Jason Pearce

I know only geeks like myself would be interested in this story, but the Xbox game Halo 2 sadly won’t be released until 2004. Halo is the best game I have ever played. Here’s the story from the BBC:

Delays hit Halo game sequel

The eagerly awaited sequel to the award-winning Halo video game has been delayed. In a note on its website, developer Bungie Studios said Halo 2 would not be released until 2004.

The news will disappoint fans of the first person military action shoot-’em up, who had expected the title to be in the shops by Christmas.

Halo: Combat Evolved is the most successful game yet for Microsoft’s Xbox and the delay in the release of its sequel could undermine sales of the console.

‘Complex undertaking’

The original Halo came out with the launch of the Xbox in November 2001, going on to become the console’s must-have game.

So far it has sold more than a million copies worldwide.

When Microsoft announced a sequel last year, it said the game would be shipped at the end of 2003.

The statement by Bungie was prompted by speculation about when the game would be in the shops.

“We’re still not ready to pick a specific release date, but we do want to state for the record that Halo 2 will not ship in 2003,” said the company.

“This game is a vast undertaking, considerably more complex than any of our previous efforts, and there is just no way to squeeze all of the necessary work into this calendar year,” said the company.

“We know many of you were hoping to get your hands on Halo 2 during the holiday season, and we’re sorry to disappoint you - but making this game as good as we possibly can is our paramount concern.”

Halo 2 titbits

Halo 2 is expected to build on the adventures of a genetically enhanced super-soldier called Master Chief as he faces a coalition of alien races.

Bungie is promising more action and weapons, better graphics and a multi-player option to face other gamers on Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. “Halo 2 is a lot like Halo, only it’s Halo on fire, going 130 miles per hour through a hospital zone, being chased by helicopters and ninjas,” said Jason Jones, the head of Bungie Studios when he announced the sequel in August 2002.

Gamers on a message board hosted by Bungie seemed prepared to wait.

“Personally I don’t mind waiting a bit longer. We’ve got just under a year to go and a few more months won’t make much difference,” said one gamer.

“Maybe a lot of us are over-reacting but it seems like if this early they announced that it won’t make 2003, then maybe they know wholeheartedly that they’re looking at a game that’s way off from being done,” said another.

The good news for fans of the best-selling game is that Bungie will offer them a taste of Halo 2 at the video game industry’s main trade show, E3 in May in Los Angeles.

In a similar story, the BBC did a story on Xbox Live, a Microsoft service that allows Xbox gamers to play others via a high-speed Internet connection. Since my new place in Norwalk already has high-speed access, you can bet that I’ll be spending some time playing others online.

The Xbox Live service got off to a good start when it launched in the US in November, with Microsoft selling more than 150,000 starter kits in the first week. I can’t wait to join them.

On a similar note, my birthday is also coming up (March 22). So if you are looking for a few good ideas, be sure to visit my wish list at Amazon.com.

My dad’s birthday is 10 days away and I just came up with the perfect gift. I’m not afraid to share it here, for he rarely visits my site, so here it goes…

My brother Cameron and I bought dad a Zig Zag Racer. It’s a small remote-controlled boat that he’ll be able to drive around our pond.

Weighing in at 16 ounces and only 15 inches long, this little toy really does zip across the pond (I took it for a test drive today). According to the box, the boat is capable of speeds up to 12 miles per hour. I thought it was marketing hype, but was pleasantly proved wrong.

Now you may be asking what my dad would want with a toy like this. Simple. He’ll be able to use it to chase the Canadian Geese off of our pond. While they are nice to look at, there are so many of them that they end up making a mess of our yard and other common areas. Mom and dad have tried hiring a trainer and his dogs to chase the geese away a few times a week, but the dogs just can’t out swim the geese on the open water.

The Zig Zag Racer, however, can.

On its inaugural run this afternoon, I tested it out on two geese who were pleasantly swimming by our house. Starting at only half throttle, I found that the boat was able to easily catch up to their leisurely swim. Once the couple caught on, they started swimming much faster; so I punched it.

Boy were they surprised and a bit perturbed. Honking, they took to flight. Sensing something amiss, a few more geese resting on the shore decided to fly to the other end of the lake. This gave me a chance to test out the boat’s range.

Within 45 seconds, I was able to get the boat from one end of our seven acre pond to the other. Realizing my new little toy was not going to end its pursuit, the rest of the geese took flight and headed over to the neighbor’s pond.

Way to go Zig Zag Racer! Dad’s going to have fun with you.

I found a place to live. Come April, I’ll be living at 9 Cove Avenue, Apartment 2, Norwalk, CT 06855. Scott Findlay will be one of my two roommates. We have not selected our third roommate yet.

Scott was born in CT and went to the University of Connecticut. He has a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, and works for the Danbury Mint designing collectibles. He seems easy going and should be a helpful contact/friend for me to have as I get used to the area.

The thrid room will need to be filled by May 1. We have ads in the paper and at RoommateService.com, which is how I found out about the place.

To give you a better understanding of where I will be living, I have organized some photos of the place as well as some maps to the office and social areas. I hope you enjoy.

I received an Internet phone call from one of my good Peace Corps Guyana friends today. It was great to hear form him.

His news was that a dozen new volunteers arrived to Georgetown this week to start their three months of training and two years of service. Somehow, my name came up as a recent volunteer who was sent home. When Country Director Earl Brown explained why I was sent home, he told the new volunteers that I was sent home for selling photos of Guyanese and Peace Corps volunteers over the Internet.

It’s amazing how the truth gets twisted. I simply posted digital photos within Ofoto.com and Yahoo Photo’s personal photo albums. Volunteers before me did so, volunteers while I was there were doing so, and current volunteers continue to do so. Ofoto.com and Yahoo Photo provide the option for visitors to purchase prints of any photo that is within anyone’s photo album. The owner of the album doesn’t get paid for the prints purchased. The payment is simply for development, shipping, and a small profit for either Ofoto or Yahoo. Here are examples of the very photo albums I’m refering to:

• Peace Corps Arrival
• Black and White Training Photos
• First five weeks of training

Some of the IT volunteers tried to explain all of this to Earl Brown while I was down there. Seems he’s still not smart enough to understand how all of it works, which is why I likely felt like a threat to him.

More importantly, Earl shouldn’t be saying that I was kicked out at all; for I technically wasn’t. Technically speaking, I wasn’t Administratively Separated. Instead, I received what the Peace Corps calls an Interruption of Service, which is granted to volunteers “who have to leave due to matters beyond their control.”

Privately speaking, of course, Earl twice told me that he should have Administratively kicked me out for having a personal website and for sharing my experiences as a volunteer with others (photos, stories, or otherwise). But he’d never admit to such a thing for the Peace Corps’ rules clearly state that the country director must not use Interruption of Service as a replacement for Administrative Separation.

It’s sad to hear that the hypocrisies and lies continue to run deep in Guyana. Particularly from the Peace Corps’ most senior officials.

Regardless, it was good to hear an old friend’s voice and laugh. Man, we had some good times.

Guess that’s all for now. Time for me to get back to making my “2003 Girls of Guyana” calendar.