So I’d hope everybody knows that unless you live in one of the states that does ‘em early, the presidential primaries are on Tuesday.  Not only that, but California has a lot of important propositions on the ballot that could have severe impacts on our revenue and education budget for the next several years to come.

All I’m asking you to do - all that you should want to do yourself - is go vote.  ESPECIALLY if you’re in that magic 18-25 demographic that Washington feels perfectly fine ignoring because we never drag our apathetic asses to the polls.  Things are slowly improving, thanks in part to the Internet allowing us to rally around candidates, but everyone still expects us to bitch and whine on our blogs about how much things suck without actually doing anything about it.

Unless we start showing that we can actually make a difference on election day, we won’t get better education funding, sensible technology legislation, or anything remotely important to anybody under 46 (the average voter age as of 2004).

If you’re still feeling cynical, cheer the hell up: There are candidates on both sides who look like they might truly deliver change.  (If you want more of the same, there are plenty of candidates who offer that, too.)

Do some research, read those lovely little voter packets that came in the mail, make up your mind on the issues and go let your voice be heard.  Drag your parents, too, and offer to inform them if they don’t know what’s going on either.

If you need some unbiased, nonpartisan advice, I read a lot and can give you info on the candidates/propositions and link you to resources that will help you make an informed decision.  If you want the easy way out, I can tell you who/what I’m voting for and why, but I definitely encourage you to do some research of your own and see if you agree.

Either way, go vote.  Please.  You can make a difference, now moreso than ever.

(Crossposted to MySpace/Facebook/personal blog)

I’m impatiently downloading it now.  Lots of changes, the general theme of which (aside from bug fixes) seems to be making the game easier: Fewer experience points needed between L20-60, more quest XP gained between L30-60, elites turning to non-elites, instance bosses dropping better gear, and so on.

At first I was a bit dismayed, as if veterans from several patches ago will look down upon the newer players such as myself and scoff: “Back in my day, level 60 meant something.”  Then I realized that they do this anyway, especially in the paladin community where being a long-suffering victim of class nerfs (something that the Horde players completely sidestepped with the Blood Elves) somehow makes you more qualified to play one.

This martyrdom-as-badge seems to be a part of human nature, observable in other social situations.  Sports fans, at least to my eye, seem to be less tolerant of newcomers to their camp; because their pain is not the true pain incurred during years of cheering for a losing team, their triumph is not “true” triumph either.

Anyway, the change makes perfect sense from a business standpoint.  By greasing the slide to L60, Blizzard will have more users pushing up against the gates of Burning Crusade and requiring the expansion pack to go any further.  This will also create a larger group of L70s who will want to jump on Lich King when it’s ready.

Patch is done; time to try it out.

So when you don’t pay your hosting bill, your site gets erased.

I’ll keep that in mind.

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