*authors note* I plan on making a you tube video of this script, but I wanted to get it out there first
So there is a debate raging on in the Battletech community currently, and it is one that seems to pop up every once in a while. Should Battletech be considered a What You See Is What You Get style miniatures game?
The reason this debate has popped up again is three fold. First off the introductory box released a little over two years ago by Catalyst Game Labs contained 24 plastic Mech Miniatures. These Mechs were not made of the best quality materiels but provided a decent visual aid for new players to build interest in the game beyond the box set. There are now mutterings of a Clan Expansion box set to be released hopefully sometime in the next year, that will include more plastic minis.
Secondly Catalyst is working with a second Miniatures company, along with Iron Wind Metals to release relatively inexpensive, High-quality plastic miniatures. These minis are suppoused to be of even beter quality then those of Games Workshops Warhammer and 40K lines.
Finally Battletech is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Between people brought in from the Now Defunct Wizkids Mechwarrior Game, and converts from War Machine and Warhammer 40K, the Battletech player base has increased substantially over the past four or so years.
All of these are contributing to an ever popular demand to make it so that when playing Battletech on the table top, the minis you play with on the table are the Mechs you are actually using. But will this become the official way Battletech tournaments are played?
Before I begin my editorial on this subject I would like to say that catalyst has already officially spoken on the matter. At the beginning of every major rule book they state that the use of Proxies in their game, is not only allowed, but encouraged. While to some this means using any mini for any Mech, many catalyst have taken it a step further by suggesting coins, bottle caps, and even scraps of Post Its for game play purposes.
So really, the debate is moot and we should all give it up, and delay by an infinitesimal amount, the eventual heat death of the universe.
I on the other hand, wish to be a loudmouthed prick, and speak my mind about the practicality of Battletech as a WYSIWYG game.
What You See Is What You Get is a common practice in many table top war games. These range from the Warhammer universe, known for its players strict adherence to the WYSIWYG policy as it is for the expense involved in the game. There is Warmachine and hoards where Proxies are possible but not practical, and then we have a few games like Catan where WYSWIG is necessary but also not an issue thanks to the materials provided in the game.
Battletech however is inherently different. Like other games, the forces you can deploy are inherently fluid, and can even be determined randomly. There is also a hypothetical ideal in the universe that every faction involved has access to any and all war materiels that ever existed in the universe, provided you are willing to spend the right amount of in game money. That means that each nation has access to at least 500 different BattleMechs and over 2000 configurations alone. When we get into tanks, aircraft, space craft, and infantry the combinations literally get to numerous to count.
This makes Battletech unique in that it does not force a player to commit to one nation or faction in order to play. Unlike Warhammer 40K where it would cost a fortune to multi task, or Flames of War, were personal history and nostalgia, along with a love of flavor permit a person to commit to one nation or force, Battletech not only allows but ENCOURAGES the player to play as a nation one game, and then another nation the next.
The kicker is that most of the machines available in Battletech lack serious stylistic distinction. with that in mind, how can you even be certain that your lance fits the flavor of the Magistracy of Canopus, or the Free Rasalhauge Republic . The current bad guy of the Battletech Universe, if there ever was such a thing as a bad guy, the Word of Blake, not only have their own special war materiel, but they also use and abuse war materiel from every corner of the galaxy, even the Clans, who keep a pretty tight rein on their war machines.
The second issue I want you to consider is economics. Again I have to refer to Games Workshops properties in this case. A typical basic unit of soliders, like the Space Marine Tactical Squad, will cost you 35 dollars and buy you ten models. If we go to Iron Wind metals website, we find that the same amount of money will by you anywhere from 2 to 5 models depending on what you purchase. While a typical Battletech game is four Mechs on four Mechs, thus making this price point not a problem, it does not change the fact that you, under a WYSIWYG game would be forced to use those same four Mechs over and over. Then what happens if you want to use two of the same Mech in a game but do not have two of that Mechs miniature? Suddenly a game that is well designed for players on a budget becomes really expensive really fast, all because of the demands of a few nerds that do not care about thier credit score.
Now a Typical WYSIWYG player’s response is “man up, you are supporting the game.” I tend to hear this mostly from Games Workshop converts. This is where I want to point out that that statement is only half right. Battletech is produced, on a very real basis, by two separate companies. Catalyst game labs produces the rules, art, and fiction for the universe. A second company Iron Wind Metals, produces the Metal Miniatures for the game. Now I am a fan of both companies… But I would argue you support the GAME more by purchasing Catalysts books and rules then Ironwinds Minis. In either case Catalyst makes money from the purchase of either, thanks to License agreements, but the “man up” argument deserves a counter
After a 1100 dollar a month mortgage payment nearly 400 in associated bills (gas power water) and 200 in groceries, I have around 200 dollars a month in “free” cash, and on occasion that has to go towards things like buying clothes for my wife, son and myself, or fixing a car, house etc. I also have other hobbies like Video games and movies to feed, and a credit card I need to pay off. Sometimes “supporting the game” is a secondary concern.
It should also come to light that you are only really supporting the game if you buy from your game store or from Iron Wind directly if you buy minis. Purchasing from ebay, particularly older or out of date miniatures, usually means that Catalyst (or its predecessors FASA or Fanpro) already got their money out of it and you are lining a third parties pocket. Compund that with the fact that catalyst makes its money from the Game Books, and only gets a small residual from Miniatures sales, THAT argument is false out the gate.
Another piece to consider is a small bit of technology in the Battletech universe called Omni-Tech. First introduce by the Clans in 1991, Omni-Mechs, and later Omni-Tanks, and Omni-fighters (and to a limited extent Omni Battle Armor) gives a war machine completely modular capability, permitting a the same machine to be outfitted one way, and then over night be deployed with an entirely different load out the next day, much like how an F-15 can be equipped as a light bomber on one sortie, then an Air Superiority fighter the next. Under this prevalent technology, some players would either have to have upwards of nine copies of a single Mech to cover every different configuration of an Omni-Mech, and then need to do it twice or three times in case they want to field more then one of those Mechs.
As well there are variations of non OmniMechs that are done in factory (or sometimes jerry rigged in the field) are you going to force me to SHOW you that that Hammerhands mini is in fact the 5D as opposed to the 3D model? WYSWIG Gamers usually will bend about this and say “only so far as the base chassis.” But I call that a cop out to promote their ideology. But then the problem is compounded by another issue. There are many miniatures that have been out of production for years, sometimes over a decade. There are also several other designs that have been taken out of production, so that purchasing new means having to pay a premium.
Well what if I wish to play with one of these designs? Am I shit out of luck because I was not into the miniatures side of the hobby back then? If you allow me to sub, lets say a Dervish mini to represent an Apollo, then the whole WYSIWYG argument goes out the window to demanding that you play with miniatures only instead of paperboard cutouts, and that is another debate all together.
If all of these concerns were not enough, I have a practical matter for you. Battletech Minis are both fragile and heavy. I have lost count how often I have had to glue on the same damned arm to a Berserker mini of mine. Figuring out how to store and transport minis is a pain in the ass and carries its own expense with it. I for example have literally more Mechs then I have items to hold them in. Some are languishing in foam lined cardboard boxes as a result. I am not proud, but I have run out of materials to put them in. In a WYSIWYG play environment, the problem becomes compounded because I will need to haul it all to location A, in case I want to play a particular Mech on a last second whim.
For me the bottom line in the WYSIWYG debate is simple. We have a side of the Battletech player community who wants to show off their toys, and compare them to other peoples. It is part of the imaginary ownership that players and fan of any universe claim when they adhere to their random form of nerdness, and their desire to be offended that others do not take it seriously. The next step from WYSIWYG will be players demanding that other players claim ownership of a particular faction in the universe (where there are over 50 recorded factions alone), and then after that would be claiming and painting all of your minis in a particular military unit within the faction. While the argument is incumbent on the slippery slope fallacy, I would like to think I had already addressed well and good the ridiculousness of the issue at hand in order to indulge in it.
My personal take on the whole issue is this. Nothing supports a game better then playing it. That means butts in seats, dice in hand. Whether it is with miniatures, cardstock cut outs, or bottle caps and bobby pins I don’t care. Battletech is a game designed to be as simple or as complicated as you wish, so there is no real sense in trying to be exclusionary when someone wants to play the game with you, but has not shown the same kind of commitment you have. You could be missing out on making a good friend, or at the least a hell of a challenging game.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
BRUTAL LEGEND
I have been an avid video gamer since I was about 3 years old. I have previously waxed poetic about the fact that my childhood doctor prescribed a Nintendo to develop my fine motor skills, which were sub par in my youth. 23 years of solid video gaming under my belt I feel I have some chops to speak my mind about games.
Recently a man widely regarded as a Genuis of Video game writing name Tim Schaffer released a product called Brutal Legend. With Umlats over the U to show that the game does not mess around. The story revolves around a Rhoadie for a Punk/Metal/Pop fusion band who wishes to be part of a world where the metal was much more pure.
“You mean like the Seventies?”
“No man. Even earlier, like the early Seventies”
Anyway a stage accident occurs and stuff happens where he is transported to a mystical land that seems to be made off nothing but Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Megatdeath Albums. Plot commences and it is good.
The game was met with a lot of anticipation, and the sales are through the roof. Voice acting provided by Jack Black, Tim Curry, Kyle Glass and Jennifer Hale are supplemented with the likes of such legends as Lemmy Kilmeister, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Ozzy mother fuckin Osborne. The script is excellent, even if the writing is suitable for a cheesy fantasy animated film.
What has gotten the game the most flak, after drowning out the religious nut-jobs who object to profanity and music in any form, is the game play. While nominally a third person adventure and exploration game, in order to advance the storyline you have to commit to these Real Time Strategy “Stage Battles” a portion of the game that was very well hidden from the press until review copies were sent out. Even I will admit that it is a tedious and overwhelmingly dull aspect of the entire game, BUT I am also a gamer who can ignore crappy game play if the story is good.
And this is the first game since Full Throttle that Tim Schaffer has done with a well thought out and excellent story (yes, I know about Psychonaughts, It did not do anything for me.) it is like the criticisms of the Halo series, who all have generic and mediocre game play, but make up for it in writing and music.
And I thin that is what is not connecting to gamers. The medium of video games has matured, and as a result we can now have complex and compelling stories that reach beyond “Thank you Mario, but our princess is in another castle.”
There are games out there where you can be good or evil, anti heros are praised , and in one series case (overlord) you ARE the bad guy. Some of the worst games of all time, like Bullet Witch, have had stories that compelled me to complete them, and some of the most repetive games ever, like Assassin’s Creed, milk those with certain educations and hobbies for all they are worth.
To often the gamer community is willing to label the title of “bad game” to something that plays poorly, or deviates from its predisesscors. Mario Brothers 2, Zelda 2, and Castlevania 2 all deviated from their predecessors, and had poor gameplay, but the so affected the mythos by their storylines that they provide certain Staples to their series.
Mario 2 brought the Shyguys, Birdo, and Mini games to their series. Casltevania 2 allowed for open world play, RPG elements, and Equipment menus that Dracula X and Rondo of Blood would not have existed without. Zelda 2 complete altered the mythology of the Zelda Series by introducing the idea of the Triforce as a Triple Entity, as well as permitting a completely bizarre timeline.
Critics need to back off the game play element and look at video games as a media experience. While once in a while we will get the next gen equivalent of Dr Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, I think more and more often we will have hidden treasures like the Duck Tales on the NES, B.O.B or Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the SNES, or just about every Capcom made fighter on the Dreamcast.
Recently a man widely regarded as a Genuis of Video game writing name Tim Schaffer released a product called Brutal Legend. With Umlats over the U to show that the game does not mess around. The story revolves around a Rhoadie for a Punk/Metal/Pop fusion band who wishes to be part of a world where the metal was much more pure.
“You mean like the Seventies?”
“No man. Even earlier, like the early Seventies”
Anyway a stage accident occurs and stuff happens where he is transported to a mystical land that seems to be made off nothing but Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Megatdeath Albums. Plot commences and it is good.
The game was met with a lot of anticipation, and the sales are through the roof. Voice acting provided by Jack Black, Tim Curry, Kyle Glass and Jennifer Hale are supplemented with the likes of such legends as Lemmy Kilmeister, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Ozzy mother fuckin Osborne. The script is excellent, even if the writing is suitable for a cheesy fantasy animated film.
What has gotten the game the most flak, after drowning out the religious nut-jobs who object to profanity and music in any form, is the game play. While nominally a third person adventure and exploration game, in order to advance the storyline you have to commit to these Real Time Strategy “Stage Battles” a portion of the game that was very well hidden from the press until review copies were sent out. Even I will admit that it is a tedious and overwhelmingly dull aspect of the entire game, BUT I am also a gamer who can ignore crappy game play if the story is good.
And this is the first game since Full Throttle that Tim Schaffer has done with a well thought out and excellent story (yes, I know about Psychonaughts, It did not do anything for me.) it is like the criticisms of the Halo series, who all have generic and mediocre game play, but make up for it in writing and music.
And I thin that is what is not connecting to gamers. The medium of video games has matured, and as a result we can now have complex and compelling stories that reach beyond “Thank you Mario, but our princess is in another castle.”
There are games out there where you can be good or evil, anti heros are praised , and in one series case (overlord) you ARE the bad guy. Some of the worst games of all time, like Bullet Witch, have had stories that compelled me to complete them, and some of the most repetive games ever, like Assassin’s Creed, milk those with certain educations and hobbies for all they are worth.
To often the gamer community is willing to label the title of “bad game” to something that plays poorly, or deviates from its predisesscors. Mario Brothers 2, Zelda 2, and Castlevania 2 all deviated from their predecessors, and had poor gameplay, but the so affected the mythos by their storylines that they provide certain Staples to their series.
Mario 2 brought the Shyguys, Birdo, and Mini games to their series. Casltevania 2 allowed for open world play, RPG elements, and Equipment menus that Dracula X and Rondo of Blood would not have existed without. Zelda 2 complete altered the mythology of the Zelda Series by introducing the idea of the Triforce as a Triple Entity, as well as permitting a completely bizarre timeline.
Critics need to back off the game play element and look at video games as a media experience. While once in a while we will get the next gen equivalent of Dr Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, I think more and more often we will have hidden treasures like the Duck Tales on the NES, B.O.B or Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the SNES, or just about every Capcom made fighter on the Dreamcast.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Biggest issue in Battletech.
As I have established in previous blog entries, I am a huge fan of a game called Battletech. I have been familiar with the game since I was six, and been a player/collector of stuff since I was eleven or twelve.
Battletech has over the course of its twenty five years of existence had one giant albatross hanging over it. The original artwork and designs for the giant effing robots that are the heart of the story were images that originally belonged to Japanese Manga and Anime properties. Most famously are a series of twelve designs from a show called Super-Dimension Fortress Macross, better known as Robotech in the United States. There were also other designs take from the Animes Crusher Joe and Fang of the Sun Dougram as well.
Most people would scream plagiarism at this, but keep in mind; these images were actually licensed by the game company FASA. However, in circa 1996, there was some confusion. In 1985 a company called harmony gold began airing episodes of Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada under the united title of Robotech. Further Playmates was Harmony Gold merchandising partner in this endeavor, producing (often reproduction of Japanese toys) Robotech toys. There was little interaction between FASA and Harmony gold until 1996 when playmates started producing figures for a similar but entirely separate toy line called ExoSquad. FASA brought suit to Playmates indicating that many of the Exo-Squad toys were derived from or outright copies of Battlemechs FASA had made that were NOT part of the licensed images. Playmates countersued over the licensed images in turn.
The end result of this was that confusion over United States versus Japanese licensing and copyright protection put FASA in legal jeopardy. While no one really one the lawsuits, FASA had Resolved the issue of the licensed images by removing the artwork from the universe. Because of their status of “being there, but not visible” these images had earned the nickname “the unseen” by Battletech fans.
Fast forward to 2003, FANPRO, then the current Battletech holders, created a book called “Project Phoenix” as part of the games technical readout series. Instead of creating new mech, the artist Chris Lewis looked at the unseen and recreated them in a new way that paid homage to the original licensed artwork, but were original enough to avoid legal issue. This book, as far as I can tell, has been the most controversial in Battletech history (I could be wrong).
As a fan I loved these new looks of the old classics. I could see the natural evolution between new and old, just as I can seen the differences between an F-18, and an F/A-18G. not everyone in the Battletech community was grateful however. While most fans were at the least pragmatic, there were some who treated these “ReSeen” with open distain. For example here is a quote from the Battletech message boards dated 09/22/2009.
“The new ones simply should not have been named OST-ANYTHING.
Have the Damn factory that builds the designs destroyed in Universe.
Have someone steal and/or destroy the plans for the designs entirely.
BUT DON'T NAME SOMETHING OST THAT DOES NOT LOOK OST!
And they don't feel OST either. Completely changed Mechs!
New Armor, New internal Structure, New Engine, New Weaponsloadout.
So if i make a new mech that has Leg-Joints between Torso and Arms, i can call it locust even if it is 100t heavy and carries more armor and firepower than a Daishi?
I call shenanigans on most of the Phoenix-Designs. There are only one or two i like better i think. If you make something in the image of something else, it had better have SOME kind of semblance to the original!
Both in looks AND in Loadout . .
Don't get me started on the new Locust. I showed someone who has been with Battletech for over 10 years an image of one of the newer Locusts. And he said MARAUDER!
Because neither are the Legs Between torso and arms, nor is the laser BELOW the torso. The Laser looks like the Marauders AC-Mount AND the Legs look like the Marauder Assembly too!
The old Machines had a bit more clunky to them, even if they had more biological looking chassis partly. . The new ones just . . look competely wrong in my eyes”
This is a quote from over five years after the fact. And he was complaining specifically about these two images.
Old Ostol
New Ostol
Now let us jump forward to 2009. Catalyst Game Labs (the Current holders of the franchise) had been working secretly behind the scenes, negotiating what was supposed to be Ironclad license holds to re-obtain the unseen images. Not for replacing the new Project phoenix products, but to get them to exist side by side. Again I refer to my F-18 vs. F/A-18G comparison. They had succeeded in the Crusher Joe and Dougram properties, as well as a negotiation with Victor Music Industries for original artwork that was produced “out of house” but was otherwise original Battletech work. The Macross/Robotech properties are still out of reach however.
This has created a debate in the Battletech fandom with two great big sides. One side, which seems to be the larger, is calling for the original artwork to be fully reintegrated into the battletech universe. This goes from one extreme of the unseen existing in a period only time frame, to the other of retcon, or in story get rid of the reseen.
The other, smaller side of the debate is calling for caution. Generally they too wish to see the original artwork placed in its appropriate spot in battletech canon, whether it is reproduction of original book and novel covers, or other nostalgic products. This side stops short of saying miniatures should be reproduced, and the unseen placed in current storylines and illustrations. A pilot in the year 3075 should just not be piloting a Warhammer mech that was built in 2980. Once again this side of the debate has its hard liners. For example a quote taken after the announcement that the Macross designs could not be obtained.
“good lord you guys, did you not learn anything from this entire debacle? just let them go already... you know the second IWM tries to do something some other company is going to come out of the wordwork to bite them in the ass. the other mechs designed by other companies were proactively declared unseen to keep this whole thing from ever happening again, and we were even given fantastic new models to replace the original 80s machines we took from other universes. huzzah, now my beloved Thunderbolt's mini doesn't blind me with it's sheer fuglyness, and it's a CBT original! and as an added bonus, mechs that already looked pretty decent, like the Battlemaster, now look totally badass. oh happy day!
but then, years later (that would be today), we grabbed some feathers, a jar of wax, and tried to get the old machines back. and did. woppdie-frickin'-do. still a very questionable call in my mind. in my heart of hearts, i just knew it isn't going to last. and guess what.
*clang*
*clang* *clang*
know what that sound is? as LiaoFan would say, that's the sound of our franchise once again being sodomized with a crowbar. before you knew it everyone 'round here was totally depressed, wondering what could have possibly led to that unforeseeable move by Harmony Gold. and now you guys want to dig yourselves even further down the hole?
obviously i can't stop you from spending your money on what you want... but come on, let'em go already. they've been replaced. it would be different if all of the unseen models were back, and there was some fluff about how the desperate Inner Sphere was even down to using the crap Succession Wars models again. but now we're back to only using a could specific Succession Wars models? and not even the really famous ones? come on. there are so many new projects in the pipe, waiting for work, don't clog it with this. after all, there have been enough sculpts from 1980 to sate the appetites of players for, well, ever.”
Like with partisans during the United States health care reform debate, people exerting this behavior are really doing it not to express their opinion so much as to hear themselves talk. And it is such a shame to with an issue that could bring such good fortune to a game that has found itself on the ropes so often, only to bounce back. I find myself on the side that favors the new, but I see the old as having its place, putting me smack in the middle. What shocks me more then anything else is how fans of a fictional universe can be so passionate about a small (but not unimportant) part of their fictional universe.
Battletech has over the course of its twenty five years of existence had one giant albatross hanging over it. The original artwork and designs for the giant effing robots that are the heart of the story were images that originally belonged to Japanese Manga and Anime properties. Most famously are a series of twelve designs from a show called Super-Dimension Fortress Macross, better known as Robotech in the United States. There were also other designs take from the Animes Crusher Joe and Fang of the Sun Dougram as well.
Most people would scream plagiarism at this, but keep in mind; these images were actually licensed by the game company FASA. However, in circa 1996, there was some confusion. In 1985 a company called harmony gold began airing episodes of Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada under the united title of Robotech. Further Playmates was Harmony Gold merchandising partner in this endeavor, producing (often reproduction of Japanese toys) Robotech toys. There was little interaction between FASA and Harmony gold until 1996 when playmates started producing figures for a similar but entirely separate toy line called ExoSquad. FASA brought suit to Playmates indicating that many of the Exo-Squad toys were derived from or outright copies of Battlemechs FASA had made that were NOT part of the licensed images. Playmates countersued over the licensed images in turn.
The end result of this was that confusion over United States versus Japanese licensing and copyright protection put FASA in legal jeopardy. While no one really one the lawsuits, FASA had Resolved the issue of the licensed images by removing the artwork from the universe. Because of their status of “being there, but not visible” these images had earned the nickname “the unseen” by Battletech fans.
Fast forward to 2003, FANPRO, then the current Battletech holders, created a book called “Project Phoenix” as part of the games technical readout series. Instead of creating new mech, the artist Chris Lewis looked at the unseen and recreated them in a new way that paid homage to the original licensed artwork, but were original enough to avoid legal issue. This book, as far as I can tell, has been the most controversial in Battletech history (I could be wrong).
As a fan I loved these new looks of the old classics. I could see the natural evolution between new and old, just as I can seen the differences between an F-18, and an F/A-18G. not everyone in the Battletech community was grateful however. While most fans were at the least pragmatic, there were some who treated these “ReSeen” with open distain. For example here is a quote from the Battletech message boards dated 09/22/2009.
“The new ones simply should not have been named OST-ANYTHING.
Have the Damn factory that builds the designs destroyed in Universe.
Have someone steal and/or destroy the plans for the designs entirely.
BUT DON'T NAME SOMETHING OST THAT DOES NOT LOOK OST!
And they don't feel OST either. Completely changed Mechs!
New Armor, New internal Structure, New Engine, New Weaponsloadout.
So if i make a new mech that has Leg-Joints between Torso and Arms, i can call it locust even if it is 100t heavy and carries more armor and firepower than a Daishi?
I call shenanigans on most of the Phoenix-Designs. There are only one or two i like better i think. If you make something in the image of something else, it had better have SOME kind of semblance to the original!
Both in looks AND in Loadout . .
Don't get me started on the new Locust. I showed someone who has been with Battletech for over 10 years an image of one of the newer Locusts. And he said MARAUDER!
Because neither are the Legs Between torso and arms, nor is the laser BELOW the torso. The Laser looks like the Marauders AC-Mount AND the Legs look like the Marauder Assembly too!
The old Machines had a bit more clunky to them, even if they had more biological looking chassis partly. . The new ones just . . look competely wrong in my eyes”
This is a quote from over five years after the fact. And he was complaining specifically about these two images.
Old Ostol
New Ostol
Now let us jump forward to 2009. Catalyst Game Labs (the Current holders of the franchise) had been working secretly behind the scenes, negotiating what was supposed to be Ironclad license holds to re-obtain the unseen images. Not for replacing the new Project phoenix products, but to get them to exist side by side. Again I refer to my F-18 vs. F/A-18G comparison. They had succeeded in the Crusher Joe and Dougram properties, as well as a negotiation with Victor Music Industries for original artwork that was produced “out of house” but was otherwise original Battletech work. The Macross/Robotech properties are still out of reach however.
This has created a debate in the Battletech fandom with two great big sides. One side, which seems to be the larger, is calling for the original artwork to be fully reintegrated into the battletech universe. This goes from one extreme of the unseen existing in a period only time frame, to the other of retcon, or in story get rid of the reseen.
The other, smaller side of the debate is calling for caution. Generally they too wish to see the original artwork placed in its appropriate spot in battletech canon, whether it is reproduction of original book and novel covers, or other nostalgic products. This side stops short of saying miniatures should be reproduced, and the unseen placed in current storylines and illustrations. A pilot in the year 3075 should just not be piloting a Warhammer mech that was built in 2980. Once again this side of the debate has its hard liners. For example a quote taken after the announcement that the Macross designs could not be obtained.
“good lord you guys, did you not learn anything from this entire debacle? just let them go already... you know the second IWM tries to do something some other company is going to come out of the wordwork to bite them in the ass. the other mechs designed by other companies were proactively declared unseen to keep this whole thing from ever happening again, and we were even given fantastic new models to replace the original 80s machines we took from other universes. huzzah, now my beloved Thunderbolt's mini doesn't blind me with it's sheer fuglyness, and it's a CBT original! and as an added bonus, mechs that already looked pretty decent, like the Battlemaster, now look totally badass. oh happy day!
but then, years later (that would be today), we grabbed some feathers, a jar of wax, and tried to get the old machines back. and did. woppdie-frickin'-do. still a very questionable call in my mind. in my heart of hearts, i just knew it isn't going to last. and guess what.
*clang*
*clang* *clang*
know what that sound is? as LiaoFan would say, that's the sound of our franchise once again being sodomized with a crowbar. before you knew it everyone 'round here was totally depressed, wondering what could have possibly led to that unforeseeable move by Harmony Gold. and now you guys want to dig yourselves even further down the hole?
obviously i can't stop you from spending your money on what you want... but come on, let'em go already. they've been replaced. it would be different if all of the unseen models were back, and there was some fluff about how the desperate Inner Sphere was even down to using the crap Succession Wars models again. but now we're back to only using a could specific Succession Wars models? and not even the really famous ones? come on. there are so many new projects in the pipe, waiting for work, don't clog it with this. after all, there have been enough sculpts from 1980 to sate the appetites of players for, well, ever.”
Like with partisans during the United States health care reform debate, people exerting this behavior are really doing it not to express their opinion so much as to hear themselves talk. And it is such a shame to with an issue that could bring such good fortune to a game that has found itself on the ropes so often, only to bounce back. I find myself on the side that favors the new, but I see the old as having its place, putting me smack in the middle. What shocks me more then anything else is how fans of a fictional universe can be so passionate about a small (but not unimportant) part of their fictional universe.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Hard to forget when the work is unfinished
In my continuing effort to state unpopular opinions that I truly hold, but also need to be said, I present these facts to you.
Eight years ago, on September 11th 2001 at 8:30 am Missouri time I was walking from the communal shows of my dormitory at Columbia College. A George Carlin skit where he was mocking the song “America the Beautiful” was going through my head, and I found myself singing it on my way back to room 202.
“oh Beautiful, or smoggy skies, insecticided grain
‘ore strip-mined mountains, majesty, above the asphalt plain.
America, America, Man sheds his waste on thee,
and hides the pines with billboard signs from sea to oily sea.”
As I was walking I saw people watching their cable news channel of choice each showing the same impossible scene. Both world trade center towers were on fire. I had obviously missed the planes being driven into them at this point, so I thought it was merely an accidental fire started by god knows what. I got Dressed and went to breakfast. Walking into the cafeteria and seeing it was empty was not unusual. That even kitchen staff was not at their stations disturbed me a bit. Still I grabbed a To Go box and my breakfast and returned to my dorm to eat. I had a good three hours before my first class of the day.
While eating my breakfast a guy who lived directly below me shouted “they crashed another plane into the Pentagon!”
That was how I was first brought to the attention of the Terrorist group al-queada’s attacks on American soil. Like others I was shocked, and my life brought to a standstill that day. I could barely muster the energy to go to class that day. I was one of three who attended my first class, and the only one my second.
Eight years later the President during those periods has, I can say (as a man who voted for him) that he fumbled the ball. A necessary war was perpetrated for the purposes of apprehending the surats (a science fiction based epitaph for “flying monkey”) that planned and initiated the attack, as well as the honor less cowards that gave them shelter and respite. We had the political capital of the world at our feet, and the will of iron to see things through. President Bush’s cabinet looked like a dream team of crisis managers.
Then in 2003 that political capital was wasted on an unneeded second war to a nation that acted like the United States version of North Ireland to the British. This stretched are resources to thin, and the idea of winning the hearts and minds of the conquered took over the idea of winning your objectives.
Now, every year on September 11th, the people of the United States of America come together to pay remembrance to those who have lost their loves at the hands of these barbarians. Bells are rung, prayers are said, and for every day that the fires burned, two pillars of light shine into the sky, seen from orbit, and from almost a hundred miles in any direction. It is a tragedy that such a thing does not strengthen the resolve to do what must be done, and what has been ignored for so long.
This gave rise to the same delusional peace movements that the Vietnam war spawned, and the foot soldiers of the Peace Movement era are now congressmen of the this era. We have lost sight of what armed conflict in this past eight years was supposed to be about. We were supposed to track down a Six foot seven inch tall Arab on dialysis. We were supposed to capture him, present him to the public, try him, and shove him in a dark hole of a prison and forget about him. His followers were to be annihilated, his homes and refuges burned to the ground, and the very principles on which he stood and justified the horrors he committed crumbled to dust.
In a fictional universe I escape too every now and then, such a thing is called a “Trial of Annihilation”, and amounts to basically lawful genocide. In this case, I feel such a thing is appropriate, I feel that anyone who would wave the banner of Al-Queda should be tracked down, captured then killed, or killed on the spot.
But now there is a movement to make the day of September 11th a federal holiday in the United States. I do ponder if there were similar calls for the Attacks on Pearl Harbor, or the Battle of Gettysburg in previous centuries. I do not like the idea of the September 11th attacks being a federal holiday for a few reasons.
First off, we have never made a holiday out of a defeat, let alone the first cannon shots. July 4th was made a holiday in remembrance of our separation from the rule of King George. However, the Boston Massacre is not a holiday, nor the Battle of Bunker Hill, both of which precede the Declaration of Independence. Likewise we do not make a holiday out of the attack on Pearl Harbor, where we received just as large of a slap to the face. Further, neither, V-E nor V-J Day are celebrated.
Secondly, we must examine the Culture of those of made the attacks and how such an commemoration would be perceived. Arabic culture is a study in confusing justifications for actions that westerners see as inconceivably incorrect. One need only look at the bombardment of Jordan by Israel in 2006 to see just how unusual the culture thinks. Jordan was shelled to holy hell, Billions of dollars in damage, with little effective reprisal against Israeli military. And yet the mere fact that the Israeli government said “stop, we think we got the point across” was declared as a holy victory to the Jordanian people (if not the government.) This Orkish attitude of military action shows a culture, at least to outsiders, seems bent on to the death battles, where one solider left standing, even if the war was lost is declared victory. That kind of unhealthy bent on genocide or suicide, which ever comes first could easily translate to seeing the making of September 11th a holiday as an acknowledgement of their victory. That is something we as Americans should not stand for.
Finally as I had stated, the fight is not done. Holiday’s are moments of celebration and remembrance. I personally feel it would be an insult to the 2998 killed and nearly 10,000 injured in the attacks, to have a holiday for a task that has not been completed yet. The towers are still fallen, the barbarians who knocked them down are still at large, and the sacrifices made to American culture are too great to celebrate now. A holiday is a day of rest, and there is to much work to be done.
Perhaps when we do capture Usāmah bin Muhammad bin `Awad bin Lādin, and kick him in that hole in Leavenworth where he belongs my perspective will change. Until then, I look to today and hope that my nation redoubles its efforts to finish what was thrust upon it. I can forgive my government for dropping the ball for six long hard years, so long as we make it count for something now.
Eight years ago, on September 11th 2001 at 8:30 am Missouri time I was walking from the communal shows of my dormitory at Columbia College. A George Carlin skit where he was mocking the song “America the Beautiful” was going through my head, and I found myself singing it on my way back to room 202.
“oh Beautiful, or smoggy skies, insecticided grain
‘ore strip-mined mountains, majesty, above the asphalt plain.
America, America, Man sheds his waste on thee,
and hides the pines with billboard signs from sea to oily sea.”
As I was walking I saw people watching their cable news channel of choice each showing the same impossible scene. Both world trade center towers were on fire. I had obviously missed the planes being driven into them at this point, so I thought it was merely an accidental fire started by god knows what. I got Dressed and went to breakfast. Walking into the cafeteria and seeing it was empty was not unusual. That even kitchen staff was not at their stations disturbed me a bit. Still I grabbed a To Go box and my breakfast and returned to my dorm to eat. I had a good three hours before my first class of the day.
While eating my breakfast a guy who lived directly below me shouted “they crashed another plane into the Pentagon!”
That was how I was first brought to the attention of the Terrorist group al-queada’s attacks on American soil. Like others I was shocked, and my life brought to a standstill that day. I could barely muster the energy to go to class that day. I was one of three who attended my first class, and the only one my second.
Eight years later the President during those periods has, I can say (as a man who voted for him) that he fumbled the ball. A necessary war was perpetrated for the purposes of apprehending the surats (a science fiction based epitaph for “flying monkey”) that planned and initiated the attack, as well as the honor less cowards that gave them shelter and respite. We had the political capital of the world at our feet, and the will of iron to see things through. President Bush’s cabinet looked like a dream team of crisis managers.
Then in 2003 that political capital was wasted on an unneeded second war to a nation that acted like the United States version of North Ireland to the British. This stretched are resources to thin, and the idea of winning the hearts and minds of the conquered took over the idea of winning your objectives.
Now, every year on September 11th, the people of the United States of America come together to pay remembrance to those who have lost their loves at the hands of these barbarians. Bells are rung, prayers are said, and for every day that the fires burned, two pillars of light shine into the sky, seen from orbit, and from almost a hundred miles in any direction. It is a tragedy that such a thing does not strengthen the resolve to do what must be done, and what has been ignored for so long.
This gave rise to the same delusional peace movements that the Vietnam war spawned, and the foot soldiers of the Peace Movement era are now congressmen of the this era. We have lost sight of what armed conflict in this past eight years was supposed to be about. We were supposed to track down a Six foot seven inch tall Arab on dialysis. We were supposed to capture him, present him to the public, try him, and shove him in a dark hole of a prison and forget about him. His followers were to be annihilated, his homes and refuges burned to the ground, and the very principles on which he stood and justified the horrors he committed crumbled to dust.
In a fictional universe I escape too every now and then, such a thing is called a “Trial of Annihilation”, and amounts to basically lawful genocide. In this case, I feel such a thing is appropriate, I feel that anyone who would wave the banner of Al-Queda should be tracked down, captured then killed, or killed on the spot.
But now there is a movement to make the day of September 11th a federal holiday in the United States. I do ponder if there were similar calls for the Attacks on Pearl Harbor, or the Battle of Gettysburg in previous centuries. I do not like the idea of the September 11th attacks being a federal holiday for a few reasons.
First off, we have never made a holiday out of a defeat, let alone the first cannon shots. July 4th was made a holiday in remembrance of our separation from the rule of King George. However, the Boston Massacre is not a holiday, nor the Battle of Bunker Hill, both of which precede the Declaration of Independence. Likewise we do not make a holiday out of the attack on Pearl Harbor, where we received just as large of a slap to the face. Further, neither, V-E nor V-J Day are celebrated.
Secondly, we must examine the Culture of those of made the attacks and how such an commemoration would be perceived. Arabic culture is a study in confusing justifications for actions that westerners see as inconceivably incorrect. One need only look at the bombardment of Jordan by Israel in 2006 to see just how unusual the culture thinks. Jordan was shelled to holy hell, Billions of dollars in damage, with little effective reprisal against Israeli military. And yet the mere fact that the Israeli government said “stop, we think we got the point across” was declared as a holy victory to the Jordanian people (if not the government.) This Orkish attitude of military action shows a culture, at least to outsiders, seems bent on to the death battles, where one solider left standing, even if the war was lost is declared victory. That kind of unhealthy bent on genocide or suicide, which ever comes first could easily translate to seeing the making of September 11th a holiday as an acknowledgement of their victory. That is something we as Americans should not stand for.
Finally as I had stated, the fight is not done. Holiday’s are moments of celebration and remembrance. I personally feel it would be an insult to the 2998 killed and nearly 10,000 injured in the attacks, to have a holiday for a task that has not been completed yet. The towers are still fallen, the barbarians who knocked them down are still at large, and the sacrifices made to American culture are too great to celebrate now. A holiday is a day of rest, and there is to much work to be done.
Perhaps when we do capture Usāmah bin Muhammad bin `Awad bin Lādin, and kick him in that hole in Leavenworth where he belongs my perspective will change. Until then, I look to today and hope that my nation redoubles its efforts to finish what was thrust upon it. I can forgive my government for dropping the ball for six long hard years, so long as we make it count for something now.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Fine art of Barbecue
Barbecue, the word means different things to different people. on the coasts and dessert it generall means tossing meat on top of a gas powered grill after seasoning the fuck out of it with salt and pepper.
I am from Kansas City Missouri however, and such activity is called grilling. Barbecue is sacred in my homeland, were we have a friendly but passionate competition with two other regions for what barbecue really is. Generally though People from Kansas City, Texas, and the Carolinas do agree one one thing.
Barbecue is a culinary art that involves slowly cooking meat over a low-tempuratre smokey wood fire for an extended period of time. beyond that there are specifics that get involved. in Carolina the use of coleslaw and apple cider vinegar is paramount.
in Texas the use of rubbed spices and a thick Mesquite wood for smoking is the primary goal.
in my homeland, which I am going to focus on, it is the sauce that is paramount. True Kansas City style "wet" Barbecue sauce is a mixture of Tomato paste, Molasses, usually (at least in homemade varieties) a beer of some kind, spices, and Garlic and Onion, and occasionally thinks like cucumbers, squash or other pureed vegetables. I am constantly disappointed at bottled sauces I find outside the grocery store that are meant to be a Kansas city style. most of the time they lack the proper flavor (though KC Masterpiece gets close) and almost always the lack of texture.
I can not help but warn people to stay away from Hunts, Heinz, or Craft Barbecue sauces, as they are almost completely generic, and most defiantly avoid Maul's St Louis Style like a plague. Contrary to what the food network says, there is no St Louis Style of Barbecue, just a horrible horrible sauce using Kansas City technique.
now in the Kansas City Area there are over a thousand (and some say as many as 4000) Barbecue restaurants in the area. almost all are worth examining, but to outside traveler a Kansas City Native will speak of "The Big Three" of which there are actually four members.
The first, and oldest is a place called Arthur Bryants. First opened by a man named William Perry from Memphis, and later bought from him by his cook Arthur Bryant, one could argue that this place of of 18th and Brooklyn is the father of Kansas City barbecue. thier meat and sandwiches are excellent, and the rack of pork ribs is well regarded. it was a place well regarded by p[residentr Harry Truman, and in 1974 was described in Playboy Magazine as "...possibly the single best restaurant in the world." their sauce is the most sour of the three Kansas City Brands, but the texutre is wonderful,m being thick but not heavy on sweet. Bryants needs to be the first and last stop for Kansas City Barbecue tourist.
the second place of the Big Three is called Gates and Sons, or just Gates. the establishment was born from a Braynt's cook seeking to make his own way. One of Seven Restaurants in the area are immediately recognizable for the giant red roof and the smell of smokers full of meat that permeate the area. Walking into the well lit place you are immediately besieged by the scents, and a large woman usually belting out "HI MAY I HELP YOU!" THAT is what a barbecue restaurant is all about. having eaten at every single gates location, the atmosphere hits the spot perfectly. it is also one of few places that i have found to have red creme soda on tap. Gates is mostly a barbecue sandwich place, with their double decker bread sandwiches or Beef, pork or Turkey, a side of pickles and wonderful french fries. you can of course get sliced meats and sausage, and their Presidential Platter (named for the sampler President Bill Clinton asked for in the 90's when he visited the 103rd street location) is a great treat to bring to parties. the real jackbot is the ribs, which are much more moist the Bryants for reasons I have yet to determine.
the third resturaunt of note is a place called Fiorella's Jack Stack. this place has already been nationally recongnized for its high quality eats. the setup of each location is nice and comfy, and has a look of a high end steakhouse more then a barbecue joint. in addition to typical fare you will find lamb ribs, hickry smoked seafood, and hickory and mesquite grilled steaks on the menu. thier sauce, which makes liberal use of molasses, is the sweetest in town, and smokes extremly well, leaving a nice sweet crust on thier crown prime ribs of beef (a signature dish that my wife craved heavily when pregnant) all of thier items are well worht the extra money if you pay a visit. I recommend their Burnt Ends myself.
now as I said, in the Big three there is a fourth member, this Dartanian of barbecue in my home town is very unassuming, and should be on the Food network show Diners Drive ins and Dives. Oklahoma Joe's, located in a Gas Station in Wyandotte County is a gold mine. Their barbecue sandwiches and fries are to die for, the beans are fantastic, and the sauces they offer are spot on for either Kansas City or Carolina style. I would argue that the place is the best kept secret of Kansas City.
of course there are a myriad of other BBQ joints in the city I have lived my entire life in. all are worth a try, and most are excellent in their own right.
if you are driving through or plan on visting, check these places out, they are worth the journey alone.
I am from Kansas City Missouri however, and such activity is called grilling. Barbecue is sacred in my homeland, were we have a friendly but passionate competition with two other regions for what barbecue really is. Generally though People from Kansas City, Texas, and the Carolinas do agree one one thing.
Barbecue is a culinary art that involves slowly cooking meat over a low-tempuratre smokey wood fire for an extended period of time. beyond that there are specifics that get involved. in Carolina the use of coleslaw and apple cider vinegar is paramount.
in Texas the use of rubbed spices and a thick Mesquite wood for smoking is the primary goal.
in my homeland, which I am going to focus on, it is the sauce that is paramount. True Kansas City style "wet" Barbecue sauce is a mixture of Tomato paste, Molasses, usually (at least in homemade varieties) a beer of some kind, spices, and Garlic and Onion, and occasionally thinks like cucumbers, squash or other pureed vegetables. I am constantly disappointed at bottled sauces I find outside the grocery store that are meant to be a Kansas city style. most of the time they lack the proper flavor (though KC Masterpiece gets close) and almost always the lack of texture.
I can not help but warn people to stay away from Hunts, Heinz, or Craft Barbecue sauces, as they are almost completely generic, and most defiantly avoid Maul's St Louis Style like a plague. Contrary to what the food network says, there is no St Louis Style of Barbecue, just a horrible horrible sauce using Kansas City technique.
now in the Kansas City Area there are over a thousand (and some say as many as 4000) Barbecue restaurants in the area. almost all are worth examining, but to outside traveler a Kansas City Native will speak of "The Big Three" of which there are actually four members.
The first, and oldest is a place called Arthur Bryants. First opened by a man named William Perry from Memphis, and later bought from him by his cook Arthur Bryant, one could argue that this place of of 18th and Brooklyn is the father of Kansas City barbecue. thier meat and sandwiches are excellent, and the rack of pork ribs is well regarded. it was a place well regarded by p[residentr Harry Truman, and in 1974 was described in Playboy Magazine as "...possibly the single best restaurant in the world." their sauce is the most sour of the three Kansas City Brands, but the texutre is wonderful,m being thick but not heavy on sweet. Bryants needs to be the first and last stop for Kansas City Barbecue tourist.
the second place of the Big Three is called Gates and Sons, or just Gates. the establishment was born from a Braynt's cook seeking to make his own way. One of Seven Restaurants in the area are immediately recognizable for the giant red roof and the smell of smokers full of meat that permeate the area. Walking into the well lit place you are immediately besieged by the scents, and a large woman usually belting out "HI MAY I HELP YOU!" THAT is what a barbecue restaurant is all about. having eaten at every single gates location, the atmosphere hits the spot perfectly. it is also one of few places that i have found to have red creme soda on tap. Gates is mostly a barbecue sandwich place, with their double decker bread sandwiches or Beef, pork or Turkey, a side of pickles and wonderful french fries. you can of course get sliced meats and sausage, and their Presidential Platter (named for the sampler President Bill Clinton asked for in the 90's when he visited the 103rd street location) is a great treat to bring to parties. the real jackbot is the ribs, which are much more moist the Bryants for reasons I have yet to determine.
the third resturaunt of note is a place called Fiorella's Jack Stack. this place has already been nationally recongnized for its high quality eats. the setup of each location is nice and comfy, and has a look of a high end steakhouse more then a barbecue joint. in addition to typical fare you will find lamb ribs, hickry smoked seafood, and hickory and mesquite grilled steaks on the menu. thier sauce, which makes liberal use of molasses, is the sweetest in town, and smokes extremly well, leaving a nice sweet crust on thier crown prime ribs of beef (a signature dish that my wife craved heavily when pregnant) all of thier items are well worht the extra money if you pay a visit. I recommend their Burnt Ends myself.
now as I said, in the Big three there is a fourth member, this Dartanian of barbecue in my home town is very unassuming, and should be on the Food network show Diners Drive ins and Dives. Oklahoma Joe's, located in a Gas Station in Wyandotte County is a gold mine. Their barbecue sandwiches and fries are to die for, the beans are fantastic, and the sauces they offer are spot on for either Kansas City or Carolina style. I would argue that the place is the best kept secret of Kansas City.
of course there are a myriad of other BBQ joints in the city I have lived my entire life in. all are worth a try, and most are excellent in their own right.
if you are driving through or plan on visting, check these places out, they are worth the journey alone.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Reconciliation my left Nut
Oh, crap, I am going to get political again, despite my better judgment. Please forgive me as I present my perspective in front of you folks. And to my Canadian fans, I do beg your forgiveness as well as you indulge me in American politics.
Late last night on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 I learned that Congress, and the Democratic party majority have been openly talking about using a parliamentary procedure called “reconciliation” to force health care reform through the Senate and become law.
Nominally in the United States Senate it requires a vote of Sixty members in order to pass a bill and present to the President. Reconciliation was introduce to permit a simple majority (51% of the votes present) to pass budgetary measures. This way no single senator could hold up vital legislation in indefinite debate.
This is not the first time a party in power has threatened to use a parliamentary procedure tog et something done, nor is it something that was proposed eons ago. In 2005 President Bush had numerous Appointees held up in debate by then minority democrats, using the filibuster to prevent judges from being appointed. It was Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) who suggested changing the senate rules to permit a simple majority for the “advise and consent” of the senate for approval of judicial nominees.
Democrats argued that they were holding up Bush appointees the same way that republicans held up Clinton appointees, often for the same spot. Thus the whole exercise became a whining match between two groups of kindergardners. It was only through the wisdom of Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) along with a dozen other like minded senators that this disastrous turn of events was prevented.
Now with the Democratic Party in power history is set to repeat itself, with ramifications much more immediate and obvious then forcing through judicial nominees. What is worse is that the Democratic Party leaders are doing this in response to dissent from within their own ranks, as opposed to partisan bickering. How soon it is that people forget history, and what it is like to have a gun pointed to you head.
My personal problem with the use of the Reconciliation tactic, or as it became known in 2005 the “nuclear option”, is that it makes partisan politics all the more likely to occur. Although one can argue, usually with success, that the slippery slope is not a legitimate debate tactic, the fact is that politics and the laws that are made from them are an exercise in precedent. If one group can justify the use of a parliamentary tactic for X purpose, then the other group can use it for Y purpose. So far it looks like mere threatening of Reconciliation is now going to be an accepted tactic in Congress. If it is actually used however, then American politics will be forever changed until the two major parties have permanently split into smaller groups.
“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.” George Washington’s Farwell Address September 17, 1796
Late last night on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 I learned that Congress, and the Democratic party majority have been openly talking about using a parliamentary procedure called “reconciliation” to force health care reform through the Senate and become law.
Nominally in the United States Senate it requires a vote of Sixty members in order to pass a bill and present to the President. Reconciliation was introduce to permit a simple majority (51% of the votes present) to pass budgetary measures. This way no single senator could hold up vital legislation in indefinite debate.
This is not the first time a party in power has threatened to use a parliamentary procedure tog et something done, nor is it something that was proposed eons ago. In 2005 President Bush had numerous Appointees held up in debate by then minority democrats, using the filibuster to prevent judges from being appointed. It was Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) who suggested changing the senate rules to permit a simple majority for the “advise and consent” of the senate for approval of judicial nominees.
Democrats argued that they were holding up Bush appointees the same way that republicans held up Clinton appointees, often for the same spot. Thus the whole exercise became a whining match between two groups of kindergardners. It was only through the wisdom of Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) along with a dozen other like minded senators that this disastrous turn of events was prevented.
Now with the Democratic Party in power history is set to repeat itself, with ramifications much more immediate and obvious then forcing through judicial nominees. What is worse is that the Democratic Party leaders are doing this in response to dissent from within their own ranks, as opposed to partisan bickering. How soon it is that people forget history, and what it is like to have a gun pointed to you head.
My personal problem with the use of the Reconciliation tactic, or as it became known in 2005 the “nuclear option”, is that it makes partisan politics all the more likely to occur. Although one can argue, usually with success, that the slippery slope is not a legitimate debate tactic, the fact is that politics and the laws that are made from them are an exercise in precedent. If one group can justify the use of a parliamentary tactic for X purpose, then the other group can use it for Y purpose. So far it looks like mere threatening of Reconciliation is now going to be an accepted tactic in Congress. If it is actually used however, then American politics will be forever changed until the two major parties have permanently split into smaller groups.
“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.” George Washington’s Farwell Address September 17, 1796
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Insensitivty Training
One of the things I hate is people trying to control language. for some reason people seem to think the First Amendment of the Constitution has the caveat "unless, of course, it offends a person's sensibilities."
The latest example of such is the "Think B4 You Speak" campaign. Do not get me wrong, I know that this campaign was created with the best of intentions, but trying to control language, and therefore thought goes against the very foundation of the United States and its origins. Simply put, people will always say things you do not like, and by extention, things you hate.
the solution is not to try and change people, but rather to change yourself. I am not saying that, in this particular case, gay people need to not be gay. that is like asking the sun to not be a giant fusion furnace, or for housefly's to walk from A to B. I am saying that people need to insulate their sensitivities to what they do not like. As a kid who got picked on and bullied A LOT growing up, I know it works. if you never want to be offended, you might as well not leave the house. that is not much of a way to live, but like abstinence preventing STDs it is garunteed to work.
What makes this campaign even worse for me is the silly tactics they use. right on the front page of their website you can see three examples of what someone COULD say about Jocks, Cheerleaders, and Gamers. that kind of passive aggressive stance takes something that could have been a clever "oh snap!" moment, and turns it into an image of a kid sitting on his bed crying and saying these things to his/her pillow.
I hate to quote the 2007 Film Transformers, but here is a great bit of dialogue to counter such things if a jock gives you crap.
Trent DeMarco: So, what are you guys doing here?
Sam Witwicky: We're here to climb this tree.
Trent DeMarco: I can see, it looks...it looks fun. You know, I thought I recognized you. You tried out for the football team last year, right?
Sam Witwicky: Oh, no, no, that...That wasn't like a real try-out. I was researching a book I was writing.
Trent DeMarco: Oh, yeah?
Sam Witwicky: Yeah!
Trent DeMarco: Yeah? What's it about? Sucking at sports?
Sam Witwicky: No, it's about the link between brain damage and football. No, it's a good book, your friends will love it. You know, it's got mazes in it, you know, little coloring areas, sections, pop-up pictures...it's a lot of fun.
A comedian named David Naster refers to such a tactic as a Humor Hand Grenade. the use of wit in an appropriate situation can stop a situation from getting unpleasant, or in this case, shut a bully down where all they can do is walk away grumbling under their breath. I would suggest that anyone who feels oppressed form "that's so gay." Try this before whining to a special interest group.
The latest example of such is the "Think B4 You Speak" campaign. Do not get me wrong, I know that this campaign was created with the best of intentions, but trying to control language, and therefore thought goes against the very foundation of the United States and its origins. Simply put, people will always say things you do not like, and by extention, things you hate.
the solution is not to try and change people, but rather to change yourself. I am not saying that, in this particular case, gay people need to not be gay. that is like asking the sun to not be a giant fusion furnace, or for housefly's to walk from A to B. I am saying that people need to insulate their sensitivities to what they do not like. As a kid who got picked on and bullied A LOT growing up, I know it works. if you never want to be offended, you might as well not leave the house. that is not much of a way to live, but like abstinence preventing STDs it is garunteed to work.
What makes this campaign even worse for me is the silly tactics they use. right on the front page of their website you can see three examples of what someone COULD say about Jocks, Cheerleaders, and Gamers. that kind of passive aggressive stance takes something that could have been a clever "oh snap!" moment, and turns it into an image of a kid sitting on his bed crying and saying these things to his/her pillow.
I hate to quote the 2007 Film Transformers, but here is a great bit of dialogue to counter such things if a jock gives you crap.
Trent DeMarco: So, what are you guys doing here?
Sam Witwicky: We're here to climb this tree.
Trent DeMarco: I can see, it looks...it looks fun. You know, I thought I recognized you. You tried out for the football team last year, right?
Sam Witwicky: Oh, no, no, that...That wasn't like a real try-out. I was researching a book I was writing.
Trent DeMarco: Oh, yeah?
Sam Witwicky: Yeah!
Trent DeMarco: Yeah? What's it about? Sucking at sports?
Sam Witwicky: No, it's about the link between brain damage and football. No, it's a good book, your friends will love it. You know, it's got mazes in it, you know, little coloring areas, sections, pop-up pictures...it's a lot of fun.
A comedian named David Naster refers to such a tactic as a Humor Hand Grenade. the use of wit in an appropriate situation can stop a situation from getting unpleasant, or in this case, shut a bully down where all they can do is walk away grumbling under their breath. I would suggest that anyone who feels oppressed form "that's so gay." Try this before whining to a special interest group.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Giant Effing Robots Pt 3
So it all starts when you paint one miniature.
as trite as it may seem that is the honest to gods truth. in my case the one miniature was a Mech called a Goshawk. I painted it to be a character for a Role Playing game that went tits up in its infancy. the concept was simple, a navy gray with racing stripes.
I loved the design so much I made more like them, and it just sort of blew up. next thing I knew I had twenty Battlemechs with this look, and planned to do more. then I realized that these were just funny painted machines, with no history in the universe. My Creation amounted to nearly nothing. so I sat down in front of my computer.
it took nearly twenty days of research. I did not want a single charismatic "leader" that everyone else flocked to. so I settled on a small group of friends, all who had vast experience, and had thier own friends and crew that flocked to them. then came the question. how could I have a handfull of people who were in thier fifties, but keep them young. that is what puzzled me the most. it was not enough for them to ACT young, I wanted these main characters to LOOK young. the best example I have is in the Wolverine movie, how Logan commented owning an original WWI era motorcycle to a man that looked old enough to be his father.
it was a relativly new book that gave me the answer I craved. miners who lived in the asteroid belts around Earth genetically enhance themselves for long life. normally the group is insular, but I took a liberty to present five (six originally but I had one killed off) people who left the belts for the sake of adventure. all of them were in fact 50-70 years old, but they looked thirty years younger, creating the dichotomy between age and experience that I wanted. As a result the lioness combat team was born. I already wrote one story for them (as completly infeasable as it would be in the battletech universes canon) and am working on a second. they are a little fan fictionish, but if people are interested they can be found at
http://www.solarisseven.com/index.php?board=13.0
look for "Tales of the Lioness Combat Team"
as trite as it may seem that is the honest to gods truth. in my case the one miniature was a Mech called a Goshawk. I painted it to be a character for a Role Playing game that went tits up in its infancy. the concept was simple, a navy gray with racing stripes.
I loved the design so much I made more like them, and it just sort of blew up. next thing I knew I had twenty Battlemechs with this look, and planned to do more. then I realized that these were just funny painted machines, with no history in the universe. My Creation amounted to nearly nothing. so I sat down in front of my computer.
it took nearly twenty days of research. I did not want a single charismatic "leader" that everyone else flocked to. so I settled on a small group of friends, all who had vast experience, and had thier own friends and crew that flocked to them. then came the question. how could I have a handfull of people who were in thier fifties, but keep them young. that is what puzzled me the most. it was not enough for them to ACT young, I wanted these main characters to LOOK young. the best example I have is in the Wolverine movie, how Logan commented owning an original WWI era motorcycle to a man that looked old enough to be his father.
it was a relativly new book that gave me the answer I craved. miners who lived in the asteroid belts around Earth genetically enhance themselves for long life. normally the group is insular, but I took a liberty to present five (six originally but I had one killed off) people who left the belts for the sake of adventure. all of them were in fact 50-70 years old, but they looked thirty years younger, creating the dichotomy between age and experience that I wanted. As a result the lioness combat team was born. I already wrote one story for them (as completly infeasable as it would be in the battletech universes canon) and am working on a second. they are a little fan fictionish, but if people are interested they can be found at
http://www.solarisseven.com/index.php?board=13.0
look for "Tales of the Lioness Combat Team"
Monday, August 3, 2009
Giant Effing Robots pt 2
Battletech is a lot like other Table Top Games. you have pieces, they represent your party, and they go out and do stuff. unlike other miniatures based war games however having the proper miniature is not a requisite (such games are called WYSWYG, or What You See is What You Get). This makes the miniatures side of the Battletech universe a true hobby instead of a requirement.
My first foray into the Miniatures hobby was a new and exciting ordeal. I had used a Gorilla Glue tube salvaged from my parents garage to build the miniature, and painted it with an enamel taken from a model car painting kit. I did not prime the miniature at all. it was my work though, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
in hindsight it was an unmitigated disaster. the paint was sloppy in places, and as age showed on the miniature, bare metal was showing though, and the glue crusted over so easily I had to file it away and reglue it
over the course of my nearly decade long miniatures painting career, I learned about Primers, Dry brushing, the use of colored washes, Highlights (which I do not do, preferring to let natural light do the work for me.) Lacquers and varnishes. all culminate into a massive collection of over 200 pieces of lead free pewter. you also discover the damnedest tools to use. My miniatures painting and preparation studio includes the following.
- A tackle box full of small tubes and pots of paint.
- Brushes ranging in size from a full house paint brush to a 30 hair fine detail brush
- seven Xacto knives and one surgeons scalpel
- a one gallon jug full of pine sol
- a glass plate that was part of a microwave
- an infinite supply of paper towels
- a Dremmel tool
- a Toothbrush
- Files both metal worker and jeweler quality
- a Coffee Grinder- so that I can turn sand into a finer powder
- Safety Glasses, never underestimate the importance of them
- a Jet Lighter
- a large bucket of sand- right out of the local school sand box
- a Workshop Vise
- a small hand Drill, and wire's of varrying gauge
- a Lamp with magnifier
- a portable photo studio suited for taking pictures of small objects
- a Digital Camera
- stiff metal wire brushes of various sizes to scrape paint off a mini if i want to try again.
Most of the time I paint either in a generic "Tank like" coloration, or I paint a piece in the colors of one of Battletechs many fictitious nations. it is only recently that I have been going into the nameless void that was creating my own color scheme. you would be amazed how much planning goes into such an affair. I started out with just four mechs, and tried several variations. none satisfied me. it was a pure accident of discovering I had used a paint suited for airbrushing that I found the coloration I wanted. then the pinstripe highlights came naturally.
Creating your own paint scheme has its consequences though. You suddenly have this group, it starts small, and then you find the need to have a story behind it. My group, which started as six battlemechs, exploded to a reinforced battalion very quickly. and thus started what I called the Lioness Combat Team. I will tell you about writing them in the next entry
My first foray into the Miniatures hobby was a new and exciting ordeal. I had used a Gorilla Glue tube salvaged from my parents garage to build the miniature, and painted it with an enamel taken from a model car painting kit. I did not prime the miniature at all. it was my work though, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
in hindsight it was an unmitigated disaster. the paint was sloppy in places, and as age showed on the miniature, bare metal was showing though, and the glue crusted over so easily I had to file it away and reglue it
over the course of my nearly decade long miniatures painting career, I learned about Primers, Dry brushing, the use of colored washes, Highlights (which I do not do, preferring to let natural light do the work for me.) Lacquers and varnishes. all culminate into a massive collection of over 200 pieces of lead free pewter. you also discover the damnedest tools to use. My miniatures painting and preparation studio includes the following.
- A tackle box full of small tubes and pots of paint.
- Brushes ranging in size from a full house paint brush to a 30 hair fine detail brush
- seven Xacto knives and one surgeons scalpel
- a one gallon jug full of pine sol
- a glass plate that was part of a microwave
- an infinite supply of paper towels
- a Dremmel tool
- a Toothbrush
- Files both metal worker and jeweler quality
- a Coffee Grinder- so that I can turn sand into a finer powder
- Safety Glasses, never underestimate the importance of them
- a Jet Lighter
- a large bucket of sand- right out of the local school sand box
- a Workshop Vise
- a small hand Drill, and wire's of varrying gauge
- a Lamp with magnifier
- a portable photo studio suited for taking pictures of small objects
- a Digital Camera
- stiff metal wire brushes of various sizes to scrape paint off a mini if i want to try again.
Most of the time I paint either in a generic "Tank like" coloration, or I paint a piece in the colors of one of Battletechs many fictitious nations. it is only recently that I have been going into the nameless void that was creating my own color scheme. you would be amazed how much planning goes into such an affair. I started out with just four mechs, and tried several variations. none satisfied me. it was a pure accident of discovering I had used a paint suited for airbrushing that I found the coloration I wanted. then the pinstripe highlights came naturally.
Creating your own paint scheme has its consequences though. You suddenly have this group, it starts small, and then you find the need to have a story behind it. My group, which started as six battlemechs, exploded to a reinforced battalion very quickly. and thus started what I called the Lioness Combat Team. I will tell you about writing them in the next entry
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Giant, Effing Robots Part 1
I have been a fan of a game universe called Battletech, for over half of my life. My first encounter came with a kid in Sixth grade named Alex Fox, who introduced me to a cartoon, and told me there was a board game and book series as well. I was hooked immediately.
it does not surprise me, I was, and still am, a fan of Transformers, as well as other imported mecha such as Voltron. I even admit to enjoying the Power Rangers in my youth. but that Battletech has kept my attention for so long is something truly special.
the best thing about the game universe is that it has a little something for everyone. if you just like political and military drama in a sci-fi universe, you can stick to the novels. if you prefer computer games, the MechWarrior series fits your bill. On the tabletop side, you can make as elaborate or as simple a game as you wish. if you only want to kill a few hours, you can do a simple scenario of 4 Mechs on 4 Mechs, or if you want to be elaborate, there are rules for commanding the entire military of a galactic empire.
this game is literally only a year younger then I am. I have done my personal duty to spread the word of Battletech near and far, and this blog will be a part of it. Nest time I will talk about my favorite part of the hobby, the miniatures
it does not surprise me, I was, and still am, a fan of Transformers, as well as other imported mecha such as Voltron. I even admit to enjoying the Power Rangers in my youth. but that Battletech has kept my attention for so long is something truly special.
the best thing about the game universe is that it has a little something for everyone. if you just like political and military drama in a sci-fi universe, you can stick to the novels. if you prefer computer games, the MechWarrior series fits your bill. On the tabletop side, you can make as elaborate or as simple a game as you wish. if you only want to kill a few hours, you can do a simple scenario of 4 Mechs on 4 Mechs, or if you want to be elaborate, there are rules for commanding the entire military of a galactic empire.
this game is literally only a year younger then I am. I have done my personal duty to spread the word of Battletech near and far, and this blog will be a part of it. Nest time I will talk about my favorite part of the hobby, the miniatures
Monday, July 27, 2009
a Word to Twilight fans
Stephanie Meyer is a talentless hack!
Seriously, twilight fans young and old need to Re-read this bullshit that they are so adorned with, cause I am getting sick of it. this johnny come lately fandom is so out of control that it flooded downtown San Diego during the ComiCon, and prevented people from getting INTO the convention center to enjoy other panels.
http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=2327
Now here is the thing. I consider myself a fan of Vampire lore. from the oldest myths about creatures kidnapping virgins, to Stokers fable of an infamous Romanian noble. From Anne Rice's take of a 300 year old Frenchmen, all the way up to Marvel Comic's tales of an entire Vampire Culture living hidden among us, Vampires fascinate me. even Eidos' Legacy of Kain Video Games have contributed something positive to the collection of tales on Vampires.
Stephanie Meyer takes these sources, rolls them up into a little ball and throws them into a Yiff room at a Furry Convention.
Her Vampires are "Vegetarians" by citing the consumption of animal blood. We see something similar in "interview with a Vampire" where Louis resists the urge to kill human beings for the sake of his own life. this behavior weakens him however, and after enough time he ends of feeding on a child to save his own life. in Stoker, it is mentioned that at Vampire can feed on any life, but only human blood can provide the best nourishment possible. in other Vampire fiction it is impossible to feed on any other creature at all.
While Meyer's Vampires can be out in the light, a theme shared by Stoker, the fact the sun has no ill effects and essentially "outs" then due to what I call the "bling effect" is an invention that exists merely to make vampirisim pretty to young girls.
Finally there is the characterization itself. I would cite my own opinion here, but I think it pretty much follows Laura Miller from Salon.Com's opinion. http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/07/30/Twilight/
"the characters, such as they are, are stripped down to a minimum, lacking the texture and idiosyncrasies of actual people"
"Twilight would be a lot more persuasive as an argument that an "amazing heart" counts for more than appearances if it didn't harp so incessantly on Edward's superficial splendors."
And then what about the sex? Seriously what about it. In an era where people delude themselves about kids having sex at younger and younger ages (a myth I will talk about in another post) this OCD chick Bella is chaste to the point of being barely alive. she seriously orgasm's at being touched by this ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR YEAR OLD. the pseudo paedophilic nature of this relationship is glossed over because he looks seventeen or eighteen. The entire treatment of Sex screams from Meyer's Mormon upbringing. She vaguely implies becoming a vampire is akin to losing your virginity, and thus should not happen on a whim. The numerous times Bella asks to be turned could almost be replaced with "Turn me into your fuck-toy," turning religious sexual frustration onto young girls that may or may not be ready for such pressures.
My biggest complaint about this whole series though, is that the vampires this story centers around have had their proverbial balls cut off. Vampires are almost portrayed as universally predatory, treating people they way people treat cattle, or sometimes the way a cat treats a mouse. even in tales where a vampiric culture is attempting to live covertly among humanity, they do not blend in, but rather stay in the shadows unless it suits them. Meyer's attempt to normalize vampire's completely defeats the purpose of them not being normal.
Sorry to all the teen girls out there, but long and short is I find nothing redeeming about the series, and the author behind it is bland, boring, and in her attempts to be original, proceeds to do nothing but create a "PG-13" rated harlequin series.
in short, Stephanie Meyer is a talentless hack
Seriously, twilight fans young and old need to Re-read this bullshit that they are so adorned with, cause I am getting sick of it. this johnny come lately fandom is so out of control that it flooded downtown San Diego during the ComiCon, and prevented people from getting INTO the convention center to enjoy other panels.
http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=2327
Now here is the thing. I consider myself a fan of Vampire lore. from the oldest myths about creatures kidnapping virgins, to Stokers fable of an infamous Romanian noble. From Anne Rice's take of a 300 year old Frenchmen, all the way up to Marvel Comic's tales of an entire Vampire Culture living hidden among us, Vampires fascinate me. even Eidos' Legacy of Kain Video Games have contributed something positive to the collection of tales on Vampires.
Stephanie Meyer takes these sources, rolls them up into a little ball and throws them into a Yiff room at a Furry Convention.
Her Vampires are "Vegetarians" by citing the consumption of animal blood. We see something similar in "interview with a Vampire" where Louis resists the urge to kill human beings for the sake of his own life. this behavior weakens him however, and after enough time he ends of feeding on a child to save his own life. in Stoker, it is mentioned that at Vampire can feed on any life, but only human blood can provide the best nourishment possible. in other Vampire fiction it is impossible to feed on any other creature at all.
While Meyer's Vampires can be out in the light, a theme shared by Stoker, the fact the sun has no ill effects and essentially "outs" then due to what I call the "bling effect" is an invention that exists merely to make vampirisim pretty to young girls.
Finally there is the characterization itself. I would cite my own opinion here, but I think it pretty much follows Laura Miller from Salon.Com's opinion. http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/07/30/Twilight/
"the characters, such as they are, are stripped down to a minimum, lacking the texture and idiosyncrasies of actual people"
"Twilight would be a lot more persuasive as an argument that an "amazing heart" counts for more than appearances if it didn't harp so incessantly on Edward's superficial splendors."
And then what about the sex? Seriously what about it. In an era where people delude themselves about kids having sex at younger and younger ages (a myth I will talk about in another post) this OCD chick Bella is chaste to the point of being barely alive. she seriously orgasm's at being touched by this ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR YEAR OLD. the pseudo paedophilic nature of this relationship is glossed over because he looks seventeen or eighteen. The entire treatment of Sex screams from Meyer's Mormon upbringing. She vaguely implies becoming a vampire is akin to losing your virginity, and thus should not happen on a whim. The numerous times Bella asks to be turned could almost be replaced with "Turn me into your fuck-toy," turning religious sexual frustration onto young girls that may or may not be ready for such pressures.
My biggest complaint about this whole series though, is that the vampires this story centers around have had their proverbial balls cut off. Vampires are almost portrayed as universally predatory, treating people they way people treat cattle, or sometimes the way a cat treats a mouse. even in tales where a vampiric culture is attempting to live covertly among humanity, they do not blend in, but rather stay in the shadows unless it suits them. Meyer's attempt to normalize vampire's completely defeats the purpose of them not being normal.
Sorry to all the teen girls out there, but long and short is I find nothing redeeming about the series, and the author behind it is bland, boring, and in her attempts to be original, proceeds to do nothing but create a "PG-13" rated harlequin series.
in short, Stephanie Meyer is a talentless hack
Did Anyone Get the Number on That Mack Truck?
Wow my world went upside down and spent the better part of 12 days getting to some semblence of normalcy. First we moved, then there was a dispute over a laundry machine with the folks who bought my old place, then Baby is born (Victor Ian Phelan Bixby, July 17th) and there is still too much damn unpacking to do.
I may only be a week into this whole parenting gig, but it is fun. I marvel at the little wonder Victor is. My mother and father often marveled at how I grew up so fast and unexpededly, and yet when I see my son, I notice the subtle changes that happen day in and out. his hair going lighter then darker, the change in his eyes, the formation of a personality. he makes me wonder if habits that parents have become instincts for the offspring. even at a week old I see many of my wife's and my mannerisims in him. of course, like Images of Michael Jackson in toast, I could be seeing what I want to see, but it is still fascinating.
the only time I have EVER been this exhausted is after a weekend at Gencon in Indianapolis, and at least that is FUN! now find out my mother is headed to town this week for a four day "meet the grandbaby" excursion, which has me aprehensive as all hell.
I do not have a positive relationship with my mother. over the course of my twenty six years of life it took me this long to realize she was very abusive towards those around her. like many families, my father, myself, and other enabled her, not realizing we were feeding whatever circuit that said her behavior was acceptable. that behavior ultimately led to her leaving my Dad, flooding my kid brother with an abandonment issue, and really putting a final nail in the coffin of maintaining a positive relationship with me.
I am caught now between a rock and hard place. I do not want to prevent her from being a grandmother, but at the same time I can not tolerate her treating my son the way she treated me. and frankly if the rumors floating around her siblings about her second husband are true, I do not want him setting foot in my city ever.
hopefully my life will get back to an acceptable form of "normal" soon.
I may only be a week into this whole parenting gig, but it is fun. I marvel at the little wonder Victor is. My mother and father often marveled at how I grew up so fast and unexpededly, and yet when I see my son, I notice the subtle changes that happen day in and out. his hair going lighter then darker, the change in his eyes, the formation of a personality. he makes me wonder if habits that parents have become instincts for the offspring. even at a week old I see many of my wife's and my mannerisims in him. of course, like Images of Michael Jackson in toast, I could be seeing what I want to see, but it is still fascinating.
the only time I have EVER been this exhausted is after a weekend at Gencon in Indianapolis, and at least that is FUN! now find out my mother is headed to town this week for a four day "meet the grandbaby" excursion, which has me aprehensive as all hell.
I do not have a positive relationship with my mother. over the course of my twenty six years of life it took me this long to realize she was very abusive towards those around her. like many families, my father, myself, and other enabled her, not realizing we were feeding whatever circuit that said her behavior was acceptable. that behavior ultimately led to her leaving my Dad, flooding my kid brother with an abandonment issue, and really putting a final nail in the coffin of maintaining a positive relationship with me.
I am caught now between a rock and hard place. I do not want to prevent her from being a grandmother, but at the same time I can not tolerate her treating my son the way she treated me. and frankly if the rumors floating around her siblings about her second husband are true, I do not want him setting foot in my city ever.
hopefully my life will get back to an acceptable form of "normal" soon.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Moved!
So yes, it is finally over. as of today at 10 AM I am fully moved into the old place, and the new one is no longer my concern. moving is an experience that I can hardly describe. Traumatic does not fit, but at the same time it is the only word that seems to work. after all the stress, and all of the fuss, I am in a new house surrounded by boxes, and I just want to curl up in bed and wallow for a few days.
There is more work on the hosue to be done, but this week we plan on doing the relativly minor stuff, setting up the nursery and the home theater (which does not have to be extensivly remodeled as it turns out!)and the kitchen are our top priorities. after that is the Modeling studio, and the bedroom, while a professional is handling our major repair issues.
the house warming is in September, see ya then folks.
There is more work on the hosue to be done, but this week we plan on doing the relativly minor stuff, setting up the nursery and the home theater (which does not have to be extensivly remodeled as it turns out!)and the kitchen are our top priorities. after that is the Modeling studio, and the bedroom, while a professional is handling our major repair issues.
the house warming is in September, see ya then folks.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Cheetos, Toast, and the Man in the Mirror
I have a simple question.
People have been seeing Michael Jacksons image in doors, trees, walls, on ramps, windows, toast, and even cheetos. people have been calling the reaction silly hallucinations.
at the same time, for CENTURIES, people have seen the image of the Virgin Mary, or Jesus Christ in the same objects. These are miracles, and signs of faith to a lot of people (despite the offical word of the Vatican.)
how are these different. the point is people are seeing what they want to see, and it is all a sign of a weak mind looking for some assurance of a great beyond. We seem to have this need to be comofrted, and to know that this life is not all we have.
I have no desire to shatter such beliefs in people, but it is so much mental masturbation that I can not help but laugh.
People have been seeing Michael Jacksons image in doors, trees, walls, on ramps, windows, toast, and even cheetos. people have been calling the reaction silly hallucinations.
at the same time, for CENTURIES, people have seen the image of the Virgin Mary, or Jesus Christ in the same objects. These are miracles, and signs of faith to a lot of people (despite the offical word of the Vatican.)
how are these different. the point is people are seeing what they want to see, and it is all a sign of a weak mind looking for some assurance of a great beyond. We seem to have this need to be comofrted, and to know that this life is not all we have.
I have no desire to shatter such beliefs in people, but it is so much mental masturbation that I can not help but laugh.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Arbiters Movie Reviews: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
This was the SHIT! So it begins with some meaningless prologue of prehistoric humans being trounced by Robots building some great big THING! I am sure if we had a bunch of people build a great big thing the economy would pick up.
So then we go to China! The home of all Transformers! Army guys hop out, and we are introduced to new characters, there is ARCEE! Who has like three lines, and her TWO MOTORCYCLE FRIENDS, who don’t speak at all?
Weak.
And now some giant pickup truck is carrying soldiers and then… WIZCRACKUMPHAHRUMBLEWHEEE! And IRONHIDE IS BACK, and he can smell someone, despite all the pollution in china.
And now this giant earth mover goes WIZCRACKUMPHAHRUMBLEWHEEE. AND A MASSIVE DECEPTICON goes on a rampage through out china, turning buildings and cars, and highways into stir fry! And then an Audi tries to run away, and no one knows why so IT MUST BE DECEPTICON! And they were right. And this Ice Cream truck and Arcee’s trio of awesomeness pursue, and shoot it up, and then a NEW AUTOBOT shows up and ROLLER BLADEs in Shanghais industrial sector, and slices the Decepticon in HALF.
TAKE THAT POTENTIAL FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! I hear the Audi was named Sideways but it doesn’t matter. Hey wasn’t that two wheeled Decepticon destroying half of China!
And NO ONE CAN TAKE IT DOWN! Finally people call in the big guns and here is OPTIMUS PRIME! But he is on a plane, how can we resolve Optimus in a plane, it is not like he can jump…out… of… the… plane.
That introduction was sheer awesomeness. And PLOT COMMENCES!
Okay I will stop with the plot summary by now. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was a FUN movie. That is not to say that it was a GOOD movie. It was full of Plot holes, and it suffered from a lack of character development like the last movie. I can not completely and competently rate it without breaking it down.
First characterization. I feel way too much time was spent giving the characters Skids and Mud Flap. There has already been well publicized flak about these two being “racist” robots. I do not see a regressive racial stereotype here per say, but the two do portray an annoying image. I saw a pair of Urban (NOT NESSICARILY BLACK) sixteen year old high school dropouts who joined the army. They seemed to have had no combat experience, despite being soldiers of a self described elite team. And they seemed very uneducated, despite being robots being programmed. With so much time and dialogue spent for two comic relief characters devoted to a lowest common denominator, it was such a waste, when compared to such a rich history of Transformers characters, or even things like the Arcee Triplets Sideswipe and Jolt IN THE MOVIE!
Speaking of Jolt, if you do not recall that name being used, he is the Blue Autobot in the background you first see halfway through the movie, and he doesn’t talk EVER! He seemed to exist only to enable a Climatic Deus Ex Machina. Likewise Sideswipe and Arcee both were underdeveloped. If Skids and Mudflap were replaced with two other Autobots, and the Arcee Triplets and Jolt were escorting the Humans around the film would have been better.
Surprisingly the Decepticons characterization was MUCH better. We got to see great interaction between Megatron and Starscream. This harkens back to the classic cartoon where the two were constantly being at odds. I have heard some complaints about the Soundwave character being under used, and under developed. Once again we must harken back to the Original cartoon. Soundwave was an uncharismatic blue block of Tape Deck, described as a spy and communications expert, the fact that he was parked in orbit and orchestrating the entire Decepticon action from afar seems perfectly in character.
The biggest problem is this Fallen character is a failing of characterization. He was completely unnecessary. He completely sidelines Megatron as Transformers primary villain. Throughout the Transformers universe Megatron was IT, he was bad guy numero uno. Now we have some star wars esque Vader and Emperor relationship. Between the time spent to render and make the Fallen and Hugo Weavings unbelievable salary voicing Megatron, we could have gotten three different secondary but quality Decepticons.
In terms of Plot, I hate it when the story stops in favor of exposition. There are points where I find it acceptable, such as the opening Crawl in Star Wars. But to bring a fill to a screeching halt in order to tell people what is happening screams to me that someone was running out of writing time. Given the writers strike of a year or two ago, I am not surprised if that was ACTUALLY the case. Now keeping in mind that the film is based on a 1980s cartoon that served as a 30 minute commercial for toys, I realize that this film fit perfectly in the 80’s cartoon.
What would have made it better? First off, I would have loved it if at one point, ANY POINT, Megatron betrayed his master. Megatron the lacky is counterintuitive to the entire franchise. In earlier incarnations Megatron had said “I BELONG TO NO ONE!” to an being that tried to command him.
Secondly, I would have to say this, and please Paramount listen. Less Exposition, more characterization. A perfect divergence point for this film would have been where Megatron “Killed” Optimus. Wounded to the point of being pulled into “Stasis Lock” (look it up, it is a Transformers term), he is brought back on life support to Diego Garcia, and the Humans turn on the Autobots. At this point the whole film does not become about the “Sun Crusher” or a great big energon source. Instead it is about the human race at war with all Cybertonions, regardless of their faction, and the attempt to get a relative peace between the Autobots and human race going.
Now for my wishes for the third movie.
Characters- I WANT to see Soundwave engaged in ground action. I said before that his function in this movie was brilliant, but I want to see a Robot Mode all the same.
Skids and Mudflap need to be rotated back to Cyberton and forgotten, and replaced with two other Autobots. I nominate the characters Cliffjumper and Brawn for such a task, though actual mileage may vary. I want to see a lot more Autobots in the background, but instead of being like the generic decepticons in this film, I want them to LOOK like they have vehicular forms.
Finally I want that super Robot, Devastator to come back. Mortally wounded, or just “hey we have a few of these guys” I do not care about the explanation. But he got punked in a manner I do not like. Likewise, Take advantage of the Transformers history, and bring in an autobot analogue. I picture 5 Autobot planes flying in formation (an A-10, F-16, F-18, F-15, and either a B1, B2, or C-17) combining in midair and landing as a super robot. At the same time, unlike this recent film, I want to see the components as their own robots functioning independently as a team.
For Decepticon Characters, lets bring in a few of the more amazing ones. The character Shockwave being reintroduced into the universe as Megatrons “enforcer” would be wonderful. I would also like to see Starscream commanding a team of two other jets, like Arcee and her motorcycles. Give those two jets names on screen, and a couple lines of military dialogue, and you got a good thing. Above all make the decepticons effectual, something that was lacked in the last film
Finally for human interaction, after two films, I think we can lower the human side a bit. Give Sam and Mikela like 20 minutes and then ride them into the sunset, Keep other Humans as far away as possible, and have the only humans with any extended screen time be Josh Dumhal and Tyrese Gibson. The idea of a Team of Human Military Liasons is a great plot point, and could be exploited much better.
Final Rating for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. As a Transformers fan I want to give it a High Rating, but as a film buff, that rathing is Crippled. I will give it 3 out of 5 energon Cubes total. If split I would give 5 of 5 for action and fun, and 2 of 5 for writing.
So then we go to China! The home of all Transformers! Army guys hop out, and we are introduced to new characters, there is ARCEE! Who has like three lines, and her TWO MOTORCYCLE FRIENDS, who don’t speak at all?
Weak.
And now some giant pickup truck is carrying soldiers and then… WIZCRACKUMPHAHRUMBLEWHEEE! And IRONHIDE IS BACK, and he can smell someone, despite all the pollution in china.
And now this giant earth mover goes WIZCRACKUMPHAHRUMBLEWHEEE. AND A MASSIVE DECEPTICON goes on a rampage through out china, turning buildings and cars, and highways into stir fry! And then an Audi tries to run away, and no one knows why so IT MUST BE DECEPTICON! And they were right. And this Ice Cream truck and Arcee’s trio of awesomeness pursue, and shoot it up, and then a NEW AUTOBOT shows up and ROLLER BLADEs in Shanghais industrial sector, and slices the Decepticon in HALF.
TAKE THAT POTENTIAL FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! I hear the Audi was named Sideways but it doesn’t matter. Hey wasn’t that two wheeled Decepticon destroying half of China!
And NO ONE CAN TAKE IT DOWN! Finally people call in the big guns and here is OPTIMUS PRIME! But he is on a plane, how can we resolve Optimus in a plane, it is not like he can jump…out… of… the… plane.
That introduction was sheer awesomeness. And PLOT COMMENCES!
Okay I will stop with the plot summary by now. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was a FUN movie. That is not to say that it was a GOOD movie. It was full of Plot holes, and it suffered from a lack of character development like the last movie. I can not completely and competently rate it without breaking it down.
First characterization. I feel way too much time was spent giving the characters Skids and Mud Flap. There has already been well publicized flak about these two being “racist” robots. I do not see a regressive racial stereotype here per say, but the two do portray an annoying image. I saw a pair of Urban (NOT NESSICARILY BLACK) sixteen year old high school dropouts who joined the army. They seemed to have had no combat experience, despite being soldiers of a self described elite team. And they seemed very uneducated, despite being robots being programmed. With so much time and dialogue spent for two comic relief characters devoted to a lowest common denominator, it was such a waste, when compared to such a rich history of Transformers characters, or even things like the Arcee Triplets Sideswipe and Jolt IN THE MOVIE!
Speaking of Jolt, if you do not recall that name being used, he is the Blue Autobot in the background you first see halfway through the movie, and he doesn’t talk EVER! He seemed to exist only to enable a Climatic Deus Ex Machina. Likewise Sideswipe and Arcee both were underdeveloped. If Skids and Mudflap were replaced with two other Autobots, and the Arcee Triplets and Jolt were escorting the Humans around the film would have been better.
Surprisingly the Decepticons characterization was MUCH better. We got to see great interaction between Megatron and Starscream. This harkens back to the classic cartoon where the two were constantly being at odds. I have heard some complaints about the Soundwave character being under used, and under developed. Once again we must harken back to the Original cartoon. Soundwave was an uncharismatic blue block of Tape Deck, described as a spy and communications expert, the fact that he was parked in orbit and orchestrating the entire Decepticon action from afar seems perfectly in character.
The biggest problem is this Fallen character is a failing of characterization. He was completely unnecessary. He completely sidelines Megatron as Transformers primary villain. Throughout the Transformers universe Megatron was IT, he was bad guy numero uno. Now we have some star wars esque Vader and Emperor relationship. Between the time spent to render and make the Fallen and Hugo Weavings unbelievable salary voicing Megatron, we could have gotten three different secondary but quality Decepticons.
In terms of Plot, I hate it when the story stops in favor of exposition. There are points where I find it acceptable, such as the opening Crawl in Star Wars. But to bring a fill to a screeching halt in order to tell people what is happening screams to me that someone was running out of writing time. Given the writers strike of a year or two ago, I am not surprised if that was ACTUALLY the case. Now keeping in mind that the film is based on a 1980s cartoon that served as a 30 minute commercial for toys, I realize that this film fit perfectly in the 80’s cartoon.
What would have made it better? First off, I would have loved it if at one point, ANY POINT, Megatron betrayed his master. Megatron the lacky is counterintuitive to the entire franchise. In earlier incarnations Megatron had said “I BELONG TO NO ONE!” to an being that tried to command him.
Secondly, I would have to say this, and please Paramount listen. Less Exposition, more characterization. A perfect divergence point for this film would have been where Megatron “Killed” Optimus. Wounded to the point of being pulled into “Stasis Lock” (look it up, it is a Transformers term), he is brought back on life support to Diego Garcia, and the Humans turn on the Autobots. At this point the whole film does not become about the “Sun Crusher” or a great big energon source. Instead it is about the human race at war with all Cybertonions, regardless of their faction, and the attempt to get a relative peace between the Autobots and human race going.
Now for my wishes for the third movie.
Characters- I WANT to see Soundwave engaged in ground action. I said before that his function in this movie was brilliant, but I want to see a Robot Mode all the same.
Skids and Mudflap need to be rotated back to Cyberton and forgotten, and replaced with two other Autobots. I nominate the characters Cliffjumper and Brawn for such a task, though actual mileage may vary. I want to see a lot more Autobots in the background, but instead of being like the generic decepticons in this film, I want them to LOOK like they have vehicular forms.
Finally I want that super Robot, Devastator to come back. Mortally wounded, or just “hey we have a few of these guys” I do not care about the explanation. But he got punked in a manner I do not like. Likewise, Take advantage of the Transformers history, and bring in an autobot analogue. I picture 5 Autobot planes flying in formation (an A-10, F-16, F-18, F-15, and either a B1, B2, or C-17) combining in midair and landing as a super robot. At the same time, unlike this recent film, I want to see the components as their own robots functioning independently as a team.
For Decepticon Characters, lets bring in a few of the more amazing ones. The character Shockwave being reintroduced into the universe as Megatrons “enforcer” would be wonderful. I would also like to see Starscream commanding a team of two other jets, like Arcee and her motorcycles. Give those two jets names on screen, and a couple lines of military dialogue, and you got a good thing. Above all make the decepticons effectual, something that was lacked in the last film
Finally for human interaction, after two films, I think we can lower the human side a bit. Give Sam and Mikela like 20 minutes and then ride them into the sunset, Keep other Humans as far away as possible, and have the only humans with any extended screen time be Josh Dumhal and Tyrese Gibson. The idea of a Team of Human Military Liasons is a great plot point, and could be exploited much better.
Final Rating for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. As a Transformers fan I want to give it a High Rating, but as a film buff, that rathing is Crippled. I will give it 3 out of 5 energon Cubes total. If split I would give 5 of 5 for action and fun, and 2 of 5 for writing.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
House buying
We did it, somehow we pulled off the deal. My Wife and I close on the house next Friday. The best thing about it is that the deal was on life support for a couple of weeks. After we had an inspector kick the tires of this house, and a contractor give an estimate of how much the cost of repair would be, we went back to the seller.
this is the part of the negotiations where we ask them to fix stuff or the deal is off. well as it turns out he now lives in Maui, so he can not fix stuff. so we say "fine lower the price."
his response "I can't." my jaw hit the fucking floor at that point. as fate would have it he was just barely making enough money from our sale to pay off the mortgage, and he had no extra personal funds to lower the price of his own accord. basically the guy was broke, and when we stumbled across him, he was a step shy of foreclosure.
in my personal correspondence to the seller of this house he said he was shocked and saddened by then inspection report, and regretted turning the home into a rental (which is a direct cause of most of the damage to the house). easily forgiven. my solution was to have him turn to family. Beg, borrow, and steal, pass the collection plate at church, and cash in whatever hidden away investments he had. if he wanted to keep the deal alive, I would need at least a certain percentage of the repair costs covered.
low and behold the SOB came through.
once again, I have to emphasize, this process of buying a house is not for the weak of heart. you have to be tough, keep your options open, and be willing to make compromises. sometimes you will get fucked over by things that are completely beyond your control. other times houses that you thought were "it" turns out to be junk after the inspection. Other times you just find completely inflexible sellers. the current buzzword in this economy is "as is" where a seller is unwilling to make repairs. so many listings I have had to go through have had this phrase in their listing.
Warts and all should apply to relationships with people, not with homes.
anyway, we close next week, and we are going to move in over the weekend, followed by renovations. let the next chapter begin.
Stay renters folks
this is the part of the negotiations where we ask them to fix stuff or the deal is off. well as it turns out he now lives in Maui, so he can not fix stuff. so we say "fine lower the price."
his response "I can't." my jaw hit the fucking floor at that point. as fate would have it he was just barely making enough money from our sale to pay off the mortgage, and he had no extra personal funds to lower the price of his own accord. basically the guy was broke, and when we stumbled across him, he was a step shy of foreclosure.
in my personal correspondence to the seller of this house he said he was shocked and saddened by then inspection report, and regretted turning the home into a rental (which is a direct cause of most of the damage to the house). easily forgiven. my solution was to have him turn to family. Beg, borrow, and steal, pass the collection plate at church, and cash in whatever hidden away investments he had. if he wanted to keep the deal alive, I would need at least a certain percentage of the repair costs covered.
low and behold the SOB came through.
once again, I have to emphasize, this process of buying a house is not for the weak of heart. you have to be tough, keep your options open, and be willing to make compromises. sometimes you will get fucked over by things that are completely beyond your control. other times houses that you thought were "it" turns out to be junk after the inspection. Other times you just find completely inflexible sellers. the current buzzword in this economy is "as is" where a seller is unwilling to make repairs. so many listings I have had to go through have had this phrase in their listing.
Warts and all should apply to relationships with people, not with homes.
anyway, we close next week, and we are going to move in over the weekend, followed by renovations. let the next chapter begin.
Stay renters folks
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Iran
So wow! Time for me to get political despite my better judgment. Iranian Citizens are rising up and saying the election was a scam. everyone in the whole wide world knows it is, but this time people actually care about it. so now a large group of pissed off civilians are scaring the shit out of those in power. this is how a government should run, Governments need to fear their people.
Now here at home President Obama is getting a lot of Flak because he is not speaking out strongly against the allegedly fraudulent election. I find myself on a side not openly supporting the president, but at the same time sees a good reason for silence. It is not self indulgence or a willingness to let evil prosper, as some commentators have claimed.
the reason we have been so hands off in support for the populist dissent in that nation is to permit this movement to maintain its own ownership. if the President Speaks out in support, the Ayatollah will use that as an excuse to blame America for this dissent. it is the same thing that has happened for nearly three decades. The Nation has been brought to near collapse because the United States DID at one point meddle in Iran's internal affairs, specifically the Iran/Iraq War. truth told, in the incident we played both sides for fools, and neither has quite forgiven us for it.
the united states has a larger misunderstanding about the Nation called Iran however. it is one that has plagued us for most of the 20th century. We see Islam as an Arabic religion, so all Muslims must be Arabs as well. Iran is a Persian land however, just as Egypt is it's own region. The cultural differences between Persians and Arabs are just as wide as the cultural differences between the United States and China.
It is similar to General Patton's assessment of our inability to understand the Soviet Union, because we insisted on treating them as European, when the large quantity of Soviets were Asian.
the sooner we realize that we need to adjust our perspective on these people, the sooner we can get along with them without having to actually apologize for sins of the past.
Now here at home President Obama is getting a lot of Flak because he is not speaking out strongly against the allegedly fraudulent election. I find myself on a side not openly supporting the president, but at the same time sees a good reason for silence. It is not self indulgence or a willingness to let evil prosper, as some commentators have claimed.
the reason we have been so hands off in support for the populist dissent in that nation is to permit this movement to maintain its own ownership. if the President Speaks out in support, the Ayatollah will use that as an excuse to blame America for this dissent. it is the same thing that has happened for nearly three decades. The Nation has been brought to near collapse because the United States DID at one point meddle in Iran's internal affairs, specifically the Iran/Iraq War. truth told, in the incident we played both sides for fools, and neither has quite forgiven us for it.
the united states has a larger misunderstanding about the Nation called Iran however. it is one that has plagued us for most of the 20th century. We see Islam as an Arabic religion, so all Muslims must be Arabs as well. Iran is a Persian land however, just as Egypt is it's own region. The cultural differences between Persians and Arabs are just as wide as the cultural differences between the United States and China.
It is similar to General Patton's assessment of our inability to understand the Soviet Union, because we insisted on treating them as European, when the large quantity of Soviets were Asian.
the sooner we realize that we need to adjust our perspective on these people, the sooner we can get along with them without having to actually apologize for sins of the past.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Falling blocks
Two of my favorite tings are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. the first is Battletech, a Game of Armored combat. the other is Tetris.
Tetris was perhaps the greatest invention to come out of the Soviet Union, after the Automat Kalashnikov model 1947. it was created by a mathematician, Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov in 1984. though popular rumor is that it was made on an oscilloscope, it was in fact made on a Russian Elektronika 60 mainframe terminal. being the soviet union, the government claimed ownership of the software, and sold the publishing rights on the cheap, leaving Alexy with no royalties. The result of this caused Alexy and his friend and co worker to move to the United States, where he was honestly shocked that his simple "exercise the brain" program was a smash hit, and little children were playing it on Game Boys with an expertise many adults could not match.
it is estimated that over 70 million copies of the game Tetris have been sold in one format or another, and it can be argued that the Game Boy, which originally came with a copy of Tetris, was made the leading platform by the game. It has been ported, and made to freeware on several systems, and even been played on the side of skyscrapers.
The Music is just as timeless. the Original Game boy version used a Russian folk tune called Korobeiniki, as well as "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Faeries" and Bach's "French Suite no 3."
my personal opinion as to the success of Tetris is that for a puzzle game, it does not end. there is no clock, no goal, it is a race against yourself to last as long as possible. even mathematicians have stated that eventually even with reflexes bordering on precognition, the nature of the game itself prevents you from playing indefinitely. yet this makes it easy to compete, not only against friends, but yourself. that such a competitive piece of software came from the Soviets is nearly miraculous.
I for one, plan on celebrating this wonderful game with a glass of vodka and my circa 1986 gameboy (still functions!). everyone else should at least play the classic, and raise a glass to our comrade Alexy, now living in hawaii, for starting an international phenominon
Tetris was perhaps the greatest invention to come out of the Soviet Union, after the Automat Kalashnikov model 1947. it was created by a mathematician, Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov in 1984. though popular rumor is that it was made on an oscilloscope, it was in fact made on a Russian Elektronika 60 mainframe terminal. being the soviet union, the government claimed ownership of the software, and sold the publishing rights on the cheap, leaving Alexy with no royalties. The result of this caused Alexy and his friend and co worker to move to the United States, where he was honestly shocked that his simple "exercise the brain" program was a smash hit, and little children were playing it on Game Boys with an expertise many adults could not match.
it is estimated that over 70 million copies of the game Tetris have been sold in one format or another, and it can be argued that the Game Boy, which originally came with a copy of Tetris, was made the leading platform by the game. It has been ported, and made to freeware on several systems, and even been played on the side of skyscrapers.
The Music is just as timeless. the Original Game boy version used a Russian folk tune called Korobeiniki, as well as "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Faeries" and Bach's "French Suite no 3."
my personal opinion as to the success of Tetris is that for a puzzle game, it does not end. there is no clock, no goal, it is a race against yourself to last as long as possible. even mathematicians have stated that eventually even with reflexes bordering on precognition, the nature of the game itself prevents you from playing indefinitely. yet this makes it easy to compete, not only against friends, but yourself. that such a competitive piece of software came from the Soviets is nearly miraculous.
I for one, plan on celebrating this wonderful game with a glass of vodka and my circa 1986 gameboy (still functions!). everyone else should at least play the classic, and raise a glass to our comrade Alexy, now living in hawaii, for starting an international phenominon
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Nerd Cave
So the wife and I have made an offer on a new place to live. in terms of layout it is absolutely perfect for us. the basement is expansive and it is large for the X-01 and us, and maybe an X-02 (though we are going to be waiting a few years before that happens)
Jennifer's and my relationship and now marriage has been unique in the fact that I have always had most of the stuff. so fundamentally, while living together we have always lived in a bachelor pad of sorts. it seems like this is not going to change much, but since we are both nerds, with similar tastes it matters little.
we are going to make an attempt at a "more grown up" place for most of this new house. the master Bedroom, Office, and Basement will be where the nerdness lies. it is specifically the basement that we are focusing on.
There are three rooms down there, each with what will be a most excellent focus to them. the first room is thin and long, with a tile floor and stainless steel sinks in it. Perfect for our model painting (yes she paints them too) already we are looking at how to properly equip it for such a purpose.
the second room is a small (painfully so) home theater. in the era of HD televisions I know that the cabinet that was built into the wall will be demolished and replaced. a floor to ceiling DVD case installed and a stereo surround system connected. the ability to play Xbox in full surround is a pleasure I have yet to experience, and it will be awesome.
the third room , directly off the second, is a full fledged bar. now I am going to have to rotate the bar itself 90 degrees, but other then that I have this full empty space that I can do almost anything with. what will happen to it, I do not know. Pictures will be placed on a photobucket page, and then my plans to dominate the world will take effect.
Stay tuned children!
Jennifer's and my relationship and now marriage has been unique in the fact that I have always had most of the stuff. so fundamentally, while living together we have always lived in a bachelor pad of sorts. it seems like this is not going to change much, but since we are both nerds, with similar tastes it matters little.
we are going to make an attempt at a "more grown up" place for most of this new house. the master Bedroom, Office, and Basement will be where the nerdness lies. it is specifically the basement that we are focusing on.
There are three rooms down there, each with what will be a most excellent focus to them. the first room is thin and long, with a tile floor and stainless steel sinks in it. Perfect for our model painting (yes she paints them too) already we are looking at how to properly equip it for such a purpose.
the second room is a small (painfully so) home theater. in the era of HD televisions I know that the cabinet that was built into the wall will be demolished and replaced. a floor to ceiling DVD case installed and a stereo surround system connected. the ability to play Xbox in full surround is a pleasure I have yet to experience, and it will be awesome.
the third room , directly off the second, is a full fledged bar. now I am going to have to rotate the bar itself 90 degrees, but other then that I have this full empty space that I can do almost anything with. what will happen to it, I do not know. Pictures will be placed on a photobucket page, and then my plans to dominate the world will take effect.
Stay tuned children!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
House Crap
Seven days, Our House was on the market a grand total of seven days, and it sold. in this market that has to be a god-damned record. We Close in August, which means a few social plans I have will not be derailed, thank goodness.
now we have to find a house to live in after closing though. Mrs A and I will be looking at places today that are in our top 3. I plan on making an offer on one of them, just to get it out of the way.
for those not in the know, buying a house is a lot like bidding in an auction. you NEVER offer what the seller is asking for. depending on how things are going, you offer a small but substantial discount. some will say 15% lower, some 10%, my agent says 5, I call him a wuss. then it is a bunch of haggeling back and forth before you and the seller come to an agreed upon price. then the fun starts.
see even though you agree on a price the place is not sold yet. you hire a house inspector to "kick the tires" and see if there are structural, wiring, plumbing defects, stuff that is dangerous. the kind of crap people hide with a fresh coat of paint. like Chinese Drywall.
after the inspection you get a list of "crap that should be fixed before you move in. you go to the seller and say "not only do I have to pay for the place, but I have to spend W dollars to fix X, Y, and Z. so I say either you fix it, or you discount the price to fix it off of the sales price."
depending on how desperate people are to sell they may agree or they may tell you to buzz off.
wash rinse repeat until a final price is agreed on and SOLD the home is yours. the process is not for the weak willed or faint of heart. I would also say it is not for the arrogant or bored. it can best be described as a poker game. you bluff, up the ante, and try not to blink or sweat.
I got the person to buy my house to blink, and he was sweating. Time for phase II. more to come later
now we have to find a house to live in after closing though. Mrs A and I will be looking at places today that are in our top 3. I plan on making an offer on one of them, just to get it out of the way.
for those not in the know, buying a house is a lot like bidding in an auction. you NEVER offer what the seller is asking for. depending on how things are going, you offer a small but substantial discount. some will say 15% lower, some 10%, my agent says 5, I call him a wuss. then it is a bunch of haggeling back and forth before you and the seller come to an agreed upon price. then the fun starts.
see even though you agree on a price the place is not sold yet. you hire a house inspector to "kick the tires" and see if there are structural, wiring, plumbing defects, stuff that is dangerous. the kind of crap people hide with a fresh coat of paint. like Chinese Drywall.
after the inspection you get a list of "crap that should be fixed before you move in. you go to the seller and say "not only do I have to pay for the place, but I have to spend W dollars to fix X, Y, and Z. so I say either you fix it, or you discount the price to fix it off of the sales price."
depending on how desperate people are to sell they may agree or they may tell you to buzz off.
wash rinse repeat until a final price is agreed on and SOLD the home is yours. the process is not for the weak willed or faint of heart. I would also say it is not for the arrogant or bored. it can best be described as a poker game. you bluff, up the ante, and try not to blink or sweat.
I got the person to buy my house to blink, and he was sweating. Time for phase II. more to come later
Friday, May 29, 2009
Role Players
when playing video games there are a few constants in my life. I love going back and popping in an oldie but goodie, sometimes I just need to blow stuff up, and other times, I prefer hacking and whacking like Butcher Pete and his long sharp pen-errrrr knife.
rarely ever though do I want to get immersed in some mystical far off land of prissy elves, racist humans, and isolationist dwarfs, and idiot orks. The Era of steel blades and chainmail just flat do not do it for me. I did not enjoy playing Final Fantasy 1 at all, and Dragon Warrior... forget it.
Later in life I went back to these oldies because I forced my way through more modern RPGs, but there is still a huge problem with them.
Magic. call it what you will, but every role playing video game has Magic of some sort. Some kind of ability that turns ordinary people into gods among men. even in Sci Fi oriented games like Parasite Eve there was magic (mitohondial Powers). and it is a crutch that you can not ignore in order to complete the game.
Fallout 2 was the first RPG game I came across that had no magic per say in it, and it was a wonderful experience. Only equipment and training mattered. the post apocolyptic science fiction setting was welcome as well. I would love to see more such games with a set up. level building to invovle "getting better" at stuff, great equipment, an immersive story, but no Magic system. that includes the Force for you KOTOR fans, and Parasite energy for the PE club.
I want to keep my RPGs real.
rarely ever though do I want to get immersed in some mystical far off land of prissy elves, racist humans, and isolationist dwarfs, and idiot orks. The Era of steel blades and chainmail just flat do not do it for me. I did not enjoy playing Final Fantasy 1 at all, and Dragon Warrior... forget it.
Later in life I went back to these oldies because I forced my way through more modern RPGs, but there is still a huge problem with them.
Magic. call it what you will, but every role playing video game has Magic of some sort. Some kind of ability that turns ordinary people into gods among men. even in Sci Fi oriented games like Parasite Eve there was magic (mitohondial Powers). and it is a crutch that you can not ignore in order to complete the game.
Fallout 2 was the first RPG game I came across that had no magic per say in it, and it was a wonderful experience. Only equipment and training mattered. the post apocolyptic science fiction setting was welcome as well. I would love to see more such games with a set up. level building to invovle "getting better" at stuff, great equipment, an immersive story, but no Magic system. that includes the Force for you KOTOR fans, and Parasite energy for the PE club.
I want to keep my RPGs real.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
David Souter
Oh, damn, holy crap, Barack Obama is not even a year into his term and he gets to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court. And Legions of so called conservatives are shaking in their boots because “he will pick a liberal justice.” OF COURSE HE WILL YOU FUCK-TARDS. Liberal politician, liberal appointees. This is what happens when a party sweeps an election cycle, and the Conservative party in my country has had that free ride for eight gods damned years and squandered it like a kid in a baseball card store.
I am sick and tired of hearing this fear with David Souter’s retirement. First David Souter, while appointed by a republican president, was not exactly a strictly conservative judge. Souter was a champion for personal liberty and responsibility. If a case had to do with Government vs. people, he generally sided with the people. This in my mind made him a very conservative judge, as he was a check on federal power. I would like to see his successor in a similar vein.
Case in point is the infamous Planned Parenthood v. Casey trial, which was a challenge to the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act in 1992. The States argument was poor, and part of it was a direct request to overturn Roe V Wade. Souter wrote that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned because it would be surrender to political pressure... So to overrule under fire in the absence of the most compelling reason to re-examine a watershed decision would subvert the Court's legitimacy beyond any serious question.”
Long Story short, he was not going to vote to overturn a ruling based on the sole argument of being asked nicely.
The most distressing part about this appointment coming up is the expectations of the people. Again, it was not until about a quarter of a century ago that nobody even cared about Supreme Court nominations. The average vote by the senate for approval was in the nineties, and in pre vote hearings, often times nominees did not even show up. It was not until Ronald Regan’s nomination of Sandra Day O’Conner that such a practice became commonplace, and damned the nomination of Robert Bork in 1987.
I wander around my workplace and I am surprised to see how many people think that the High Court in this country actually has to answer to some other federal agency. Buzz Words and talking points like Judicial Activism arise, as though to accuse the Courts of trying to legislate from their seats.
The Supreme Court was set up as a third equal and separate branch of federal power, not as a division of the Department of Justice. They are an island, and through the constitution act as the final, almighty and ever present arbiter of what is and is not law in this land. The Marbury v Madison case opinion perfectly outlines this.
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases must, of necessity, expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the Courts must decide on the operation of each.
So, if a law be in opposition to the Constitution, if both the law and the Constitution apply to a particular case, so that the Court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the Constitution, or conformably to the Constitution, disregarding the law, the Court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of judicial duty. If, then, the Courts are to regard the Constitution, and the Constitution is superior to any ordinary act of the Legislature, the Constitution, and not such ordinary act, must govern the case to which they both apply.
Those, then, who controvert the principle that the Constitution is to be considered in court as a paramount law, are reduced to the necessity of maintaining that courts must close their eyes on the Constitution, and see only the law.
This doctrine would subvert the very foundation of all written constitutions.”
I think that the best nominee would be one who would hold to that ideal very closely, criticisms of activism be damned.
I am sick and tired of hearing this fear with David Souter’s retirement. First David Souter, while appointed by a republican president, was not exactly a strictly conservative judge. Souter was a champion for personal liberty and responsibility. If a case had to do with Government vs. people, he generally sided with the people. This in my mind made him a very conservative judge, as he was a check on federal power. I would like to see his successor in a similar vein.
Case in point is the infamous Planned Parenthood v. Casey trial, which was a challenge to the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act in 1992. The States argument was poor, and part of it was a direct request to overturn Roe V Wade. Souter wrote that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned because it would be surrender to political pressure... So to overrule under fire in the absence of the most compelling reason to re-examine a watershed decision would subvert the Court's legitimacy beyond any serious question.”
Long Story short, he was not going to vote to overturn a ruling based on the sole argument of being asked nicely.
The most distressing part about this appointment coming up is the expectations of the people. Again, it was not until about a quarter of a century ago that nobody even cared about Supreme Court nominations. The average vote by the senate for approval was in the nineties, and in pre vote hearings, often times nominees did not even show up. It was not until Ronald Regan’s nomination of Sandra Day O’Conner that such a practice became commonplace, and damned the nomination of Robert Bork in 1987.
I wander around my workplace and I am surprised to see how many people think that the High Court in this country actually has to answer to some other federal agency. Buzz Words and talking points like Judicial Activism arise, as though to accuse the Courts of trying to legislate from their seats.
The Supreme Court was set up as a third equal and separate branch of federal power, not as a division of the Department of Justice. They are an island, and through the constitution act as the final, almighty and ever present arbiter of what is and is not law in this land. The Marbury v Madison case opinion perfectly outlines this.
“It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases must, of necessity, expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the Courts must decide on the operation of each.
So, if a law be in opposition to the Constitution, if both the law and the Constitution apply to a particular case, so that the Court must either decide that case conformably to the law, disregarding the Constitution, or conformably to the Constitution, disregarding the law, the Court must determine which of these conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of judicial duty. If, then, the Courts are to regard the Constitution, and the Constitution is superior to any ordinary act of the Legislature, the Constitution, and not such ordinary act, must govern the case to which they both apply.
Those, then, who controvert the principle that the Constitution is to be considered in court as a paramount law, are reduced to the necessity of maintaining that courts must close their eyes on the Constitution, and see only the law.
This doctrine would subvert the very foundation of all written constitutions.”
I think that the best nominee would be one who would hold to that ideal very closely, criticisms of activism be damned.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Trailer Recap....
so it starts out "Bumblebee, you are to dumb for college! And then here mom proves SHE is to dumb for College, and Dad is to CHEAP for college, so only the annoying kid from the first movie goes.
And then you ask yourself “is Meghan Fox wearing Panties ion that shot? I don’t think she is. Can not quite see….. NONONONONONO DON’T GET UP!”
And then it is the annoying kid again and he drops the last chunk of that rubiks cube. And then it becomes a discovery channel special on Egypt, or Cyberton I do not know. HOLY CRAP IS THAT A FACE!
And then same starts writing on the chalk board, and stabbing the ground and then you hear Optimus Prime?
HOLY CRAP IT IS OPTIMUS PIRME! HOW DID THEY GET HIM BACK? His contract after the first movie had to be outrageous!
And he goes “I have not been honest with you Sam” is that the kids name? I never really cared. And He Goes “it is not my war” which makes me think he is going to die! Wait a second, wasn’t stuff blowing up by now?
BOOM BAM BANG thumpthumpthumpthump
Ah there we go, all better now.
Stuff is always better with explosions. WAIT WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? It looks like a Decepticon on a unicycle. EXTREME UNICYLING IS AWESOME! Yes it is a real sport. Or it should be.
And now we see bumblebee has two friends, I hope they die. I miss Jazz. And then that guy from the usual suspects ask that kid “does this look familiar?” and plot tries to get in the way of a good trailer.
And then we are underwater, and four big Decepticons surround Megatron. And one of them is HUGE, like just as big as Megatron. And on the third year MEGATRON SHALL RISE FROM THE ABYSS! And he looks like he has taken steroids! He was huge as it was but now…. Holy crap he is huge! And he has a really big gun and every thing and he sneaks up on this girl.
HOW CAN YOU MISS A 30 FOOT TALL ROBOT!? ARE YOU BLIND?
But now it is back to the trailer. BANBG, BOOM, ZAAAAAAP, KECEWL, ZOOM, VROOM!
Crying and ownage, and that stupid kid is in a flying audi. I think it was thrown. Please die kid. Or get arrested at Walgreens again.
And opttimus gets in the fray, dueling up on blades like Samuel L Jackson. But he gets pwned. And then “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”
And a bunch of scenes flash and then……
WHAT THE HOLY JESUS BLUE FUCKING MONKEY CHRIST IS THAT????
And then you ask yourself “is Meghan Fox wearing Panties ion that shot? I don’t think she is. Can not quite see….. NONONONONONO DON’T GET UP!”
And then it is the annoying kid again and he drops the last chunk of that rubiks cube. And then it becomes a discovery channel special on Egypt, or Cyberton I do not know. HOLY CRAP IS THAT A FACE!
And then same starts writing on the chalk board, and stabbing the ground and then you hear Optimus Prime?
HOLY CRAP IT IS OPTIMUS PIRME! HOW DID THEY GET HIM BACK? His contract after the first movie had to be outrageous!
And he goes “I have not been honest with you Sam” is that the kids name? I never really cared. And He Goes “it is not my war” which makes me think he is going to die! Wait a second, wasn’t stuff blowing up by now?
BOOM BAM BANG thumpthumpthumpthump
Ah there we go, all better now.
Stuff is always better with explosions. WAIT WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? It looks like a Decepticon on a unicycle. EXTREME UNICYLING IS AWESOME! Yes it is a real sport. Or it should be.
And now we see bumblebee has two friends, I hope they die. I miss Jazz. And then that guy from the usual suspects ask that kid “does this look familiar?” and plot tries to get in the way of a good trailer.
And then we are underwater, and four big Decepticons surround Megatron. And one of them is HUGE, like just as big as Megatron. And on the third year MEGATRON SHALL RISE FROM THE ABYSS! And he looks like he has taken steroids! He was huge as it was but now…. Holy crap he is huge! And he has a really big gun and every thing and he sneaks up on this girl.
HOW CAN YOU MISS A 30 FOOT TALL ROBOT!? ARE YOU BLIND?
But now it is back to the trailer. BANBG, BOOM, ZAAAAAAP, KECEWL, ZOOM, VROOM!
Crying and ownage, and that stupid kid is in a flying audi. I think it was thrown. Please die kid. Or get arrested at Walgreens again.
And opttimus gets in the fray, dueling up on blades like Samuel L Jackson. But he gets pwned. And then “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”
And a bunch of scenes flash and then……
WHAT THE HOLY JESUS BLUE FUCKING MONKEY CHRIST IS THAT????
Thursday, April 30, 2009
There she is, Miss Dumbass
So a lot of hullaballo was raised last week that Miss California was set up by a gay man from California in the Q&A section, with a question she could not answer correctly about gay marriage .
I would like to present to you her original and unedited answer to the question "Should every state allow same sex marriage?"
"I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage and, you know what, in my country and my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."
Forget what she was talking about for a second. The Syntax of her statement was horrible, she seemed selfish and arogant, and she blindly trampled over the hot button issue of sexuality being a choice or not which was not the context of the question.
Basically she sounded like a dumb, rich, blond bitch from California.
I would like to present to you what she should have said, and what would have gotten her the title.
Marriage occupies a unique and contradictory place in the culture of the United States of America. Almost universally marriage is a religious institution, yet the federal state and local governments all have legal definitions of marriage. The fact that many of these definitions strictly follow the Judeo-Christian definition may or may not be a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the constitution of the United States of America.
I was raised in a strictly devout Christian household, and my faith prevents me from personally endorsing same-sex marriage. There are several religions and religious sects however who will recognize same sex couples. Since I am not a member of any of these groups I feel I have no say as to what the legitimacy of their rites are.
While I do not agree that Same Sex couples should be allowed to marry within my own faith, I do think that if government in this country is going to continue to recognize marriage in the form of licenses and tax benefits, that those benefits should be non discriminatory, provided that the marriage ceremony is performed in an established house of God within good standing of that religions hierarchy.
a little wordy, and it might violate time standards in the competition. but it sounds intelligent, and neatly sidesteps the issue of personal beliefs over policy.
Now as for Parez Hilton, not related to Paris as I found out, he was an ass-hat anyway. This openly gay man makes a living on invading the personal lives of celebrities and trying to find out if they are gay or not. he has an impressive record of outing people against their will. For evidence I would recommend logging onto his blog and doing a search for CNN anchor "Anderson Cooper."
I understand WHY he asked the same sex marraige question. He has a personal stake in it and California, in the top 5 of most liberal states in the union is among the states that led this push towards permitting gay people to wed. so asking a Californian about the issue may make a certain amount of sense. it does not change the fact though that we are asking a beauty queen a political question. this is a crew that for nearly a century has been famous for giving six year old answers to thousand year old problems. Asking for a coherent opinion is like asking for a hand job from someone with no hands. it JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN!
my simple sollution to this horrible misunderstanding is that we remove the Q&A section all together. I want to stare at babes in bikini's, watch them do cool useless shit, and be poised. I do not want to hear these little girls talk.
I would like to present to you her original and unedited answer to the question "Should every state allow same sex marriage?"
"I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage and, you know what, in my country and my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be between a man and a woman."
Forget what she was talking about for a second. The Syntax of her statement was horrible, she seemed selfish and arogant, and she blindly trampled over the hot button issue of sexuality being a choice or not which was not the context of the question.
Basically she sounded like a dumb, rich, blond bitch from California.
I would like to present to you what she should have said, and what would have gotten her the title.
Marriage occupies a unique and contradictory place in the culture of the United States of America. Almost universally marriage is a religious institution, yet the federal state and local governments all have legal definitions of marriage. The fact that many of these definitions strictly follow the Judeo-Christian definition may or may not be a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the constitution of the United States of America.
I was raised in a strictly devout Christian household, and my faith prevents me from personally endorsing same-sex marriage. There are several religions and religious sects however who will recognize same sex couples. Since I am not a member of any of these groups I feel I have no say as to what the legitimacy of their rites are.
While I do not agree that Same Sex couples should be allowed to marry within my own faith, I do think that if government in this country is going to continue to recognize marriage in the form of licenses and tax benefits, that those benefits should be non discriminatory, provided that the marriage ceremony is performed in an established house of God within good standing of that religions hierarchy.
a little wordy, and it might violate time standards in the competition. but it sounds intelligent, and neatly sidesteps the issue of personal beliefs over policy.
Now as for Parez Hilton, not related to Paris as I found out, he was an ass-hat anyway. This openly gay man makes a living on invading the personal lives of celebrities and trying to find out if they are gay or not. he has an impressive record of outing people against their will. For evidence I would recommend logging onto his blog and doing a search for CNN anchor "Anderson Cooper."
I understand WHY he asked the same sex marraige question. He has a personal stake in it and California, in the top 5 of most liberal states in the union is among the states that led this push towards permitting gay people to wed. so asking a Californian about the issue may make a certain amount of sense. it does not change the fact though that we are asking a beauty queen a political question. this is a crew that for nearly a century has been famous for giving six year old answers to thousand year old problems. Asking for a coherent opinion is like asking for a hand job from someone with no hands. it JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN!
my simple sollution to this horrible misunderstanding is that we remove the Q&A section all together. I want to stare at babes in bikini's, watch them do cool useless shit, and be poised. I do not want to hear these little girls talk.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
All of the has happened before....
http://news.spong.com/gateway?Games+Addiction+Researcher+Admits+%22I+Made+an+Error%22/%2Farticle%2F17790%2FGames_Addiction_Researcher_Admits_I_Made_an_Error
People with an agenda trying to do research to suit their needs. Jack Thompson probably spooged his shorts when he read this paper initially.
This has always been a great frustration for me as a gamer. People want to see video games as a child's toy, instead of as a legitimate entertainment form like theater, cinema, and television. Since the days of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972 There has been a niche market of adults that has gotten progressively bigger. the reason why is that children who were playing Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari, the Sega Master System, or Nintendo grew up and continued to game.
and what is the number one criticism. "well video games are just escapism"
Yes, of course they are. just like reading a book, or watching a movie. Video games are at least slightly more constructive then either format, because you control the circumstances. you as a player get to determine the path that the stories protagonist take.
Gaming is a culture, and just because some idiots out there do not agree with it does not mean it does not have a right to exist.
People with an agenda trying to do research to suit their needs. Jack Thompson probably spooged his shorts when he read this paper initially.
This has always been a great frustration for me as a gamer. People want to see video games as a child's toy, instead of as a legitimate entertainment form like theater, cinema, and television. Since the days of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972 There has been a niche market of adults that has gotten progressively bigger. the reason why is that children who were playing Colecovision, Intellivision, Atari, the Sega Master System, or Nintendo grew up and continued to game.
and what is the number one criticism. "well video games are just escapism"
Yes, of course they are. just like reading a book, or watching a movie. Video games are at least slightly more constructive then either format, because you control the circumstances. you as a player get to determine the path that the stories protagonist take.
Gaming is a culture, and just because some idiots out there do not agree with it does not mean it does not have a right to exist.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
I am owed about 3,000 apologoies by my count
The News story in USA TODAY came, and it is wonderfull.
I have refered to myself as a victim of the Columbine shootings since 2002. Upon self reflection of the circumstances, I realized that the events that took place in Littleton Colorado in 1999 stirred a national panic, and every slightly odd boy and girl in grades Pre-K through 12 was now considered a bomb threat.
I was that slightly odd boy. I played Video games like Doom and Duke Nukem, I loved computers and read whatever was placed in front of me. I studied seven different religons holy text and interpreted all of them. I played board games that required dice with more then six faces. I saw Ballistics as the ultimate expression of Physics, I studied World War II like it was a Religion. I knew how to make various implements of harm out of homemade objects, as well as ingenious devices that could be helpful in a stretch. in the 1980s I would have been refered to as a little MacGuyver. At Bishop Miege High School I was a ticking time bomb.
It was horrible treatment by my fellow students. most wanted nothing to do with me at that point. Others sought to egg me on. Time however has taught me paitence, and thanks to this article, I stand vindicated. I hope that at the very least my entire graduating class reads this article, and understands. I hope they understand that what happened to me by those who sought to prevent another Columbine was a crime, and it is not one that can be prosecuted or repaid.
I am happy to see the back of that school, and I will only look at it again to see it bulldozed to the ground after I bought it.
I have refered to myself as a victim of the Columbine shootings since 2002. Upon self reflection of the circumstances, I realized that the events that took place in Littleton Colorado in 1999 stirred a national panic, and every slightly odd boy and girl in grades Pre-K through 12 was now considered a bomb threat.
I was that slightly odd boy. I played Video games like Doom and Duke Nukem, I loved computers and read whatever was placed in front of me. I studied seven different religons holy text and interpreted all of them. I played board games that required dice with more then six faces. I saw Ballistics as the ultimate expression of Physics, I studied World War II like it was a Religion. I knew how to make various implements of harm out of homemade objects, as well as ingenious devices that could be helpful in a stretch. in the 1980s I would have been refered to as a little MacGuyver. At Bishop Miege High School I was a ticking time bomb.
It was horrible treatment by my fellow students. most wanted nothing to do with me at that point. Others sought to egg me on. Time however has taught me paitence, and thanks to this article, I stand vindicated. I hope that at the very least my entire graduating class reads this article, and understands. I hope they understand that what happened to me by those who sought to prevent another Columbine was a crime, and it is not one that can be prosecuted or repaid.
I am happy to see the back of that school, and I will only look at it again to see it bulldozed to the ground after I bought it.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
I are adult now?
Buying a house is an interesting experience. My first forray into home ownership and its consequences was 4 years ago. I found out that my grandfather had left me a substantial amount of investments from when he passed away many many moons ago. so my apartment search ended and my house search began. being shown places and not liking them, real estate listing piling up like oh so many leaning towers, the small mountain of mortgage paperwork... fun times by all.
eventually I settled into the nest I have now. My girlfriend, now wife, moved in with me shortly after. It is a Great condo, four bedrooms, nice living space, and enough electrical outlets to power my modern life. but with the X-01 on the way (our nickname for the incoming baby) we realized that a vertically oriented house, surrounded by old fogies, and in our area is not a good place for an infant.
So I called the relator I went to last time. and he looks at our place and reccomends a lot of clean up work, including but not limited too putting away all of my Battletech Minis. *sigh...* and so we go about cleaning our place. So we go about, boxing up a shit ton of our "fun stuff" My aforementioned Minis, lots of toy collections, porn, Jenny's Altar, porcelin dolls spare computers, DVDs we do not plan on watching in the next 12 months, old files etc. We are also taking the time to ebay or donate stuff we do not want any more, which is good as it contributes less to the clutter we have.
repairs are not easy either. in the past six weeks I have spent close to $4,000 dollars on projects that needed to get done. from repainting to carpet cleaning to fixing trim and sealing cracks. it is not fun, but that nightmare is almost done.
Now we have to look at places. I admit I am spoiled. I grew up in precisely one house. I lived in it from when I was 3 years old to the day I moved out in 2005. so I am spoiled a bit. I expect a lot of open space, rooms with utility and purpose. so I see these houses and say "hey, that has a lot of space." and when we take the tour I am shocked by the photography tricks. Another issue is the general state of disrepair places are in when the owners are gone.
and as for the mortgage paperwork.... oh fuck me running! when I first bought my place in 2005, money was flowing like freaking ethonol (65% less viscous then water) now a days it seems more like molasses. Calling different banks up, some say yes ,some no. some will give you this outrageously high rate, others so low you have to ask "is this a 30 year rate? or did you just give me an ARM?"
and the yes's and no's change almost weekly, it sucks.
the home buying journey continues. our place is going to go on the market by months end. then the dance of negotiations begin.... more coming soon
eventually I settled into the nest I have now. My girlfriend, now wife, moved in with me shortly after. It is a Great condo, four bedrooms, nice living space, and enough electrical outlets to power my modern life. but with the X-01 on the way (our nickname for the incoming baby) we realized that a vertically oriented house, surrounded by old fogies, and in our area is not a good place for an infant.
So I called the relator I went to last time. and he looks at our place and reccomends a lot of clean up work, including but not limited too putting away all of my Battletech Minis. *sigh...* and so we go about cleaning our place. So we go about, boxing up a shit ton of our "fun stuff" My aforementioned Minis, lots of toy collections, porn, Jenny's Altar, porcelin dolls spare computers, DVDs we do not plan on watching in the next 12 months, old files etc. We are also taking the time to ebay or donate stuff we do not want any more, which is good as it contributes less to the clutter we have.
repairs are not easy either. in the past six weeks I have spent close to $4,000 dollars on projects that needed to get done. from repainting to carpet cleaning to fixing trim and sealing cracks. it is not fun, but that nightmare is almost done.
Now we have to look at places. I admit I am spoiled. I grew up in precisely one house. I lived in it from when I was 3 years old to the day I moved out in 2005. so I am spoiled a bit. I expect a lot of open space, rooms with utility and purpose. so I see these houses and say "hey, that has a lot of space." and when we take the tour I am shocked by the photography tricks. Another issue is the general state of disrepair places are in when the owners are gone.
and as for the mortgage paperwork.... oh fuck me running! when I first bought my place in 2005, money was flowing like freaking ethonol (65% less viscous then water) now a days it seems more like molasses. Calling different banks up, some say yes ,some no. some will give you this outrageously high rate, others so low you have to ask "is this a 30 year rate? or did you just give me an ARM?"
and the yes's and no's change almost weekly, it sucks.
the home buying journey continues. our place is going to go on the market by months end. then the dance of negotiations begin.... more coming soon
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Here is a thought...
I thought a thought that I thought I had thought but the thought that I had thought wasn't the thought that I had thought I had thought so maybe if I had thought the thought that I thought I thought I wouldn't of thought so much. Any thoughts?
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Customer service
I had a recent experience at the drive thru that irritated me. it was not the setting that bothered me, but the experience in general. I am at the Chik Fil A, and I am paying and the dude says
"do you want some sauce, man?"
excuse me? I may be a man, but in this situation where I am a paying customer, I believe "sir" is the proper verbage. Believe me, I understand working in a customer service. I worked for two years taking claims with a Life Insurance company. Choking up Sirs and Ma'ams to people who I did not want to deal with, at the worst moment of their lives, was not an overly pleasant experience.
so Mr. Drive thru, it is not to hard to ask that you address all customers as sir.
"all right man, see ya" he says
which brings me to "thank you, come again"
"do you want some sauce, man?"
excuse me? I may be a man, but in this situation where I am a paying customer, I believe "sir" is the proper verbage. Believe me, I understand working in a customer service. I worked for two years taking claims with a Life Insurance company. Choking up Sirs and Ma'ams to people who I did not want to deal with, at the worst moment of their lives, was not an overly pleasant experience.
so Mr. Drive thru, it is not to hard to ask that you address all customers as sir.
"all right man, see ya" he says
which brings me to "thank you, come again"
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Issue Number one can take a new number
I hate abortion....
now before I get pro choice folks on my ass let me elaborate. I hate the ISSUE of abortion. It is a meaningless, pointless debate. I say this as a future father, in a country with an economy in the toilet, free speech constantly under attack by our government and our peers, war, strife, disease, poverty, and the Icecapades... I just do not see how and why this issue is the on e thing that will sway the vote of so many individuals.
The issue of abortion and its legality in this country is a distraction, and one that has been exploited by both political parties since the 1960s. there is some sort of delicious irony that the Republican party, who has an undeserved reputation of being uncaring about the poor, constantly wanting to wage war and kill criminals, is on the pro life side; and the Democratic Party who is known irresponsibly for being a peace loving humanitarian lot, favor a position that arguably eliminates human life.
and there foot soldiers in this little "culture war"... I do not care what side of the debate I look at, I see a bunch of rabid, dry eyed, shuffling idiots who drool out talking points without bothering to research what they believe. sometimes it is religious, sometimes political, very rarely you will find someone who knows two things about ethics, and forms their opinion on that.
Yet not one person, on either side of this 40 year old poo-flinging, can explain to me how permitting or denying Suzie Q. Knockedup to terminate an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy is a national emergency, worthy of IMMEDIATE action by my nations federal government above all other concerns. Not one.
It is not that I do not care about the issue. I have my own opinions and beliefs, and I keep them to myself. I do not demand people remain silent on the issue either. what I ask is some logic and reason behind why you believe the way you believe.
now before I get pro choice folks on my ass let me elaborate. I hate the ISSUE of abortion. It is a meaningless, pointless debate. I say this as a future father, in a country with an economy in the toilet, free speech constantly under attack by our government and our peers, war, strife, disease, poverty, and the Icecapades... I just do not see how and why this issue is the on e thing that will sway the vote of so many individuals.
The issue of abortion and its legality in this country is a distraction, and one that has been exploited by both political parties since the 1960s. there is some sort of delicious irony that the Republican party, who has an undeserved reputation of being uncaring about the poor, constantly wanting to wage war and kill criminals, is on the pro life side; and the Democratic Party who is known irresponsibly for being a peace loving humanitarian lot, favor a position that arguably eliminates human life.
and there foot soldiers in this little "culture war"... I do not care what side of the debate I look at, I see a bunch of rabid, dry eyed, shuffling idiots who drool out talking points without bothering to research what they believe. sometimes it is religious, sometimes political, very rarely you will find someone who knows two things about ethics, and forms their opinion on that.
Yet not one person, on either side of this 40 year old poo-flinging, can explain to me how permitting or denying Suzie Q. Knockedup to terminate an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy is a national emergency, worthy of IMMEDIATE action by my nations federal government above all other concerns. Not one.
It is not that I do not care about the issue. I have my own opinions and beliefs, and I keep them to myself. I do not demand people remain silent on the issue either. what I ask is some logic and reason behind why you believe the way you believe.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
the world of my Geekery
My Wife and I found out we are going to have an evil genius....
oh wait you wanted the sex? We are having a boy.
on a less Serious note, I wanted to tell a story. I am a video gamer. I have been as long as I can remember. the funniest thing about my video game experience is that I was prescribed, by my pediatrician, a Nintendo. people always find it hard to believe, I know. but is true
when I was four years old, I was having difficulty with hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. I held chalk like Mr Bates held a knife, and I could draw rain... and that was about it. My parents were worried because I would not color or paint in Pre-school as a result. I am sure some kids made fun of me, and that was why,m but I honestly can not remember.
so Dr. Miller told them that a a good half hour playing Nintendo would probably help develop those motor skills, and he wrote on his prescription form "1 Nintendo, Super Mario Brothers"
22 years later, my handwriting still sucks, but I can probably kick your ass in Halo ;)
I am sure my love of Electronic entertainment is not unique, though I hope my method of entry is. Ever since though I have had a passion for the games. early on though I found a great deal of them frusterating. I could not get past the water level in Mario, games like Karate, Excite Bike, and Golf could not hold my interest for lack of understanding the controls. and as for Top Gun... can anyone really land that plane?
No, I was not truly hooked until my dad bought a 2 pack of games from Capcom. Megaman 1 and 2. now Megaman 1 was an absolute beast to get through... even today let alone when I was 6. My dad and I made it our personal Mission to beat 2 however, it was that game that convinced my dad to get a subscription to Nintendo Power Magazine, and one of the FEW times we called into the Nintendo tips hot-line.
Time has passed, Systems of come and gone. I can say I have owned every single Nintendo System at one point in my life. I even have a Vitural Boy locked in a briefcase in a closet somewhere. I spend time online with my friend Pete, or with my Wife playing two player stuff, and some nights, there is nothing like a cold beer and some heavy action game. And to think, it all started with a prescription.
oh wait you wanted the sex? We are having a boy.
on a less Serious note, I wanted to tell a story. I am a video gamer. I have been as long as I can remember. the funniest thing about my video game experience is that I was prescribed, by my pediatrician, a Nintendo. people always find it hard to believe, I know. but is true
when I was four years old, I was having difficulty with hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. I held chalk like Mr Bates held a knife, and I could draw rain... and that was about it. My parents were worried because I would not color or paint in Pre-school as a result. I am sure some kids made fun of me, and that was why,m but I honestly can not remember.
so Dr. Miller told them that a a good half hour playing Nintendo would probably help develop those motor skills, and he wrote on his prescription form "1 Nintendo, Super Mario Brothers"
22 years later, my handwriting still sucks, but I can probably kick your ass in Halo ;)
I am sure my love of Electronic entertainment is not unique, though I hope my method of entry is. Ever since though I have had a passion for the games. early on though I found a great deal of them frusterating. I could not get past the water level in Mario, games like Karate, Excite Bike, and Golf could not hold my interest for lack of understanding the controls. and as for Top Gun... can anyone really land that plane?
No, I was not truly hooked until my dad bought a 2 pack of games from Capcom. Megaman 1 and 2. now Megaman 1 was an absolute beast to get through... even today let alone when I was 6. My dad and I made it our personal Mission to beat 2 however, it was that game that convinced my dad to get a subscription to Nintendo Power Magazine, and one of the FEW times we called into the Nintendo tips hot-line.
Time has passed, Systems of come and gone. I can say I have owned every single Nintendo System at one point in my life. I even have a Vitural Boy locked in a briefcase in a closet somewhere. I spend time online with my friend Pete, or with my Wife playing two player stuff, and some nights, there is nothing like a cold beer and some heavy action game. And to think, it all started with a prescription.
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