Columns

21 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns

Is Ronald Reagan Actually a Hero of The Tea Party?

If you talk to Republicans, one of their greatest heroes is actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan. The 40th President of the United States is an icon for Conservatives. However, is it possible that Reagan’s policies of the 1980s would be politically left of those who claim him as a sort of demigod, the Tea Party? Could it be that the Tea Party is so out of touch with the policies that led to American prosperity under Reagan that he couldn’t win the Republican Presidential nomination if he ran in 2012? Continue reading →

2 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns

The Politics of Failure: Of Memes, Misinformation and Mudslinging

This year’s US Presidential election has seldom been about what has been best for America and its people. This election isn’t about whether President Barack Obama or challenger Mitt Romney’s vision for America will be better for the country going forward. It’s largely been a referendum on whether people like President Obama or if they want any alternative that is provided.

As a result, very little of this election has been about the issues. The majority of campaigning is about why the opposing candidate is worse for the Presidency and America. Discourse in this election has come to a virtual standstill as neither side attempts to engage the other over issues. It’s all parroting talking points and slinging mud at anyone who does not agree with you. Continue reading →

8 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Mass Effect 3 Omega: How Much Is Too Much For DLC?

Last week, the latest leak/rumour about the upcoming Mass Effect 3 DLC, currently called Omega, came to light. A fan interviewed ME3 producer Mike Gamble who said that the upcoming Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC would be twice as long as any other Mass Effect 3 DLC. The big news, however, was that the price of the DLC would be $15, which is $5 more than the next most expensive Mass Effect DLC. Continue reading →

3 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Sports

Despite TV Ratings, IndyCar Is On The Right Track

Normally, I wouldn’t respond to posts on another blog but I couldn’t help but note an oversight of facts in an Awful Announcing post about IndyCar’s ratings on the NBC Sports Network. While noting that IndyCar’s ratings are down by 27% on NBCSN and 17% on ABC compared to the 2011 season, author Joe Lucia suggests IndyCar’s management needs to consider big changes heading into the 2013 season to right the course.

There’s one big problem with that suggestion: IndyCar’s brass has already made it the best North American racing series on-track. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns

Greed isn’t Good: Why Supply-Side Economics Doesn’t Work

Despite his numerous gaffes, including but not limited to offending foreign allies, calling 47% of Americans freeloaders, suggesting that airplanes need windows that roll down and blaming Obama for the unrest in the Middle East that resulted in the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Mitt Romney is still reasonably close to President Obama in the polls.

The main reason why Romney is still in the race (apart from bias of the electorate) is that he is being portrayed as the candidate with a plan for economic recovery. The problem I have with Romney’s economic plan is that there’s no detailed plan in place. However, we know the basic of the Romney plan. It will involve tax cuts for the rich and corporations and government spending cuts to balance the budget. This is called supply-side economics. Recent history shows that supply-side economics don’t work. Continue reading →

1 Comment Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Sports

There Is No Right Side In The 2012 NHL Lockout

In 2004, it was clear to the fans that the NHL wasn’t going to survive as it was without a decrease in spending on player salaries. After locking out the year for a league, the NHL got a salary cap that gave players a maximum of 57% of hockey-related revenues which resulted in a salary rollback of 24%.

Seven years after the first lockout ended, we’re basically back where we started. The owners say they are losing money and need to cut spending. The players aren’t willing to rollback their salaries again given that the NHL is going through a period of record revenues.

With both sides claiming that the other side is plenty rich enough, we’ve reached another impasse and another lockout. Unlike the last lockout, no one side is right and no one side is wrong. Everyone has played a part in arriving at the latest NHL lockout. Continue reading →

4 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Entertainment

The Newsroom: Sorkin’s Modern After School Special

Whenever I see a blogger or TV critic wax poetic about an older network comedy, they often bring up episodes that touched on more serious topics. These episodes that touched on controversial or social issues were called “After School Specials” after the ABC TV movie series of the same name.

After school specials (or “very special episodes” as they were occasionally called in network TV) have essentially disappeared from the network TV landscape. Sure, kids shows will touch on an important topic every now and then but when was the last time you saw something you would call an After School Special. One of the few shows on TV that does touch on important social issues is The Newsroom. Continue reading →

2 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Are Triple-A Games An Endangered Species?

The last six months have been far from smooth sailing for the makers of the best of the best video games. Aspiring triple-A developer 38 Studios went bankrupt under the weight of poor business decisions and an underselling game. Irrational Studios is losing top staff as BioShock Infinite allegedly struggles to its spring 2013 release date. BioWare has faced gamer and critical backlash over its last three big games (Dragon Age 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3). Blizzard’s Diablo III has faced criticism over having to be always online (exacerbated by server issues during the first week after launch) and a poor endgame.

Sure, there are still game studios dedicated to putting out only the best games but some games are being crushed under high expectations. This begs the question if the so-called Triple-A game developers we have now are long for this world and if we’ll see any new developers rise in their place. Continue reading →

9 Comments Posted on by Steve Murray Columns, Video Games

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut: An End, Once And For All?

We’re one week removed from the release of the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC. People have had their opportunity to rant or rave about the new endings and put things into perspective. Even I needed to take a couple of days to unwind after powering through the final three hours of the game as I tried to reconcile what I saw and what I expected with what needed to be done and what BioWare could do.

Today, I examine the new scenes that BioWare has added to Mass Effect 3 in the Extended Cut to determine if they have solved the problems most had with the original ending. Continue reading →

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The Humanoids: The Spoilers

No, I’m not spoiling anything in this post. Well, I might spoil your day if you don’t agree with my opinion but there isn’t anything in here you’d call a spoiler in the traditional sense. Instead, I’m talking about people who spoil things which includes people who spoil things with spoilers. Continue reading →