Quick question that is only tangentially related: I, ahem, I mean Santa is getting my son an Xbox One for Christmas and I figure he should leave a game in my stocking as well. Was trying to decide between Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age Imperium. Any recommendations for dad's first console game? I should add that…

I really appreciate this run-down of the features of each system. As a non-gamer that is considering a console for his 11 year old for Christmas, I was completely clueless about which to buy. Feel like I have a pretty good handle on it after reading this and the 'one year later' reviews for each console.

My money is on Nick Symmonds to win it and set a new World Record.

First off, not only did I vote while drinking a beer last weekend, I did it pantsless. Gotta love Oregon vote by mail.

All of these stories take on a whole new vibe when you have an 11 year old son living in your house.

Has anyone else had trouble with the Security & Privacy system preferences? When I attempt to "unlock" using my password, it immediately re-locks. I confirmed that my password is correct in another system preference. Really odd that it won't let me make changes now that I am in Yosemite.

Now let's see if she can run a mile:

You need that extra 1.1% to deal with the family. That, and it wouldn't be a true polotmavé at 5%.

Exactly! Or if it is the holidays,

Wrong. The correct answer is "None" because you should be using shredded cheese.

Not sure if they distribute all the way out there, but Full Sail makes an awesome Oktoberfest:

I bought a half rack of this a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it quite a bit, but then again, I really enjoy a slightly over-hopped red ale.

I have two words for you: Beer. Mile.

Not a fan of pumpkin beers at all, but I won't whine about it. One thing I will whine about, though, is the ridiculous creep of seasonal beer releases:

Nah, we notice it with pumpkin beers because everyone knows that pumpkins aren't ripe yet and when they brewed these pumpkin beers back in July for the August release they had to use frozen pumpkin. In my opinion, they should be a big Thanksgiving treat.

OK, but can we still call this a "Chuck Magnet"?

It was a lot less dangerous than what I did before I went to college: the Army. Unfortunately, the second year I was on fire crews was 1994, which was the year of the South Canyon Fire. The main reason that I did it was because I could make enough money in the summer that I wouldn't have to work through the school…

Here's my favorite shot of a tanker drop: P2V

Surprisingly, the waterbombing the hell out of it doesn't always work. I was on a hotshot crew in the summers while in college and saw fires roll right over retardant lines. Even if you can get water or retardant on initial attack you still need someone on the ground to root out the stumps and rotten logs that are…

Having been hit with it I can confirm: No, you do not want to be down there. It is a thick slurry of fertilizer and dye. Even if the drop was high enough and it just comes down like a slightly heavy rain, the amonia in it really stings your skin.