So I've been a bit busy over the last few days. Personally, I can't be blamed. I've been suffering from Amotivational Syndrome. It's a very serious condition, I'll have you know, and I'll not tolerate any mocking. (For those of you who don't know, Amotivational is an entirely made-up condition that means "laziness". For a while, the big scary word was used as a symptom of smoking weed because dumb/stoned people couldn't fanangle the meaning, but anti-drug activists have wizened up in recent years and cut that out of their ads.)
If you haven't noticed, I've added a little bit of music to the side of my blog - I encourage you to put on some headphones, close your eyes, and pump up the volume. It's beautiful. Also, it's a perfect segway into
Spontaneous Nerditude
The last week or so of my time has been entirely dominated by a new nerdy obsession of mine - EVE Online. It's a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Space Simulation Game.
That's right, I'm playing a MMORPSSG. And I got Rita into it, too! Its main draw? Its got British people on headsets. And god knows that Americans love the British accent. Aside from that, the MMO is actually quite different from many I've played - possessing both a strong, unique, award-winning PvP system and a rich, detailed economy for those who aren't interested in battle to manipulate. Experience isn't gained through combat - rather, the players assign skills to train, and they do so in real-time, even when the player isn't logged in.
A Definite Improvement.
Most of my other posts haven't included a beautiful girl next to me. :P Rather than blog, i'm going to go spend time with her.
Until tomorrow. [Unless the AMS strikes again!]
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Nod to You, Dashboard Confessional
It is not often that my minority views are actually vindicated by real life. This isn't to say that my opinions are by and large wrong or outlandish, just unpopular at times.
Vindication has come, at last.
After a year of the new generation of video game consoles being on the market (two for the Xbox 360), it turns out the Wii games have exceptionally low rating scores compared to other systems. Compared to all the consoles in both last and current generation video gaming, Wii games appear to be consistently worse than their counterparts.
I have long held that the Wii is a console built on gimmicks. Nintendo, an aging empire, attempted to avoid competition with current console king Sony and underdog bruiser Microsoft by completely skirting traditional gaming and making a "revolution" in gameplay.
Except it's not a revolution. It's a mouse. That you point at the TV. This is not a revolution; this is Duck Hunt, except now every game is forced to use hypersensitive and nonsensical controls that are less precise than my mouse.
The whole point of gaming is that you generate a lot of output for very little input. I press a button; my dude does something really fucking awesome. In order for you to to increase the input, you should increase the output - games like Guitar Hero are prime examples, which make you feel like a rockstar badass as you whale on the guitar. Wii games, on the other hand, are exciting for the better part of an hour, and then you just feel like a noob. An intern for a Wii software development company gave me this advice:
In the article, the man tries at the end to dismiss the findings as reviewers looking at the Wii's "poor graphical output" and prematurely rating the games as suck because they just "don't understand Wii games."
It seems more likely to me that reviewers, who review games for a living, just aren't fooled. Consumers, on the other hand, are gobbling up the Wii like crazy, and companies like Ubisoft are scooping up large bundles of cash off of poor games like Red Steel. The Wii has become a media frenzy and people have looked at games like Wii Sports (which, I hear, is pretty good.) and just churned out minigame generators for people who buy games based on the pictures on the back of the box.
When Wii developers realize that shaking a Wiimote back and forth isn't a game, then I think the system will be put to good use. Unfortunately, the quality of games doesn't seem to matter from a business standpoint, because the Wii is making more money than ever.
Vindication has come, at last.
After a year of the new generation of video game consoles being on the market (two for the Xbox 360), it turns out the Wii games have exceptionally low rating scores compared to other systems. Compared to all the consoles in both last and current generation video gaming, Wii games appear to be consistently worse than their counterparts.
I have long held that the Wii is a console built on gimmicks. Nintendo, an aging empire, attempted to avoid competition with current console king Sony and underdog bruiser Microsoft by completely skirting traditional gaming and making a "revolution" in gameplay.Except it's not a revolution. It's a mouse. That you point at the TV. This is not a revolution; this is Duck Hunt, except now every game is forced to use hypersensitive and nonsensical controls that are less precise than my mouse.
The whole point of gaming is that you generate a lot of output for very little input. I press a button; my dude does something really fucking awesome. In order for you to to increase the input, you should increase the output - games like Guitar Hero are prime examples, which make you feel like a rockstar badass as you whale on the guitar. Wii games, on the other hand, are exciting for the better part of an hour, and then you just feel like a noob. An intern for a Wii software development company gave me this advice:
"When you play the Wii, rest your arm against something stable and comfortable, like a table or an armchair with a pillow on it. This should help you reduce the excess movement from things like breathing."Breathing.
In the article, the man tries at the end to dismiss the findings as reviewers looking at the Wii's "poor graphical output" and prematurely rating the games as suck because they just "don't understand Wii games."
It seems more likely to me that reviewers, who review games for a living, just aren't fooled. Consumers, on the other hand, are gobbling up the Wii like crazy, and companies like Ubisoft are scooping up large bundles of cash off of poor games like Red Steel. The Wii has become a media frenzy and people have looked at games like Wii Sports (which, I hear, is pretty good.) and just churned out minigame generators for people who buy games based on the pictures on the back of the box.
When Wii developers realize that shaking a Wiimote back and forth isn't a game, then I think the system will be put to good use. Unfortunately, the quality of games doesn't seem to matter from a business standpoint, because the Wii is making more money than ever.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I'm not a nigger, I'm from niger!
If the topic confuses you, Youtube "Star Trek Hood". It's a little crude but getting to see spock say "I'm not a nigger, I'm from niger" like every 5 minutes is absolutely awe-inspiring.
OH SNAP!
If, like I suspect, you know Marz, then you probably know about his beaten-up old piece of shit car. We affectionately called it the "Buttermobile", because of...
Well, I'm not sure why, but we did. And yes, I did say called, because unfortunately, the buttermobile is no more. Surf on over to Ghost in the Machine, on my right, for pictures and more info.
For. The. Win.
Thank Solange Minstein for that wonderful video - she alerted me to that.
Valentine's Day.
Is coming up - and this is an excuse to beg for comments, because none of you lousy readers ever comment, even though I know you're there, lurking! - and I desperately need ideas for romantic things to get for Megan. Make it creative.
OH. And Megan :P No peeking, or you'll just ruin the surprise! [not that I won't add my own touch to this.]
...And for the Nerds.
To all of you who play D&D, this is just a hilarious taste of Kriss Morten.
May I present the Disciple of Metal, the Heavy Metal Bard.
OH SNAP!
If, like I suspect, you know Marz, then you probably know about his beaten-up old piece of shit car. We affectionately called it the "Buttermobile", because of...
Well, I'm not sure why, but we did. And yes, I did say called, because unfortunately, the buttermobile is no more. Surf on over to Ghost in the Machine, on my right, for pictures and more info.
For. The. Win.
Thank Solange Minstein for that wonderful video - she alerted me to that.
Valentine's Day.
Is coming up - and this is an excuse to beg for comments, because none of you lousy readers ever comment, even though I know you're there, lurking! - and I desperately need ideas for romantic things to get for Megan. Make it creative.
OH. And Megan :P No peeking, or you'll just ruin the surprise! [not that I won't add my own touch to this.]
...And for the Nerds.
To all of you who play D&D, this is just a hilarious taste of Kriss Morten.
May I present the Disciple of Metal, the Heavy Metal Bard.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Meow?
It's so true.
Work Update.
So if you know me, you'll know that I've been looking for a job. Best bet so far?
Payless Shoe Store.
Wow -.-
Friday, February 1, 2008
I never sleep these days.
So I've gotten away with not having to deal with school long enough - today I finished up preparations and I am just waiting on the system to finish processing me. That means a return to doing schoolwork - even if it'll only be at my house, it's still work.
I was stumbling and found a nice little list, entitled:
DRAGONFORCE. NOW!
I was stumbling and found a nice little list, entitled:
How to write a paper in college/university:
1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well lit place in front of your computer.
2. Log onto MSN and ICQ (be sure to go on away!). Check your email.
3. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it.
4. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some chocolate to help you concentrate.
5. Check your email.
6. Call up a friend and ask if he/she wants to go to grab a coffee. Just to get settled down and ready to work.
7. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lit place.
8. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it.
9. Check your email.
10. You know, you haven't written to that kid you met at camp since fourth grade. You'd better write that letter now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate.
11. Look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror.
12. Grab some mp3z off of kazaa.
13. Check your email. ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR YET?!
14. MSN chat with one of your friends about the future. (ie summer plans).
15. Check your email.
16. Listen to your new mp3z and download some more.
17. Phone your friend on the other floor and ask if she's started writing yet. Exchange derogatory emarks about your prof, the
course, the college, the world at large.
18. Walk to the store and buy a pack of gum. You've probably run out.
19. While you've got the gum you may as well buy a magazine and read it.
20. Check your email.
21. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren't missing something truly worthwhile on TV.
22. Play some solitare (or age of legends!).
23. Check out bored.com.
24. Wash your hands.
25. Call up a friend to see how much they have done, probably haven't started either.
26. Look through your housemate's book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is.
27. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future.
28. Check to see if bored.com has been updated yet.
29. Check your email and listen to your new mp3z.
30. You should be rebooting by now, assuming that windows is crashing on schedule.
31. Read over the assignment one more time, just for heck of it.
32. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise.
33. Lie face down on the floor and moan.
34. Punch the wall and break something.
35. Check your email.
36. Mumble obscenities.
37. 5am - start hacking on the paper without stopping. 6am -paper is finished.
38. Complain to everyone that you didn't get any sleep because you had to write that stupid paper.
39. Go to class, hand in paper, and leave right away so you can take a nap.
Family, Friends, and Girl
So Megan's friend Amy and I got in a conversation last night about music, which led to the realization that she'd never heard of Dragonforce. At first, I thought this an isolated incident, but then a startling, cold realization came upon me - she is probably one of many! After all, if my former supervisor at Subway can manage to never hear of the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, then Dragonforce is an easy task.
DRAGONFORCE. NOW!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Hanging in there.
I think this conversation does a lot to indicate my feelings about the last two months. It took place between roughly 1:20 AM and 1:40 AM.
PieceOfPandora: Hey Alex.
Scrinnameless: Yeah?
PieceOfPandora: I'm sort of in a meloncholy mood right now.
Scrinnameless: That sucks.
PieceOfPandora: My financial situation really sucks.
PieceOfPandora: And both my sister and I have somewhat less-than-true reputations floating around about us at school. I don't go anymore, so it's less of an issue, but...
PieceOfPandora: A good friend of mine apparently thinks I'm doing nothing with my life.
Scrinnameless: ...
PieceOfPandora: Which might be based in truth.
Scrinnameless: See, that's what gets me. If you're content with your life, then I'd say you're not wasting it.
PieceOfPandora: I didn't say wasting.
PieceOfPandora: It's just...
PieceOfPandora: I care what people think.
PieceOfPandora: And the popular opinion these days is that I ran away from everything.
PieceOfPandora: And it's not entirely untrue.
PieceOfPandora: I was sick of high school and my parents.
PieceOfPandora: so I just moved out and switched to e-school.
PieceOfPandora: I feel like I have a defensible position - I had a sanity-draining home life, and high school and I never got along.
PieceOfPandora: I've got a steady girlfriend and while the subway thing didn't work out,
PieceOfPandora: I'm getting a new job tomorrow. Period.
PieceOfPandora: But I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been a little lax in the responsibility department. Partially due to my inability to immediately pay my bills, a friend of mine overdrafted and stayed that way for a few days.
PieceOfPandora: ...I tried to go to bed early but it's not really working.
PieceOfPandora: Need to go to a dentist appointment at 8.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
Scrinnameless: Again, this is getting on the territory where I'm wondering what people expect you to do.
PieceOfPandora: I don't know.
Scrinnameless: Stay home and argue with your mom until she becomes a rational person?
PieceOfPandora: Meh.
Scrinnameless: Exactly.
PieceOfPandora: I've been much happier here.
PieceOfPandora: But money pressures are getting me stressed recently, as you can tell.
PieceOfPandora: Once I get my new job and my next check comes,
PieceOfPandora: I should be fine.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
PieceOfPandora: And right now that's what I'm concentrating on.
PieceOfPandora: But there's a lot of stuff I need.
PieceOfPandora: I don't have a car. I don't have a license, or insurance.
PieceOfPandora: I need a computer.
PieceOfPandora: And I do, I do need one.
PieceOfPandora: I can't keep using Rita's.
PieceOfPandora: ...it's low on the list, though
PieceOfPandora: Stuff.
PieceOfPandora: My response to overwhelming stuff, is to ignore it and focus on one thing at a time.
PieceOfPandora: Which I guess is better than ignoring it all.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
PieceOfPandora: I guess the thing is...
PieceOfPandora: I'm surrounded by people telling me I'm doing it wrong.
Scrinnameless: And that gets you down?
PieceOfPandora: Yeah.
Scrinnameless: All right. I gotta go.
PieceOfPandora: Ha.
PieceOfPandora: Alright man.
PieceOfPandora: Have a good night.
Scrinnameless: For what it's worth, I think as long as you're hanging in there, you're doing all right.
PieceOfPandora: Hey Alex.
Scrinnameless: Yeah?
PieceOfPandora: I'm sort of in a meloncholy mood right now.
Scrinnameless: That sucks.
PieceOfPandora: My financial situation really sucks.
PieceOfPandora: And both my sister and I have somewhat less-than-true reputations floating around about us at school. I don't go anymore, so it's less of an issue, but...
PieceOfPandora: A good friend of mine apparently thinks I'm doing nothing with my life.
Scrinnameless: ...
PieceOfPandora: Which might be based in truth.
Scrinnameless: See, that's what gets me. If you're content with your life, then I'd say you're not wasting it.
PieceOfPandora: I didn't say wasting.
PieceOfPandora: It's just...
PieceOfPandora: I care what people think.
PieceOfPandora: And the popular opinion these days is that I ran away from everything.
PieceOfPandora: And it's not entirely untrue.
PieceOfPandora: I was sick of high school and my parents.
PieceOfPandora: so I just moved out and switched to e-school.
PieceOfPandora: I feel like I have a defensible position - I had a sanity-draining home life, and high school and I never got along.
PieceOfPandora: I've got a steady girlfriend and while the subway thing didn't work out,
PieceOfPandora: I'm getting a new job tomorrow. Period.
PieceOfPandora: But I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been a little lax in the responsibility department. Partially due to my inability to immediately pay my bills, a friend of mine overdrafted and stayed that way for a few days.
PieceOfPandora: ...I tried to go to bed early but it's not really working.
PieceOfPandora: Need to go to a dentist appointment at 8.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
Scrinnameless: Again, this is getting on the territory where I'm wondering what people expect you to do.
PieceOfPandora: I don't know.
Scrinnameless: Stay home and argue with your mom until she becomes a rational person?
PieceOfPandora: Meh.
Scrinnameless: Exactly.
PieceOfPandora: I've been much happier here.
PieceOfPandora: But money pressures are getting me stressed recently, as you can tell.
PieceOfPandora: Once I get my new job and my next check comes,
PieceOfPandora: I should be fine.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
PieceOfPandora: And right now that's what I'm concentrating on.
PieceOfPandora: But there's a lot of stuff I need.
PieceOfPandora: I don't have a car. I don't have a license, or insurance.
PieceOfPandora: I need a computer.
PieceOfPandora: And I do, I do need one.
PieceOfPandora: I can't keep using Rita's.
PieceOfPandora: ...it's low on the list, though
PieceOfPandora: Stuff.
PieceOfPandora: My response to overwhelming stuff, is to ignore it and focus on one thing at a time.
PieceOfPandora: Which I guess is better than ignoring it all.
Scrinnameless: ::nod::
PieceOfPandora: I guess the thing is...
PieceOfPandora: I'm surrounded by people telling me I'm doing it wrong.
Scrinnameless: And that gets you down?
PieceOfPandora: Yeah.
Scrinnameless: All right. I gotta go.
PieceOfPandora: Ha.
PieceOfPandora: Alright man.
PieceOfPandora: Have a good night.
Scrinnameless: For what it's worth, I think as long as you're hanging in there, you're doing all right.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I'm typing with my mouth full.
We have done the impossible. We have breached the barrier of childhood and adulthood. We are no longer as dependent as we used to be.
We have created burgers.
Yes, that's right, at 9:30 AM this morning, Marz Meyer and Michael Donaldson successfully created two (2) hamburgers, from scratch.
The process that led up to this is a long and arduous one. Rather than tell it all, I shall summarize it quickly for you; Marz and I were hungry. We hadn't had real food in a while - I since the last time I was at Megan's, and him since his father took him for dinner. In fact, the only food I had on sunday was one-and-a-half pancakes, and a peanut-butter sandwich. Not even jelly. Needless to say, we had been up all night and decided enough was enough - we went to kroger, picked up some ground beef (among other foodstuffs) and returned home to create what is currently now in my stomach - real, cooked burger.
Win.
Spontaneous Nerditude
Everyone already knows that Fox News is absolutely retarded, but this time a corporation actually had the balls to tell Fox News themselves to go shove it.
In Chronological Order, courtesy of Kotaku.com, The Rebuttal.
EA Politely Tells Fox News to Go Fuck Itself
Fox News completely blows off EA; EA not surprised.
Wait for it....
Jack Thompson DEFENDS MASS EFFECT.
Fox News' "Expert" recants her opinion on Mass Effect; Admits she was wrong.
It's about damn time somebody did something about those idiots at Fox News. I don't understand why it's called news - it's blathering falsehoods that conservative families watch, believe, and get worried about.
Seriously. Jack Thompson. I can't even think of someone less likely to defend video games, and he's STILL on Video Games' side.
Family, Friends, and Girl
In a shocking upset, I actually beat Marz at Scrabble yesterday/early this morning. I most certainly did not see it coming, and yet it came. Rematch pending.
Megan's still amazing. Nothing new.
Turns out my mother got herself into another accident. This is not usually notable, but it happened the day after I mentioned to my friends that my mom gets into accidents all the time. Funny how life reinforces my statements, eh? Sister bruised her knee; I told her to tell people she got the bruise in the War.
Seriously. Jack Thompson. Why are you so stupid, Fox News?
We have created burgers.
Yes, that's right, at 9:30 AM this morning, Marz Meyer and Michael Donaldson successfully created two (2) hamburgers, from scratch.
The process that led up to this is a long and arduous one. Rather than tell it all, I shall summarize it quickly for you; Marz and I were hungry. We hadn't had real food in a while - I since the last time I was at Megan's, and him since his father took him for dinner. In fact, the only food I had on sunday was one-and-a-half pancakes, and a peanut-butter sandwich. Not even jelly. Needless to say, we had been up all night and decided enough was enough - we went to kroger, picked up some ground beef (among other foodstuffs) and returned home to create what is currently now in my stomach - real, cooked burger.
Win.
Spontaneous Nerditude
Everyone already knows that Fox News is absolutely retarded, but this time a corporation actually had the balls to tell Fox News themselves to go shove it.
In Chronological Order, courtesy of Kotaku.com, The Rebuttal.
EA Politely Tells Fox News to Go Fuck Itself
Fox News completely blows off EA; EA not surprised.
Wait for it....
Jack Thompson DEFENDS MASS EFFECT.
Fox News' "Expert" recants her opinion on Mass Effect; Admits she was wrong.
It's about damn time somebody did something about those idiots at Fox News. I don't understand why it's called news - it's blathering falsehoods that conservative families watch, believe, and get worried about.
Seriously. Jack Thompson. I can't even think of someone less likely to defend video games, and he's STILL on Video Games' side.
Family, Friends, and Girl
In a shocking upset, I actually beat Marz at Scrabble yesterday/early this morning. I most certainly did not see it coming, and yet it came. Rematch pending.
Megan's still amazing. Nothing new.
Turns out my mother got herself into another accident. This is not usually notable, but it happened the day after I mentioned to my friends that my mom gets into accidents all the time. Funny how life reinforces my statements, eh? Sister bruised her knee; I told her to tell people she got the bruise in the War.
Seriously. Jack Thompson. Why are you so stupid, Fox News?
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