Google Makes me a Sad Panda!

I think I'm going to close my Google Plus account. I am unhappy with them right now. Very very unhappy.

First of all, there's this opinion piece on CNN, Why Google+ will never back down on real names. What it basically boils down to is Google valuing us more for our information. We are not customers, because we are not paying. We are valuable sources of potential gold mines of information and thus income. Charming.

Secondly, there's this: Google axes Slide; takes many Facebook games down with it and Bloody Thursday: Google Deadpools All Slide Products Except One

For a while there, I would give just about any Facebook game a try, but I had a clear favorite and that was SPP Ranch with its ridiculously adorable animals and decorations. Its cuteness factor was its main attraction. It's like any other facebook game with timed "crops" only your crops are adorable animals that you have to feed and water and pick up poop. Even the poop is cute! It definitely has that "kawaii chibi" thing going on. Here is my ranch with a Japanese theme and some roaming sheep, turkeys and baby peacocks.



And there are more pictures here, not to mention that I have a folder dedicated to SPP Pet cuteness. Let us not doubt that it truly was my favorite facebook game. I might have been slightly obsessive, but in my defense I am weak against stupidly adorable things.

I'm sure the was making money. Super Poke Pets, one of the games that Slide came up with as a follow up to their Super Poke facebook app (which, coincidentally was one of my first facebook apps and gave me the ability to throw sheep) was rather scary in its ability to make money. I know for a fact that players were actually making money from playing the game and buying up gold items! I know people tried to do that with SPP Ranch as well, though I don't know if it was as successful a venture because it took a long time to put in a trade system. Either way, there was money there and the game is popular. I have 127 SPP Ranch Neighbors. Not all of them are active now, but that's quite a bit and a lot of them were dedicated players. The list of neighbors indicate those who spent real money on the game and I'd say about a tenth of them had invested. Microtransactions are scary in their power.

I stopped playing the game for a time, because that stuff can get rather dry, but I've recently been poking at it again. I found that the game's development had been frozen and it was left as is for people to play. I worried. And then after googling (irony?), I found the fate of my beloved game. It's just gonna quietly die in a corner because Google is being retarded. I mean, they are clearly gung ho about Google Plus. They've started adding games to Google Plus. They own these Slide games that they know are fairly popular and make money and are they going to add them? NO! They're going to let them rot. How the hell does that make any sense? These games are all fully developed. Hire a few artists and animators to put out some items now and then and they can start making money again. But apparently they're feeling spiteful. I don't even know, all I can say is that I am disappointed in you Google. I am so damn disappointed. First you get all handsy and possessive over my real name and then you kill off the only silly social app game that I love. That whole do no evil thing? You fail. Killing off SPP Ranch is evil. How can you let the cuteness die?!

Appropriate SPP Ranch icon is appropriate. And now I'm going to go delete my google plus account. They're already tracking me a million other ways through my gmail and google habit, but I'm not sure I have the strength to leave my gmail behind. I guess we'll see.

Chopped

Oh man Chopped! I was afraid I'd have to make a post of frothy rage if that douchenozzle with the ponytail won tonight's episode. I'm so glad he got sent home! It was bad enough he won last night, I didn't want to see him in the Championship. He really was a raging prick. His trash talking in the last round was just plain nasty. When he made a dig at the other competitor's family cause he used his last win to bring them to Disney World, I really felt he was out of line. It was like Chopped Karma that he burnt his pie crusts. That's what you get!

Once again I wonder why it is that chefs are so damn egotistical. So what if you cook good food? I cook good food and I'm not a chef. Your good food didn't cure cancer. And if it's great food, amazing food, orgasm inducing food, it still didn't cure cancer, so get over yourself! I'm tired of all those egos and I'm just watching the show. It's condensed down into 45 minutes and it's too much. I can't imagine working with many of these people.

On the other hand, many competitors are there looking for validation. Most often validation that not going to culinary school didn't make them a lesser chef or switching occupations was the right decision. I'm sorry but, shut up and cook. Not to sound like a jerk but I don't think that cooking under pressure with ingredients you may or may not be familiar with is really the path to validation. I enjoy watching Chopped but it often feels like listening to a broken record.

That said, Easy Peasy, the first episode of season eight on Chopped, is hands down my favorite episode! All the chefs were so nice. None of that cocky egomania and cutthroat nastiness that you often see on the show. Just lovely personalities, great talent, and all delivered in their wonderful accents. I admit it, I’m a sucker for their accents. But all of them seemed so sweet, which made it hard to root for anyone. Often when the show starts I’ll pick a favorite right off from their little mini-bios. I couldn’t do that this time. Of course, I was rooting for Jun at the end, but I started out rooting for all of them.

The second episode, Ladies First, not so lovely. They had just one chick that was all ego and attitude that raised my hackles. Ew. I’m glad she didn’t win. You know, you can be confident in your abilities without being egotistical and smug about it.

Anyway, Yay! Douchebag didn't win this time, but booo for having to put up with those egos. How about we have another all British round, because they were lovely and delightful.