My perspective has always been that you can’t stop the stream of real time information, you can only adjust your own behavior to accommodate yourself.  In the same way you wouldn’t watch ESPN if you had to DVR the Super Bowl, it’s unavoidable that you may read spoilers on Twitter or Facebook.  They are tools used for communicating in real time; and while you can always politely ask that people not spoil a sporting event or TV show, you can’t expect them not to.

I’ve been fairly inconsistent in my own social media spoiler practices, but I think it comes from not wanting to see the complaints!  Whenever Lost was on I knew I’d ruin someone’s night by talking about it right after an episode appeared.  I might even ruin my own by opening myself up to the negative comments.

With sporting events I don’t usually feel the need to censor myself.  They are for the most part shown live across several time zones and sports fans are undoubtedly connected with other fans on Facebook and Twitter and couldn’t possibly avoid the cheers and groans of their timely updates.

If it were so simple,  I’d never censor myself from posting spoilers because to me, there’s no better time to talk about something than when it’s actually happening.  But I’ll always try and walk that line to avoid upsetting others, even if I can’t understand why someone would expect to be able to filter was is in essence, the unfiltered thoughts of people you’re connected to.

What do you think?  Do spoilers piss you off?  Do you bother to censor yourself or just throw your thoughts out there and expect people to stay away from Twitter and Facebook when there’s something they want to avoid? Vote in the poll and drop your thoughts in the comments!

So, what have I been up to in the last few weeks?

Big News!

About a month ago, @maddenwidow and I found out we’ll have a new addition to the family coming this fall!  She’s due October first and this will be our third.  We’ve got two girls ages 7 and 9 already, so we’re hoping for a boy (please please please please).  It feels weird to be at this again because it’s been so long since we’ve had a baby in the house.  Hopefully I haven’t lost the special set of parenting skills it takes to raise an infant.  I’m a bit more used to breaking up fights and reminding everyone to do their homework.

The best part of all of the baby excitement is when @maddenwidow told facebook and twitter she’s pregnant without letting me know in advance.  And by that I mean not letting me know she would tell people, not that she broke the news to me over facebook.  That would surely break some sort of marital social media rule.

Busy Work Stuff

In addition to the exciting news, it’s been a busy few weeks of being back at the office at EA Tiburon.  It’s that time of year where things are really starting to ramp up and get interesting.  One particular thing I’m really excited about is our EA SPORTS Game Changers program.  We launched it the weekend of the Super Bowl as a means of better connecting to some of the most active and talented people in our community.  I’m pleased with how it’s gone thus far and I’m honored to be able to work with a group of fans who have a strong passion for our games and the best interest of their fellow fans at heart.

If you missed the launch, click here to check out some information about the program.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve been up to.  Tell me what’s going on in your world and I promise it won’t be too long before the next update.

My #followfriday for December 18, 2009

@beerinbaltimore is a no brainer to follow if you want to discuss your favorite beers or if  (like me) you are someone who loves beer and is looking for some recommendations about beers you might like to try.  He’s got a lot of knowledge about local breweries; not just in Baltimore but about anywhere you can think of.  Check out his site beerinbaltimore.com for a taste (see what I did there?) of the same things you’ll see him discuss on twitter.

@gamingangel is the founder of gamingangels.com, one of the premier sites about  video games from the female point of view.  @gamingangel and her site have done a lot to create awareness around women in gaming which is fantastic, but it’s a great site that all hardcore gamers would be wise to check out.  If you are the kind of person who believes any stereotypes about women and gaming, you might find yourself cured pretty quickly by paying Gaming Angels a visit.

@maddenwidow is my wife, so it’s probably kind of lame for me to put her in my #followfriday this week for the first time.  If we’re on the topic of female gamers, it doesn’t hurt to mention that she plays a ton of games and even has a gamerscore that’s about twice mine.  If you follow her, be prepared to hear about our kids, dog, video games, movies, zombies, and anything I might say or do that’s embarrassing enough to post on Twitter.

Have a look at the picks, let me know what you think, and drop your own picks in the comments!

Indianapolis at Buffalo (Colts)  The Colts manage to win a game that no longer really has any meaning.

Jacksonville at Cleveland (Browns)  The Browns finish their season on a high note against a Jags team that was the NFL version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Chicago at Detroit (Bears)  Bears ride their victory over the Vikings into Detroit against the lowly Lions.

San Francisco at St. Louis (49ers)  San Francisco finishes strong, poising them to be a team you might want to keep an eye on next season.

Pittsburgh at Miami (Steelers)  The defending Super Bowl champions do everything they can not to go out with a loss.

NY Giants at Minnesota (Vikings)  Playing for their pride isn’t enough for the Giants to get a win in the final week of the season.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay (Falcons) Tampa Bay comes back to earth in a tough divisional loss to the Falcons.

New Orleans at Carolina (Saints)  The Saints are desperate for a win and will get one against a Panthers team that won’t look like the one that beat the Giants last week.

New England at Houston (Patriots)  I stand by my prediction 3 weeks ago that the Patriots won’t lose another game in the regular season.

Green Bay at Arizona (Packers) The Packers are quietly the team that nobody in the NFC wants to face come playoff time.

Washington at San Diego (Redskins) I always pick the Redskins because of superstition.  Goodbye Zorn.  You never really stood a chance, did you?

Tennessee at Seattle (Titans)  The Titans will take out some frustrations on the struggling Seahawks to end the season.

Baltimore at Oakland (Ravens) Ravens win and are in.  It’s nice to control your destiny.

Philadelphia at Dallas (Eagles) Dallas got the December monkey off their backs, but the Eagles are still the better team and will win the East today.

Kansas City at Denver (Chiefs) Chiefs come in to town and win around the feud between Marshall and McDaniels.

Cincinnati at NY Jets (Jets)  Jets need to win to go to the playoffs and manage to do so against a team that’s probably a bit better than them.

Buffalo at Atlanta (Falcons)  Atlanta may have only won 7 games, but 5 of those 7 wins came at home.
Kansas City at Cincinnati (Bengals)  Bengals have lost some tough games lately, but it’s the Chiefs right?
Oakland at Cleveland (Browns)  I’m going with the Browns on a gut feeling here.  That’s what you do with two teams that are this inconsistent.
Seattle at Green Bay (Packers)  If the Packers can’t beat the Seahawks, they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh (Ravens) Sorry Steelers, this isn’t your year.  Luckily you have 6 Lombardi trophies as a consolation prize.
Houston at Miami (Dolphins) The Texans can run with the best one week and lose to the worst the next.  The Dolphins are far from the worst, but they will beat Houston this week.
Jacksonville at New England (Patriots) I stand by my statement last week that that Patriots will not lose another regular season game.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans (Saints)  I’m not going to bother to explain this pick.  I’d say it speaks for itself.                                                            

Carolina at NY Giants (Giants)  Giants do what they have to in order to keep playing in January.                                                                                

Detroit at San Francisco (49ers)  The 49ers are on the verge of becoming a great football team.  The Lions, not so much.
St. Louis at Arizona (Cardinals)  The Rams have yet to win a game inside their own division this year.  I don’t see it happening this week.
NY Jets at Indianapolis (Colts)  One step closer to an undefeated season.
Denver at Philadelphia (Eagles) Eagles control their own destiny in the NFC East and won’t let it slip away this week.
Dallas at Washington (Redskins) Because this is the only thing that will make up for the worst Redskins season in a while.                         

Minnesota at Chicago(Vikings) Favre will sit on the bench when Favre wants to sit on the bench.

Here are my picks for the remaining NFL games this week.  Drop some thoughts in the comment and let me know who you think will win!

Dallas at New Orleans: (Saints) The Cowboys tradition of losing in December continues.  Time to hop on the head coach carousel.

New England at Buffalo: (Patriots) I don’t think the Patriots are going to lose another game this season.  They may have some close battles, but they will get in gear in time for a playoff run.

Arizona at Detroit: (Cardinals) Cards bounce back from a tough loss against the 49ers against what is still one of the worst teams in football.

Miami at Tennessee: (Dolphins) Even if Vince Young can go, it won’t be enough.  Dolphins help put the nail in the Titans coffin.

Cleveland at Kansas City: (Browns) Browns carry the momentum and a couple days extra rest into KC and get the win.

Houston at St. Louis: (Texans) Only the flu can make the Rams any worse than they are right now.

Atlanta at NY Jets: (Jets) Falcons continue to slide against a team that has more to lose than they do.

Oakland at Denver: (Broncos) Broncos should have their way with Charlie Frye and the Raiders.

Cincinnati at San Diego: (Bengals) Tough week for the Bengals emotionally, but they will pull through against a team that doesn’t lose in December.

San Francisco at Philadelphia: (Eagles) 49ers may give the Eagles more trouble than you’d expect, but Philly continues their charge toward the NFC East crown.

Tampa Bay at Seattle: (Seahawks) Tampa probably won’t win another game this season.  #1 pick, here we come!

Chicago at Baltimore: (Ravens) Ravens have lost some close games against good teams this year.  The Bears aren’t one of them.

Green Bay at Pittsburgh: (Steelers) These two teams appear to be headed in opposite directions, but the Steelers are defending champs for a reason.

Minnesota at Carolina: (Vikings) Brett Favre > Matt Moore.

NY Giants at Washington: (Redskins) I never pick against the Redskins.  I told you that!  I have a feeling this will be a close, entertaining Monday Night game.

My #followfriday for December 18, 2009

@weezul is one of my favorite people period in gaming .  Not only does this guy eat, sleep, breathe, and live gaming, he was managing gaming communities before anyone even really knew what that meant.  As someone who spends a lot of time talking to fans and obsessing over things gaming community management related, I’ve always respected his body of work and seen him as an inspiration.  Follow him if you love gaming, comic books, or pop culture.

@thenflchick is someone I always look for on NFL game days.  I never know what she’s going to say, but I know whatever it is will either be insightful or make me laugh… or maybe even make me mad if it’s time for some “real talk” about the Redskins.  She’s a Ravens fan but you should follow her if you are up for some honest and heated discussion about the NFL.  Unless you’re a Browns fan because let’s face it, you guys don’t need that much honesty.   Check out her site and Gridiron Gals, where she also posts.

@bsangel is another great person to follow if you are into gaming.  She runs a site called Hawty McBloggy, which is one of my latest daily addictions when it comes to gaming related stuff on the web.  I know her site must be really good because there’s a lot of HALO related content on there and I don’t even play HALO all that much (yes I know it’s an amazing game) and still love it.  Hit the Freakin’ Funny tag or must reads for instant gratification.  Follow her if you love HALO, hate HALO, or are indifferent about HALO.

On the Internet we put things into lists of 5 because that’s just the way it is.  Today I got to thinking about some of my favorite horror movies and so we have our very first raczilla top 5.  Away we go…

#5 American Pyscho- Before Christian Bale was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, he was Patrick Bateman.  His performance in “American Psycho” is so totally over the top that it’s sometimes more funny than disturbing.  When I first saw the trailer for this years ago I thought it looked stupid.  I guess I was wrong.

#4 Session 9- I doubt this movie is on a whole lot of horror top 5 lists, but I’m a huge fan.  It was shot at the  State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, which was a real psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.  To me that makes it even more creepy and unsettling.   It was written and directed by Brad Anderson, who also directed “The Machinist,” another great movie starring the aforementioned Christian Bale that’s worth a look.

#3 28 Days Later- Some people want to debate whether or not this is a zombie movie, but I think it falls into the category.  Zombie, rage, infection, virus… whatever you want to call it, it’s full of win.  It also has one of my favorite horror movie soundtracks.  If you’ve never seen it, please do.  If you have seen it, see it again!

#2 The Changeling- This is not a movie starring Angelina Jolie, but a great horror movie starring the late George C. Scott.  It’s a classic ghost story.  Scott moves into a house, hears some weird noises, then tries to figure out what the hell is going on.  His performance is great and the sound is pretty good IMO for the time.

#1 Suspiria- Hardcore horror fans know all about Dario Argento and his great horror movies, but some others may not.  Suspiria is probably the crown jewel of his collection, at least in my opinion.  I don’t feel like it’s a movie you watch for a great story or great acting (there are some times where both are suspect), but for the impressive visual style and dreamlike sequences.  It’s kind of like being in someone’s nightmare for 92 minutes.  It opens with an unforgettable death scene and also has some great music.  The trailer doesn’t do it enough justice.

Honorable mentions: OK so I’m a big enough horror movie fan that I can’t just make a list of 5 and be done with it.  Here are some others I love…

Halloween, Candyman, Day of the Dead, Ghost House, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (mostly 1 and 2), Rosemary’s Baby, Black Christmas , Event Horizon, Phantasm, High Tension, The Devil’s Backbone, Dead Alive, Evil Dead series, Psycho, The Exorcist, Alien, Friday the 13th series, A Nightmre on Elm Street, and dozens more that I will probably kick myself for forgetting.

What are your favorites?