The time of the Geeks is here! At least I see it that way. Now, let me start off by telling you what I think a geek is/isn’t. A geek is someone who is a fan of: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comics, Video Games, Technology, Gaming (miniatures, board, RPG, etc), Anime/Cartoons, or some combination. Geeks are not necessarily nerds or dorks (but often are). Nerds are those who find entertainment in academics (often math and/or science) to a high degree. Dorks are like socially or physically awkward folks. You know, that guy who has a stupid lagh and doesn’t know it. Or that lady that dances funny. Now, often these can overlap, and thus you get stereotypes that Geeks are also nerds or dorks. But I have known geeks that are highly lacking academic merit or are not in any way awkward. And I know quite a few non-geeks who are very academic or awkward (it actually surprises me how many dorks there are who aren’t geeks, yet geeks get labeled that way).
Now, why is it the time of the geeks? Look around you…all the biggest movies are typically geek movies. And there are tons of them! Comic book movies, Sci-Fi, Fantasy. The big TV shows are all geek fair. Heroes, Lost, Chuck…and things Like Dr. Who actually becoming popular!
Video games are out selling DVD’s! And things like the Wii and DS as well as Guitar Hero/Rockband are bringing gaming to the main stream. The stigma attached to RPG-ing is fading.
Anime is booming for kids, which often means parents who wouldn’t normally watch it, are. And those kids are getting into manga, which lives next door to comics.
Technology is hip. iPods, iPhones, Google, Wikipedia, blogs…all huge…and growing. And there are generations of kids that are growing up with these interests as normal, not some basement activity that you can’t talk about in school.
Geek Conventions are starting to get over crowded. And I see more and more “normal” people there, when it used to be dominated by overweight sweaty guys.
The downside is that some geeks won’t like it. With any minority, there are those that got into it because they either didn’t fit in or didn’t want to fit in with the main stream. They liked their interests being obscure. It set them apart. Made them special. This can be seen as rumors of Dragon-Con splitting and forming a more “hardcore” convention for the “real” fans. They don’t like sharing a Star Trek panel with some soccer mom who doesn’t see the point in debating who was a better captain (it was Picard BTW).
And to be honest, when it comes, I will miss getting weird looks at a luncheon when someone mentions that I play video games at 33, or trying to explain to someone what role-playing is. But I also know that I will be on top. I will be one of the cool kids. Because when the day comes that it is cool to talk about comics, that guy that has been reading them for years will have a bit of an edge on Johnny Come Lately Also, if there does come an age of Geek-Chic, I can only hope that it will bring down the empire of sports entertainment….especially Nascar. Turning left is NOT entertainment, people.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Guitar Hero 3: It Sucks...but I still love my PS3
So, I got Guitar Hero 3 for my PS3 this weekend. I hates it. How did they take an established franchise and ruin it? Let us count the ways:
1) They re-designed the guitar. Instead of being nice and smooth and rounded, the edges are square. So, my wrist hurts from being forced on the edge all the time. The buttons are also "mushy" and the strum bar is not real resposive. The only improvements they made were to allow me to detach the neck for travel and adding a D-pad. But I don't know if I care about travel, since it, you know, sucks!
2) Song selection: many of the songs are great to listen to, but dull as crud to play. The others are fun to play but painful to listen to. As such, I will likely only play most of them once.
3) Note Charts: Sometimes they feel off. I am sonetimes "playing" when I hear no guitar. And sometimes I am not really playing what the guitar is playing...simply to either make it easier or harder.
4) Character Animation/Design: Somehow went downhill. Through most of the song your guitarist just stands there and bops back and forth. Star Power simply activates pretty lights. Heck, the lead singer gets more screen time. And the dork looks, litterally like a muppet. Some kind of goth/metal muppet. His mouth just seems to hinge on th eback of his head. This is NOT ok on a next gen HD console.
5) Battle Mode...don't turn my rhythm game...which I play to try and feel like I know how to play guitar...into a video game in which I am trying to blast my opponent. Even more so, don't force me to use this mode just to progress in the game and unlock more songs!
6) I think the programmers got paid every time they had a character or picture of someone "throwing up the horns". It quits being cool after the 10th time in 10 minutes.
On the plus side...man I still love my PS3! Not love love...but I would totally hit that! Well, I guess I sould say "hit that again after the burns have healed". Damn that thing runs hot!
1) They re-designed the guitar. Instead of being nice and smooth and rounded, the edges are square. So, my wrist hurts from being forced on the edge all the time. The buttons are also "mushy" and the strum bar is not real resposive. The only improvements they made were to allow me to detach the neck for travel and adding a D-pad. But I don't know if I care about travel, since it, you know, sucks!
2) Song selection: many of the songs are great to listen to, but dull as crud to play. The others are fun to play but painful to listen to. As such, I will likely only play most of them once.
3) Note Charts: Sometimes they feel off. I am sonetimes "playing" when I hear no guitar. And sometimes I am not really playing what the guitar is playing...simply to either make it easier or harder.
4) Character Animation/Design: Somehow went downhill. Through most of the song your guitarist just stands there and bops back and forth. Star Power simply activates pretty lights. Heck, the lead singer gets more screen time. And the dork looks, litterally like a muppet. Some kind of goth/metal muppet. His mouth just seems to hinge on th eback of his head. This is NOT ok on a next gen HD console.
5) Battle Mode...don't turn my rhythm game...which I play to try and feel like I know how to play guitar...into a video game in which I am trying to blast my opponent. Even more so, don't force me to use this mode just to progress in the game and unlock more songs!
6) I think the programmers got paid every time they had a character or picture of someone "throwing up the horns". It quits being cool after the 10th time in 10 minutes.
On the plus side...man I still love my PS3! Not love love...but I would totally hit that! Well, I guess I sould say "hit that again after the burns have healed". Damn that thing runs hot!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
From the mind of Professor Blight
So, I decided to start doing blurbs of things Prof Blight thinks or does. I know full well that his views are mine...taken to the nth degree. Much like when I write a hero who is more pure and selfless than I...it's a part of me to an extreme...so is Prof Blight. In my continuing story, we find that Blight has just passed a law in his city legalizing suicide. His biggest reason? If life is so precious, why is it so east to make? Millions spent every year to prevent it or abort it...must not be so valuable. Now, the Professor (not the coconut wielding one).
Cockroaches. Pests. Poisoned by the millions. We have decided that they are disgusting. So they must go. But how are we better? Like most of the rest of nature, roaches live in equilibrium. They don't over produce. They don't strip the area of resources. And they have predators. But not us...
The average person in the first world consumes 3-6 times what the world can replace (assuming the whole of earth lived the same way). Luckily for the earth, the first world is only a percentage of the total of human kind. But China and India, bastions of populace, are growing up. They are becoming the consumers that we already are. And as they do, they will strip this planet bare...along with our help.
Will technology help this? Possibly. But technology still requires resources. And even if we adopt this magic technology, our upcoming brothers will not have it. And, even if we give it, they won't want to use anything that will slow down their ascent. They won't want to slow down simply because their older sibling is warning them of the dangers. No, they won't lets us hold them back.
And, even with this non-existent technology, the root still exists. There are too many of us, and we keep making more. Even the more "enlightened" of us tend to have two children. Thus ensuring that at the very least, we keep the population stagnant. But lower classes have even more. Producing less and consuming more. Travel to the third world and it becomes worse. Lack of education, funding for contraception, and social and religious stupidities have them reproducing quickly. Luckily in these poorer countries, they don't have a large population of bleeding hearts available to fund their stupidity. As such, nature is allowed to assert itself and hinder their growth. But wonderful us...we are doing are best to stop this.
In the past, wars and plague have helped keep us in check. But now we are so "modern". Most diseases are stopped or kept in check. Casualties in war are low (despite the whining about the casualties in our current skirmish). We are learning to control nature enough so that she is no longer a factor. We turn to technology to solve our problems. So, I will leave them to try and solve the problem of dwindling resources. I, however, will use technology to solve the issue of our over population.
Cockroaches. Pests. Poisoned by the millions. We have decided that they are disgusting. So they must go. But how are we better? Like most of the rest of nature, roaches live in equilibrium. They don't over produce. They don't strip the area of resources. And they have predators. But not us...
The average person in the first world consumes 3-6 times what the world can replace (assuming the whole of earth lived the same way). Luckily for the earth, the first world is only a percentage of the total of human kind. But China and India, bastions of populace, are growing up. They are becoming the consumers that we already are. And as they do, they will strip this planet bare...along with our help.
Will technology help this? Possibly. But technology still requires resources. And even if we adopt this magic technology, our upcoming brothers will not have it. And, even if we give it, they won't want to use anything that will slow down their ascent. They won't want to slow down simply because their older sibling is warning them of the dangers. No, they won't lets us hold them back.
And, even with this non-existent technology, the root still exists. There are too many of us, and we keep making more. Even the more "enlightened" of us tend to have two children. Thus ensuring that at the very least, we keep the population stagnant. But lower classes have even more. Producing less and consuming more. Travel to the third world and it becomes worse. Lack of education, funding for contraception, and social and religious stupidities have them reproducing quickly. Luckily in these poorer countries, they don't have a large population of bleeding hearts available to fund their stupidity. As such, nature is allowed to assert itself and hinder their growth. But wonderful us...we are doing are best to stop this.
In the past, wars and plague have helped keep us in check. But now we are so "modern". Most diseases are stopped or kept in check. Casualties in war are low (despite the whining about the casualties in our current skirmish). We are learning to control nature enough so that she is no longer a factor. We turn to technology to solve our problems. So, I will leave them to try and solve the problem of dwindling resources. I, however, will use technology to solve the issue of our over population.
Experience does not always equal Wisdom
So, a reply to my last post brought something to the forefront of my head. The fact that I didn't send my last post (about people and their kids) to any of my friends with kids. Why? I have learned that in general, people don't like it when you criticize their relationships. Be it kids, spouses, or other family.
See, in my experience, if you bring a negative light on to people in that regard they get pretty defensive. Worse, if you yourself don't have kids/are married, they immediately throw that in your face. "What do you know? You aren't married!" "I'm not listening to someone who doesn't have kids."
This got me thinking...just because someone has experienced something, doesn't mean they are better at it than someone who hasn't. It doesn't mean they are necessarily good at it at ALL. Even more so, their closeness to the situation makes them biased, so their opinions are automatically tainted.
Think about it...we all have that friend who is a horrible driver. You fear for your life when you are in the vehicle with them. Yet, they have YEARS of experience in driving. Heck, they even had to pass a test to be allowed to drive...yet they aren't good at it. How would marriage or parenting be any different? With around 50% of marriages ending, that sounds like at least 25% of the folks in marriages are not doing a great job at it. With them odds, you'll have to pardon me if I don't think your opinions are better than mine just because I haven't yet made the mistake of a bad marriage.
When it comes down to it, I have spent a great deal of time reading about relationships. Most people...not so much. New parents read tons baby books...most with all kinds of "how-to" stuff. But almost nothing with alternating theories or studies. And even then, the parent picks parts to follow and throws the rest out the window.
I think we can agree that relationships are pretty dang complicated. At least as much as fixing a car (probably much more so). Well, if I decided to read a book on fixing a car and then only followed some of the directions, would I be a good mechanic do you think? Even more so, if I were to start trying to fix cars with NO prior training or study, do you think I would be considered a good mechanic? And, in that situation...me trying to be a mechanic for the past 2-3 years simply trying to figure it out as I go...and a friend comes up and says "Hey, I read an article that talks about how to fix the transmission. It had studies from many top mechanics, and even schematics." Should I maybe at least listen to this knowledge? Or dismiss it because it contradicts what I was trying to do, simply because my friend doesn't actually have a car?
Deep down, I know that more than likely they are just being defensive because people are overly sensitive about things they love. And no one likes to be told they are doing things wrong. Add that together, and they are simply dismissing me to protect themselves. Very human.
But that doesn't mean I have to take it with a smile.
See, in my experience, if you bring a negative light on to people in that regard they get pretty defensive. Worse, if you yourself don't have kids/are married, they immediately throw that in your face. "What do you know? You aren't married!" "I'm not listening to someone who doesn't have kids."
This got me thinking...just because someone has experienced something, doesn't mean they are better at it than someone who hasn't. It doesn't mean they are necessarily good at it at ALL. Even more so, their closeness to the situation makes them biased, so their opinions are automatically tainted.
Think about it...we all have that friend who is a horrible driver. You fear for your life when you are in the vehicle with them. Yet, they have YEARS of experience in driving. Heck, they even had to pass a test to be allowed to drive...yet they aren't good at it. How would marriage or parenting be any different? With around 50% of marriages ending, that sounds like at least 25% of the folks in marriages are not doing a great job at it. With them odds, you'll have to pardon me if I don't think your opinions are better than mine just because I haven't yet made the mistake of a bad marriage.
When it comes down to it, I have spent a great deal of time reading about relationships. Most people...not so much. New parents read tons baby books...most with all kinds of "how-to" stuff. But almost nothing with alternating theories or studies. And even then, the parent picks parts to follow and throws the rest out the window.
I think we can agree that relationships are pretty dang complicated. At least as much as fixing a car (probably much more so). Well, if I decided to read a book on fixing a car and then only followed some of the directions, would I be a good mechanic do you think? Even more so, if I were to start trying to fix cars with NO prior training or study, do you think I would be considered a good mechanic? And, in that situation...me trying to be a mechanic for the past 2-3 years simply trying to figure it out as I go...and a friend comes up and says "Hey, I read an article that talks about how to fix the transmission. It had studies from many top mechanics, and even schematics." Should I maybe at least listen to this knowledge? Or dismiss it because it contradicts what I was trying to do, simply because my friend doesn't actually have a car?
Deep down, I know that more than likely they are just being defensive because people are overly sensitive about things they love. And no one likes to be told they are doing things wrong. Add that together, and they are simply dismissing me to protect themselves. Very human.
But that doesn't mean I have to take it with a smile.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Start it off with a bang!
So, I am going to start this blog off with a topic that will upset most folk. Children. Since so many people have them, they won't like what I am saying. But I wanna say it!
I used to want children...badly. Now, not so much. As I have had so many new people around me have children, they have degraded that desire to almost nothing. Why? Because I don't want to suddenly be lobotomized simply because my sperm fertilizes an egg.
I have watched numorous people...once logical, turn into gibbering idiots because of the arrival of a creature that basically exists to eat and poop, with crying in between. Sure, eventually it turns into something that can, you know, DO things. But these people don't wait until then to start fawning over the thing.
From day one it controls them. Even the most normally hard nosed people submit to its will and begin spoiling it right away.
What's interesting is that most of them are clear headed enough to be able to look outward and say "wow, we have such a kid centric culture...that's messed up!" or "I sure don't want to spoil my kid like everyone else does." Then, five minutes later they are buying candy for the kid or planning some new outfit for a thing that can't even walk yet, or perusing the web for a toy that the child won't really appreciate to give as a mid summer gift...thus ensuring the child assumes that it will always get gifts simply for existing. How does this NOT spoil a child?!
They always say something to the effect of "When you have your own, you'll understand." How does that make it ok? I don't WANT to be crushed by my biological urges. If I was ok with giving in to instinct, I would run around in the woods and hump women when they were in heat. But generally we acknowledge that we are above instinct. We are supposed to be creatures of free will. But that seems to go out the window for children. People become baby-zombies (not undead babies, but people who become braindead droolers in the presence of children).
Here's some rules to try and live by:
1) This is your child, not a doll or show dog. There is NO good reason for dressing them up in "outfits" aside from selfishly wanting to draw out a few "awwww, they're so cute!"'s. And, since your child can barely talk, let alone understand the ramifications of such a statement, you are doing this purely for yourself. And that is pretty wasteful.
2) Your child does not need fancy toys with lots of lights and sound. Especially not 50 different kinds. Now, sure people will give them as presents....after the first 2-3, start exchanging them for diapers and formula. But by giving your kid access to a ton of diffeffering things you are establishing that THEY rule and get to choose what they want at any given moment...not to mention probably increaing the likelyhood that they will have some kind of fake ADD, where they never learn to focus because they have never HAD to.
3) Your baby isn't special. Yes, everyone will say how cute they are. But, almost ALL babies are cute. Even babies in other species! And even if your baby was ugly, no one is going to tell you that...except maybe me. But, again, throwing out all these photos of your child dressed in a costume that they don't even know what they are or what they are doing when they say "trick or treat" is, again, a waste of time and money. You are just trying to gratify yourself. You are fishing for compliments.
4) Don't buy them shit if it isn't for a reason. Just because it's tuesday is not a reason to buy your kid a toy. Just because they ASKED is even LESS of a reason. This is practically the definition of spoiling a child. They don't need that toy. Never. That candy is not a necessity (and it just increases the likelyhood of us continuing to have the fattest kids in the world). At best, buying them toys is a way for you to continue to be lazy so you don't have to deal with a whining child.
5) Your child should NOT be the center of your universe. Yes, they are important. Yes, they are valuable. But nothing should ever be so important to your life that you end up basing your worth on it (except you know, God, if you are religious). When something, ANYTHING, becomes that, it's an addiction or obsession. And, don't we normally consider that a bad thing? Your life should be solid and happy without your child...not defined by your child. Because they are going to get sad or mad or unhappy. And not every time they do will it require you to do anything. Wanting to stay up late or they will cry is not a reason for you to cave. Life is sometimes disappointing. You can't always save them from it. But if you always try to...and crumble when you can't, you aren't much of a parent for them.
6) You job is NOT to make your child happy. That is their job. Your job is to raise them well so they are more likely to suceed at said happiness in the long run. If you fawn over them and cave to them, how are you in any way preparing them for life? In the real world they are nothing speical. Everyone else has their kids they think are special too. They need to learn they they aren't the center of things. But if you establish that, you have failed as a parent.
7) They are not your friend. Or at least, not your friend first. Child first, friend whenever that doesn't get in the way of you doing your job.
8) Your child is not a tiny adult. They do not have experience or have done anything to earn trust or respect. They shouldn't call adults by their first name. They shouldn't feel that they can impose themselves on adults or adult conversations. And most of all, you shouldn't trust you child over an adult unless you have good reason to believe otherwise.
Well, enough of my rant. In general, I will be fine. I have job security, since the upcoming kids will be so screwed up, employers will be begging for a person who doesn't think they are the best thing since sliced bread, and has learned to make friends and compromise with people. And I won't have to deal with my children living with me until I die, since I didn't prepare them for the world.
I used to want children...badly. Now, not so much. As I have had so many new people around me have children, they have degraded that desire to almost nothing. Why? Because I don't want to suddenly be lobotomized simply because my sperm fertilizes an egg.
I have watched numorous people...once logical, turn into gibbering idiots because of the arrival of a creature that basically exists to eat and poop, with crying in between. Sure, eventually it turns into something that can, you know, DO things. But these people don't wait until then to start fawning over the thing.
From day one it controls them. Even the most normally hard nosed people submit to its will and begin spoiling it right away.
What's interesting is that most of them are clear headed enough to be able to look outward and say "wow, we have such a kid centric culture...that's messed up!" or "I sure don't want to spoil my kid like everyone else does." Then, five minutes later they are buying candy for the kid or planning some new outfit for a thing that can't even walk yet, or perusing the web for a toy that the child won't really appreciate to give as a mid summer gift...thus ensuring the child assumes that it will always get gifts simply for existing. How does this NOT spoil a child?!
They always say something to the effect of "When you have your own, you'll understand." How does that make it ok? I don't WANT to be crushed by my biological urges. If I was ok with giving in to instinct, I would run around in the woods and hump women when they were in heat. But generally we acknowledge that we are above instinct. We are supposed to be creatures of free will. But that seems to go out the window for children. People become baby-zombies (not undead babies, but people who become braindead droolers in the presence of children).
Here's some rules to try and live by:
1) This is your child, not a doll or show dog. There is NO good reason for dressing them up in "outfits" aside from selfishly wanting to draw out a few "awwww, they're so cute!"'s. And, since your child can barely talk, let alone understand the ramifications of such a statement, you are doing this purely for yourself. And that is pretty wasteful.
2) Your child does not need fancy toys with lots of lights and sound. Especially not 50 different kinds. Now, sure people will give them as presents....after the first 2-3, start exchanging them for diapers and formula. But by giving your kid access to a ton of diffeffering things you are establishing that THEY rule and get to choose what they want at any given moment...not to mention probably increaing the likelyhood that they will have some kind of fake ADD, where they never learn to focus because they have never HAD to.
3) Your baby isn't special. Yes, everyone will say how cute they are. But, almost ALL babies are cute. Even babies in other species! And even if your baby was ugly, no one is going to tell you that...except maybe me. But, again, throwing out all these photos of your child dressed in a costume that they don't even know what they are or what they are doing when they say "trick or treat" is, again, a waste of time and money. You are just trying to gratify yourself. You are fishing for compliments.
4) Don't buy them shit if it isn't for a reason. Just because it's tuesday is not a reason to buy your kid a toy. Just because they ASKED is even LESS of a reason. This is practically the definition of spoiling a child. They don't need that toy. Never. That candy is not a necessity (and it just increases the likelyhood of us continuing to have the fattest kids in the world). At best, buying them toys is a way for you to continue to be lazy so you don't have to deal with a whining child.
5) Your child should NOT be the center of your universe. Yes, they are important. Yes, they are valuable. But nothing should ever be so important to your life that you end up basing your worth on it (except you know, God, if you are religious). When something, ANYTHING, becomes that, it's an addiction or obsession. And, don't we normally consider that a bad thing? Your life should be solid and happy without your child...not defined by your child. Because they are going to get sad or mad or unhappy. And not every time they do will it require you to do anything. Wanting to stay up late or they will cry is not a reason for you to cave. Life is sometimes disappointing. You can't always save them from it. But if you always try to...and crumble when you can't, you aren't much of a parent for them.
6) You job is NOT to make your child happy. That is their job. Your job is to raise them well so they are more likely to suceed at said happiness in the long run. If you fawn over them and cave to them, how are you in any way preparing them for life? In the real world they are nothing speical. Everyone else has their kids they think are special too. They need to learn they they aren't the center of things. But if you establish that, you have failed as a parent.
7) They are not your friend. Or at least, not your friend first. Child first, friend whenever that doesn't get in the way of you doing your job.
8) Your child is not a tiny adult. They do not have experience or have done anything to earn trust or respect. They shouldn't call adults by their first name. They shouldn't feel that they can impose themselves on adults or adult conversations. And most of all, you shouldn't trust you child over an adult unless you have good reason to believe otherwise.
Well, enough of my rant. In general, I will be fine. I have job security, since the upcoming kids will be so screwed up, employers will be begging for a person who doesn't think they are the best thing since sliced bread, and has learned to make friends and compromise with people. And I won't have to deal with my children living with me until I die, since I didn't prepare them for the world.
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