it and a solid amount of gore.  It wasn't a great movie but the production quality was top notch, the acting was solid, and by in large Dead Snow was far superior to a lot of the undead crap I've seen lately.  Certainly worth watching but not quite as good as The Bunker.

Add:

Calling Dead Snow a "zombie" movie is somewhat incorrect.  The baddies are more along the lines of revenants a la "The Fog" or any movie with vengeful spirits than shambling wormfarms.

In other news:

Hooligan Youth Reviews is almost up to 16,000 views since going live on 02/15/07 and just shy of 600 posts.  Thank you to everyone who reads, checks on, or links to HYR.  I may just be another crackpot on the internet but I'm your crackpot on the internet.

Thanks to Warcrack I am woefully behind on any other game releases.  Of course I haven't even touched my 360 console in weeks.  Hopefully in the next few months I'll be caught up and will be able to write some more of the reviews you have come to love (like a one-eyed three legged dog).

My cooking has pretty much gone to crap lately.  Again, in the next few months I hope to remedy this.

Any questions, ideas, advice, assorted goodness?  Well let me know.

Thanks again folks, like the Nanny says:

Thirty days of Warcraft, Spring Break marathon, and hopefully a return to regularly scheduled programming.

So I blew past the thirty day marker on Warcraft this week.  It was Spring Break/hide from the world and wear jammies week as well.  Here a few observations:

1. Warcraft was designed by diabolical masterminds who have in their employ people who worked on government mind control projects and the people who invented crack.  Of course I joke but this is a game that has an addiction level like no other I've played.  Perhaps the addiction level is the same but there's no end in sight, there's always just one more x,y, or z.  Warcraft's reward system is brilliantly designed.  Each goal is tantalizingly out of reach but ultimately completing the goal is empty because here's the next carrot.
2. Warcraft has been a welcome escape from my personal life.  While this is not the appropriate forum or time for such a discussion, let me just say it hasn't been a sun-warmed basket of fluffy kittens.  People on Warcraft are, on the whole a fairly nice bunch, and thanks to the blessed anonymity of the Internet and a "toon" ("toon" is the in-game term for your...sigh...avatar), it is fairly easy to get along with people.  Plus the ability to simply block having to listen to any dipshits from chat avec "ignore" is a blessing.  I also have also found that I am a fairly humourous individual and oddly enough play well with others as long as they aren't being pricks, trolls, gloryhounds, or SHOUTERS (a.k.a. people who type in all caps).  I do have a tendency to be kind of a jerk about there, their, and they're and appropriate usages.  Once I simply refused to understand what someone was saying because of their grammar.  Childish I know but I think I was drunk.  Probably was times being what they are and things being what they are.
3. I think I should have gone with an RP (role playing) server instead of a PvE (Player v environment) server.  While I wouldn't go all Ye Olde Renn Fairre Forsoothing, it would be kind of fun to do some good old fashioned role-playing d20 style.
4. My new personal favorite dungeon quip, "Are they bringing pancakes?"  in reference to being alerted to the presence of something big and hurty.  The best reply I've gotten is, "Yes, but you have to beat the pancakes out of them." followed by a conversation about what type of syrup the monsters bleed.
5. I managed to beat my goal for Spring Break of passing level 50 (as of last night I was up to level 52 or 53).  Now I'm staring down the barrel of 60.  Bastards.
6. Followers of Eli are an awesome guild though sometimes I wonder when people sleep.

And there's more but mostly in-game quibbles that I won't go into.  Will I keep playing for another month?  Probably, but will I be a long range player?  I dunno, I guess that remains to be seen.  Until then, if you're on Fizzcrank look me up: my main is Scoville and my alts are Bessler and Capsaicin.