Herd of Cats

Microsoft Gaming welcomes the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard

So Call of Duty just became an Xbox exclusive...

Not to mention Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and, oh yeah, Guitar Hero.

More details on the Xbox Wire.

The one where we take a vacation.

For the past year, I have been planning on getting my International Yacht Training certificate. We knew that we needed that knowledge before we even started piloting our own boat this summer. That meant a fall or winter period. To the South, baby! Read more

I haven't been in the weekly gaming sessions, nor have I posted my regular column, because ...

...

I bought a boat.

... and it needs work.

Yeah, I bought it 2 years in advance of my "plan". The shipyard is 1.5 hours away from home, and the commute is killing me. It doesn't leave much time for anything else, and I am also teaching a navigation class on Wednesday nights. I should be coming up for air next week, so I hope to join up to get my ass fragged as usual.

The one where we count the cash.

So, how expensive is it to own a yacht ? How much does it cost per month to live on board your boat and enjoy the cruising life ? Do I need to crack open my piggy bank ?

Well, it's almost like buying a house, and we all know how relaxing on the bank account that can be... Like a house, there are two parts to ownership: upfront costs (or "buying") and recurrent costs (or "maintaining"). Let's look at each one.

Upfront costs, or "What am I getting myself into??"

The upfront costs can be divided into a few categories: Read more

The one where I get more Zoom time in my life.

I already detailed that my wife and I received our Basic Cruising certification. That simply permits us to rent boats at marinas for the day. It's just enough knowledge to piss off the regulars when we head out and completely forget who has right-of-way out of the marina. Read more

I totally get where the Russian cat is coming from

Via somewhere on Reddit

The one where we drift towards the rocks. Read more

The one where I finally send out email.

Communication on the oceans and large bodies of water require some planning. If you are within sight of the shore, chances are that you will be able to reach a cell phone tower. You may need an extra cell antenna near the top of your mast, to extend your range. If you are not within reach of a cell tower, you may be within reach of another Ham operator; that's when VHF, HF, and satellites comes in.

Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) Read more

I have had this conversation with Pwn Call

And, quite obviously, he was the beacon of joy.

The one where I spam the airwaves. Read more

It was all I could think of once I saw the Suez Canal footage break.

The one where I stare at a chart for an hour. Read more

One of our next gen Cottage Group got noticed for one of his projects

#CornerGas #FanFriday celebrates @Murch_Matt for creating this 3D #DungeonsAndDragons map. Ready for all your table top adventures! Follow the link: https://t.co/Dz1enh55CY pic.twitter.com/R8a9xswbi4

— Corner Gas (@CornerGas) March 13, 2021

I think he might be the first one of us to make something of himself!

Oh yeah, thanks a lot Murch Jr. for making the rest of us look bad!

The one where I call out PAN PAN! (Announcing on the radio that my motor is kaput)

Turns out that communication is a cornerstone of sailing safety. Apparently, having the ability to use a radio to contact a tanker that is currently on its way to cross your course and possibly slice you in half... is a good idea.

It's also good to have a way to contact the marina that you are aiming to reach before sundown, so as to make sure they have the proper quality of beer you require in order to deal with the fact that you have a living room the size of a bucket. Read more

Tomorrow to celebrate the Official Bethesda purchase, Xbox will add 20 games to Game Pass

While some of these games are already on Game Pass, they will be added to all Game Pass platforms, and some upgraded versions will be added. Some of the games will apparently take advantage of an FPS Boost on Xbox Series X|S.

I find it humorous that they are adding Skyrim just as The Witcher 3 is being removed.

The full list of games is after the break.