Meditation, ...is not an escape from life. Simply, ...the soul's preparation for living it.

I begin this the week with many new ideas running around in my head and a new twist on an old observation.

I've been doing massive amounts of research into this project that I am working on. Thinking all the while, "I'm so original!," "No one has done anything like this before." Silly me, I've come to discover that what I'm trying to do is more than 3900 years old. Oh, well. That’s not going to stop me from trying.

This actually makes me feel wonderful. I now know that it would work. I know what people have and have not tried. I’ve also read many theories that completely fly in the face of my own. They also serve to encourage me. Heck, someone has to be the first to try some things.

Now this brings me to the twist. Many times in my life I have noticed, Train Wrecks. Curtain moments, and these can happen in a fraction of a second. A simple blink of the eye, and your world has changed forever. These are deciding occurrences that can happen at any time and any place. I used to think calling them train wrecks fit perfectly. This is no longer true.

Even after the dust has settled, long after your wounds have healed. The truth behind just why things happen, can take a longtime to be revealed.

"Your life is a library, to be filled with your stories" -Rudy Eiler

"No news is good news." Did my girlfriend really say that to me?

Well I had hoped to have at least something good to post today. Sadly, as some of you know the blog was down most of the day. I had put together a tiny ARG primer of sorts. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to post that, since I have some other "sad" news to report.

"Gamem8ker" has returned. Crazy I know. Even OurColony.net said you were fake. Still you have the nerve to try again. Yes it's true the sad little faker using the screen name "gamem8ker" on AIM logged in once again.

This person even had the nerve to tell me I no longer had a place in any of this. Well we all know who makes that choice now don't we. You do. The ones that chose to listen to my simple opinion.

I have no real "power." Not even the real gamem8ker could give me that.

On a happier note, had my blog not crashed today I was also going to begin posting some of the nice pics of E3 that you guys have been nice enough to send to me. If anyone else would like to share some of there pics from E3. Just email them to me with whatever caption you would like to go along with them. Also please include the "name" you would like me to give credit to.

Chapter 2

A hundred thousand words,
Are flowers in the sky.
A single mind and body,
Is moonlight on the water.
Once the cunning ends,
And imagery stops.
At that moment there
Is no place for thought.
Be a verb.

-Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing

Some just want to believe

Ok, I was tricked. Like a lot of others. I saw the video, and just wanted it to be real. Then heard it was a fake. Ok, well at least I didn't make a fool of myself. Awoke the next morning to find a new pic of it. It didn't matter how fake it really did look in the long run. That was all I needed for it to be real in my mind. So, I said something. Ok, I was wrong.

There are still new f8kers popping up here and there. I understand now, how bad you guys want them to be real. Try to follow my logic. The very first AIM gamef8ker was trumped by gamem8ker herself. From that point on she would have known that form of communication would be tainted from that point on. The same logic has to apply to the blogs of course. Mine is real. I've never lied or tried to mislead. We have known for sometime that ourcolony.blogspot doesn't belong to gamem8ker. However we also know it is safe and is a good source of information. Any other blog that would claim to be gamem8ker. Oh, come now silly. Then what is OurColony.net for if not to deliver her message and confirm what is real?

To be a little more clear on this subject. I'll make a clear statement:

All gamem8kers using AIM or most any chat service : Fake, all of them, past, present & future!

All Blogger that claim to be the real gamem8ker : Fake, all of them, past, present & future!

To gamem8ker:

I'm pretty sure you understand it would still be easy to undo what it is that I'm trying. I'm being backed into a corner. You made me there representative, with no other instruction. The rest they figured out. They lean on me to continue my task. To be some conduit to you. Until you return I guess I'll have to stay a sentinel of sorts. Watching to report your every move. I did my best to turn over my role, but too many feel it's not over. My job for you is done, now I work for them.

Only you know how to really contact me.

Look somebody figured it out.

Looks like one of the colony found a little something in Forza

I'm still watching.....

I hope you are not up to your old tricks again. I can't stop you. However I can watch you and report what I see.

Keym8ker was last online today at 6:13:47PM EST for only a few minutes.

Oddly enough, just after this name signed off, just look who would show.

M8ker 360 signs on at 6:18:14PM EST....

Don't mess with the Colony. They have been nothing but good to me. I have to watch them get angry, while you try and confuse. I hope they no longer trust you. We have seen what damage you have done.

What are they ON about?

Very, very early yesterday morning, I had this strange video dropped ON me. Well after watching it I was shocked and amazed. Could it be real? Am I seeing a longtime dream come true? I looked into and discovered that I could have been fooled. Turns out that someone owned up to this "fake video." It was said it was made to make a statement about the industry today. Well I heard it loud and clear. It was answering a wish I had had since I was a small child. Maybe that's why I wanted to believe it so bad. Well today much to my surprize, the rumor has found new legs. Now Engadget has posted a note on it to. Have we seen everything that they (Ninten-to-do.)

I spoke too quickly...

I have trouble meandering through the English language. I think yesterday I may have spoken too quickly. So in this case I'll leave what I have to say to a greater man than I.

I did a quick search before pulling out his books. Just to see what was out there of his online. First page I hit. It sent a chill down my spine. There it was, the one I was looking for. Very first one. Please don't look for clues. This was written by my grandfather. He has always inspired me.



The Window Of Awareness

A few blinks through the window of awareness
And we think we know the truth of what we've seen.
But we only guess at much of what we witness
For dust and grime distort our viewing screen.

We know not the degree of the distortion;
Commerce beclouds a hazy, narrow view.
Still we will argue out of firm conviction
That what we think we've seen, is absolutely true!

We make assumptions, and choose a style of living
(We must work to earn our daily bread)
But we cannot satisfy a vague misgiving
That what we've seen, was not correctly read.

We are too quick to judge another's picture
When we can, only darkly, see our own.
God, alone, can remove the stricture
To a better vision of the known.

When daylight fades into the dark
May we no longer be opposed,
And each be berthed upon the ark
When the door is closed.

- Raymond F. Rogers.

This has stopped being fun.

To those of you, whom I feel something is owed. Ignore these words.
To those of you, whom feel I gave nothing back. This is for you.

I do believe you may be right. I gave nothing to you.
I meant to share no feelings of joy. Well, not to you.
I didn't try hard to see all I could. Well, not for you.

Didn't let my dyslexsia keep me from trying.
The fact that I never have done it, keep me from writing.
Never did it before, "Look mom now, I'm flying."

I don't understand. This has been hard. What if it was you?
I did all I could. My life almost a wreck. Still not enough for you?
I didn't do it for me, I certainly didn't do it for you?




I know this is rash, but the hate keeps on coming. I need to make a retreat. My feelings can't take it. Besides I said once. The colony is and has always been in your hands. Well everyone but YOU.

*I will continua to keep this blog up-to-date, but now only for friends and family

Los- Since it is your belief that I have made no good contribution. Then I don't understand why I would allow you to do the same to my part of this story. Please discontinue posting to my blog. Thank you.

Spoilers?

I hate this feeling. I really meant no harm. It's suddenly being discovered by me that there are some that are very unhappy. I'm shocked to find that there are those that have read all this only as my egos boasting. I tried to explain this blog's true intention.

I was held to a responsibility by countless many. I did everything I could to exceed this request. I tired to share the adventure to possibly enhance yours. There wasn't but so much I could do. I have limited resources.

Having been given no guidance in what was to be expected. I began feeling a sense of desperation. Did I really know what to do? How do I Represent? Left to my imagination I found only one choice. I asked myself if I was enough like you. I thought the answer was, yes. So I tried to do what you would. I had some fun, and learned all I could. I also believed that this ride could continue if I played my cards right. Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, "Does this really have to end?" Yes, I did meet someone but nothing is ever guaranteed. This is the future mission to which I have spoken. A line must be drawn somewhere between this story and that.

Having all this in mind. I thought it unfair that I continue. I was already greatly rewarded. Much more than any of you will know. In contrast to the tone of most of this declaration. I wish to share with you the gift that I found that no one could have known to ask for. The one that makes my eyes shed away years of not seeing anything special. Even now while finish this statement. It becomes hard to choke back the power of this sensation.

I have been given the gift of thousands of friends. So many have said things I never felt I would ever deserve. With this world of ours you must chose your words carefully. With that short disclaimer. I wish you all peace, love, wisdom, knowledge, and health or if you prefer it said this way, "All of God's graces."

There was one last thing. I want to point out a beautiful post. This alone tells me that my efforts were not completely in vain. This person really grasped how this has effected me and my view of the future.

Paul said...

I grasp at each second, trying to suck it dry: nothing happens which I do not seize, which I do not fix forever in myself, nothing, neither the tender fugitive of those lovely eyes, nor the noises of the street, nor the false dawn of early morning: and even so the minute passes and I do not hold it back, I like to see it pass.All of the sudden something breaks off sharply. The adventure is over, time resumes its daily routine. I turn; behind me, this beautiful melodious form sinks entirely into the past. It grows smaller, contracts as it declines, and now the end makes one with the beginning. Following this gold spot with my eyes I would think I would accept--even if I had to risk death, ,lose a fortune, a friend--to live it all over again, in the same circumstances, from end to end. But and adventure never returns nor is prolonged
-From Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

Thank you for this beautiful contibution to my blog.

Feels like baseball

AIM: Gamem8ker, then m8ker 360, now keym8ker makes three

There is still those who play fair. Could we just let them be?

Why?

Ok, first things first. Most of you want to know the details of my trip. This is the most difficult of the topics to speak on. I will do my best to be as clear as I can with this.

I’m not going to go over the events that got the Gamem8kers attention. All of that can be read here. I was posting every step I took as I was taking them.

Now onto the phone call and why I was forced to keep my involvement under wraps. The first thing she told me was that this all had to stay a secret. I was then told the message that I was to give to the colony. Once I had delivered the message the phone rang again. This time it was a gentleman. I was told a driver would pick me up at my front door at 5am sharp on May the 5th. I was told that everything was prearranged, and plane tickets would be waiting for me at the airport. After a long flight (My first,) I landed at LAX. As I was leaving the airport I was greeted by another driver who tossed me into the limo and rushed me off to my hotel. This is where my instructions end. I was told to make a call to my “handlers” in LA. I believed that they would know what I was to do next. I was to find out that this was only partially correct.

I placed a call to one of my contacts there. She informed me that I was to make my way to the first “event” by 3pm. I made it to the Roosevelt Hotel with a half hour to spare. So I began to search out my two contacts. Maybe they would know just why I was there. I was soon to discover it was more of a mystery to them than it was for me.

I soon discovered that no one at this first event had any idea of why I was there. They didn’t know that my being there had been arranged. There were other “winners” at this event but they had no relation to the colony. They had been invited by my second contact. As soon as he and my other contact arrived I pulled them both aside for a little game of twenty questions. Basically, all they had been told was, to place my name on all the guest lists. The first event was mostly marketing stuff. It was meant as a chance for a few of the LA area gamers to meet and give interviews. These interviews may or may not show up on XBOX.com. (I had some pretty bad jetlag so if I rambled in it. I’m sorry.) I was asked to do only one thing outside of this group of winners. A photo shoot of me out on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Wow I felt like a rock star for like three hours.)

As the time came for the second “event,” I found myself with even more questions and NO answers. I then was taken to the second event. While approaching the Avalon Spider Club, I felt my first wave of fear. Fear that I didn’t truly understand my mission and would fail the colony.

Upon entering the club it suddenly dawned on me what I had to do. I was sent with the goal of representing the colony. That’s just what I intended on doing. I spent a little while mingling with the celebrities. However I just couldn’t allow this or the open bar to distract me from my goal. I do believe I was successful but the details of this will have to wait for another time.

In conclusion:

I am left with many burning questions.. Why was I chosen? Why was I handed such a huge responsibility? Why was I left out in the cold from the very beginning.

This leads me to my current mission. I will uncover Gamem8ker. I will have the answer to my question. “Why?”

I need to take a breath.

Time has about come for me to come clean with everything that I know. Over the next few weeks as the "truth" of my involvement with OurColony.net comes to light. I hope that it becomes clear to you all why I need to still be carefull how I reveal this "truth". Some of you will find this kind of shocking and maybe a little disappointing. My wish is that you all find it as ironic and funny as I have. More on this subject soon.

Now to address those who wish to know what I was able to discover about the XBOX360. Most of the official specifications have been posted. So please look around first. However, there is much that I was able to learn that they may or may not want me to talk about. To handle these questions I feel it best I do this in a public fashion. So please drop me an email or comment so I can go through them and answer at once rather than over and over. I will not be answering questions that I have already publicly answered either here or elsewhere. I also will not answer questions about technical specs if those questions have already been answered somewhere else.

It was amazing to watch the different gaming communities come together to play out this little drama. I would hate to see this just dissolve. I have taken the time to create an OurColony Friendster group. I will be taking applications from anyone who would like to take over ownership of this group, as I just will not have time to maintain it in the coming months. With this I would like to invite you all to join my personal friendster network and or the OurColony group of friends that will hopefully form there. I hope we can use this as a method to keep in touch, and pass along any leads on future Colony sightings. *Link to my friendster network at the bottom of page.

I said I would have a treat, but it looks like someone beat me to it. I dug as hard as I could to find something I could use to give back to everyone that made this happen for me. It turns out that just about the time this was being whispered in my ear it was hitting the net. Most of you have seen this. And I was able to find TeamXbox already talking about it in the forums. Well It is true. It is in the code. I can't tell you how to make it work. Or why the code to do this is still in the game. *Sometimes you just have to keep something secret to protect other people.

Since that turned out to be such a bust I'm going to host a few of my own little challenges from my blog soon. I plan to give away some of the swag I picked up while I was in LA. Look for those soon.

In the meantime why don't you guys go back through my blog, comment on my little timewasters and riddles. I might just give something away to the person/s that posts the most clever comments and/or correct answers to my "riddles" I'll keep the blog up-to-date as often as I can.

You guys made it happen!

Please understand that as all of this draws to a close. Many requests are being made to speak with me. I will do this as best I can. In the very near future. As of right now my gag order still stands. (You guys are free to talk about the XBOX360 alot more than I am at the moment.) So please don't ask. I was at the MTV taping and you might be able to spot me if you look close.

I also promiss this. You havn't heard the last from THX8612.

Hey look everybody! I'm on TV!

Congratz everyone. knew you could do it all along! Now I'm going to sit back and watch to.

OurColony Reward -Stream- -Zip-

XBOX360 info on XBOX.com

XBOX360 official site

The answer is right in front of you. It’s time to pull back the curtain and reveal the truth.

What is the unlock code? Start from the beginning

I remember the hot Carolina afternoons. We would sit and watch, The Court Jester, The inspector General, or countless others. All the while you found ways to inspire me. To learn, to question, to find my passion. I owe so much to you. My only wish has been to be as kind and as humble as you. I think I'm beginning to understand how Walter felt.

I love you grand-daddy

I know that the next couple are not flashy or anything, but these two are for me. 

"Ok, people let's try this one more time. And Wonder Women, can you at least look like you wouldn't rather be anywhere else?"  

Yes that's right folks! It's time for our last and most difficult round of count the wierdos. For an extra point which hero is repeated?

*Well it also looks like I lost the game of "How many can you get in one photo."

This was another one of those, "Man I know that house from somewhere." Oh, and I took like 10 pics of this house and that guy managed to get in every single one. 

Sometimes you read with your eyes, sometimes you read with... 

Your part in any story will only be as big as YOU make it.

Most of you have put a lot of work into discovering the truth. I've told you before that neither I or gamem8ker would ever hold one above another. However some of you believe that only few will be "chosen." This is not true. There was only one singled out of the crowd. But, only to represent the colony until the moment you had the key. This time has come.

A piece was almost missed, but now you have them all. Almost lost, if it were not for one brave soul. I have no rewards. All that I can do is share with you all the adventure that he had.

Here is a statement he made for this blog:

I found out about this challenge being in Chicago last night so I was pretty dedicated to do it as soon as I woke up. The problem is I had work, so from about 9 - 10:30 I was working. At 10:30 a.m. I ran next door to Staples and got some iron-on paper. Junk22 made me a really cool TeamXbox logo for the back, and I used the Our Colony ant for the front. You can see the shirt here (http://www.cafepress.com/lukepickard) I?m letting anyone who wants one buy it at no profit to myself. Well, about 10:55 my half ironed on shirt, and I went to navy pier, with a pocket pc/phone, ipod, and camera, on me. Glad I didn?t get mugged, they?d have been rich. Got there around 11 and started walking around seeing if any other colonist were there. If they were they sure weren?t very obvious. I got on the phone with 2 guys from the board (gave me there phone numbers the night before) K1LLTACULAR, and Junk22. I try to see if they can see me. Obviously this tourist based website isn?t used to hosting as many people as were on today, so they were obviously having problems seeing me. But finally we verified they saw me, and the waiting game was on. I noticed a middle aged woman there with a larger (studio looking) camera. Didn?t think much of it at the time, but now I think I may should?ve said something to her. Well at about 12:00 a barbershop trio got in front of the stage and began playing their instruments (baritone, clarinet, and banjo.) After about 30 seconds of playing, a guy with the build of Elijah Wood got up on stage behind them. He began shouting, ?I HAVE THE ANSWER. THE ANSWER IS HUMAN ENERGY.? Then he turned the other direction and again said, ?THE ANSWER IS HUMAN ENERGY.? He walk around as to be looking for other colony onlookers. He walked by me to get out and I caught his attention and asked, ?Can you speak to us?? He ignored me and went on his way. Remember all this time I was on the phone, and taking pictures / movies. He began to walk toward the exit, and then proceeded to use his cell phone. He turned around when he put it to his ear and looked at me, and noticed I was filming him. Then turned back around and proceeded to exit the facility. I wasn?t going to follow him considering he probably would?ve thought I was weird, and I believe if he wanted to tell me anything else he would?ve done so when I asked. Anyways the entire txb crew has looked over and ?examined? I should say all my movies and pics. Your welcome too as well? I have them on my site? www.lukeandalyona.com/teamxbox.html The movies are below the pics. You are welcome to use any of them in your blog. I have about 50 people added to my msn, and that I work with on new clues (like the ones in your post). But everyone has been really great, I can only hope more of these things happen in Chicago so that I can contribute more.

He would also like to thank you for all for the donations made to his paypal account. However he feels that this is not why he made this effort. It was for the Colony. Any donations made to his account have been and will be donated to the Walgreen's Breast Cancer fund.
http://www.walgreens.com/about/community/default.jhtml

Just another place we went Friday night. We just got handed tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live. You can even spot us in the audience. 

This was the view from my hotel room the morning I left for home. Ah, the West Hollywood Hills, Mullhuland Dr. 

This is a pic I took from the roof of the hotel. In the bottom left is a world famous Hot Dog place that we ate at twice.  

Well ok. It was just next door. Only had to walk to my hotel room from there. 

Hey look, I'm Walken on the wild side *yes I know that is cheesy 

I belive I have understood my role.
To represent for all that play.
To stand beside all those who would learn.

As the clock continues winding down.
Like a soft whisper in the wind.
I will become part of a long forgotten tale.

As OurColony nears it's goal.
I'm left dreaming of an earlier day.
Still wondering what there was to earn.

Real tears fall to the ground.
As this ride comes to it's end,
I watch hoping, I did not fail.

Thank you all,
Beau Williams/THX8612

A true Puppet Master 

This building is just so beautiful on the inside. 

Alot of you wanted to know what the flight was llike. This was my first time on a plane that didn't have wooden parts. It was like I had never been on a roller coaster before.... Had a pain in my neck from looking out the window the whole ride. 

A few of you asked, :"Did they put you up in the Motel 6?" This is the Hyatt W. Hollywood On Sunset St. This is an easy question. Who's bar is it in this hotel? and What happened next door on May 6th the friday night I had All to myself? 

I've always wanted to hang out at that place. Oh, well maybe next time. lol 

I have no answers. I have no puzzles. Any questions I pose on my blog are just meant for fun.
The AIM gamem8ker is fake. If you continue to allow him to confuse, I'm afraid you will be done.

As time draws short, you will need your focus. Don't forget what you have learned.
Keep your eyes on the clock, don't miss the signs. You will soon have the key to what you have earned.

More photos from the trip, and odd ramblings.

Um guys,.... Guys! psssst. "Come here." Look, check this out. There is a much shorter line back in my home town. And here is the real cool part about it. It's actually going to be shown at that theater! Your In The Wrong Line!!! One more quick one for you. What does it say across the front of the "shelter" that they put up?

I walk up to this one and bang, "Don't I know this from somewhere?" Help me out. What is this building. What is it for? Has it ever been used on TV or in a movie?
 

To me this looks like a Getty design. Now the real funny thing is, what it is the top of. Can anyone tell me the name of the building, what is on the sign that is on this side of the building? What is it parked on top of?

I really managed to get around for just one day.

I said these would be posted out of order. I can't just show you guys everything. So, here is another one I just know you guys are going to eat up. It was the end of my last night in LA. We had a great day wondering the streets. We even got to go sit in the audience at Jimmy Kimmel Live. Well it was getting real late and we had a pretty early flight out the next morning, so we wanted some sleep. "No, no, no!" Says the almighty FLOOR GUY! I know I spent a good 10 minutes trying to wake floor guy up so I could pour him back into his room. Then the hotel security guy pops up. Giggling like a little girl. Well he somehow managed to get floor guy up and trust me on this one to, I knew exactly which room this guy belonged in. I even got to bump into the guy that thought it would be so funny to lock floor dude out. "See I told you I was going to post this on the net" I only have one final thing to say about this. ROCK ON FLOOR DUDE, ROCK ON We love you man!

There are so many of you that want to know so much about the night of the "event." I want you all to believe me. I want to tell you everything I know. That in mind I can't, and I refuse to. Don't you think it would spoil it for everyone? I do want to share this. With everyone who was nice enough to ask. How I was on the trip? Was I scared to fly? I didn't have any trouble along the way. I can say this. I did need to have the hotel nurse look after me when I got back to my room the night of the 5th. I am glad to say that, I should be back in shape in about 3-6 days.

Ok, ladies and gentleman. You begged you cried. You made some ideal threats. So, I bring you count the weirdos round two! 

Ok, this may sound crazy. But that elephant is bigger than my house. Someone back me up here. 

Man, I love this guy. My buddy and I ran into him a total of four times on while I was there. I'm a good tipper and belief it or not knew just who this guy was on sight. I had some time after getting off the plane. So I took a shower and went down to the front desk to see if the "car" was ready. LOL, they kept opening doors for me. I felt almost famous. Once I had arrived at the first "venue," I realized that I had shown up for the party in true nerd fashion. Early!

So I went to check out, Hollywood Blvd. Ran into this guy for the first time. He asked our names. We told him. He began to do his thing and earn every penny he got for me and my buddy for the next two days. Now here's the funny part. Everything we would run into him he would forget who we were. Now I understand this 100% he talks to 100's of people everyday. But this was over and over the same day, and no matter what or how we said it. He would transpose our names. Now, who is he?