Global Warming a Tool Towards Power

A section of page 230 from Mistress of the Pearl reads:

Its shift from the pursuit of science to the amassing of political power had broken the whole into fractious blocs.

How aptly does this describe our current collection of scientists? The truth is merely a matter of degrees, but it’s impossible to deny that certain members of this community utilize topics like “global warming” to further ingratiate themselves up the political power structure.

I’ve found it fascinating that science fiction authors are able to cleverly identify future possibilities in their writings.

Shockingly Good Combat Game

18 volts?!? I’m waiting for the next-gen 64 volt version. Pfft.

Dojo Info 11/29/07

1. MTV Talks About Rock Band the TV Show
   Seems all I post about is GH/RB these days (my apologies to the more mature) but this stuff is just so intriguing to me. If I could buy stock in Rock Band, I would. (It’s gonna be so much more than just a video game.) Somebody show me how to buy stock in Rock Band!
2. Column: How to Save on Holiday Lighting
   Looks like LED light bulbs are going to replace current lighting technology pretty soon.
3. Is tomorrow’s Clapton playing ‘Guitar Hero’?
   I’d have to guess, “Yes!”
4. MIT launches contest to fire up energy entrepreneurs
   I love stuff like this. It just makes so much sense. Offer rewards to the best ideas. What’s not to like?
5. Grand Theft Auto IV [trailer]
   Looks like they put a ton of work into the setting a realistic scene.

Paladin’s ‘Christmas Vacation’

Clark: Hey, Kids, I heard on the news that an airline pilot spotted Santa’s sleigh on it’s way in from New York City.
Eddie: [after a pause] You serious, Clark?

Man o’ man I had a tough time tonight. To put it into perspective, Clark W. Griswold makes me look like I should be riding the short bus.

The things we go through for our kids. After 4 and 1/2 hours searching through the basement for extension cords, out in the bitter cold unraveling cords, attempting to hang strings of lights all the while taking branches poking me in the eye… seriously, if I didn’t have kids, we wouldn’t have lights. End of story.

Midway through this ordeal I heard myself muttering, “I don’t understand. I checked every bulb?!?”

Strands that worked when I tested them decided not to once set in their assigned position. At the 35 minute mark I recalled that we didn’t use the all-white strands on the bushes… these were supposed to be colored lights! Argh! Time to start over.

It was light when I went out but when I finally finished it was pitch black. Surely it didn’t take that long last year? What’s happened to my memory?!?

But of all the problems in this messy debacle, first on the list is whatever brainiac thought it was a good idea to package the string in a series of back-and-forth twisty turns that inevitably left the cords permanently warped and mangled. Untangling a tightly wound strand of twinkle lights in sub-zero weather with only the light from the accursed object of my frustration led me down paths I had hoped never to travel. (I had to send the children indoors to rescue them from my foul, foul language.)

In the end, I completed the grisly task. All the more frustrating was the knowledge that my home wasn’t large and any regular Joe could have completed the task in a fraction of time and probably even enjoyed it.

I felt my inner Grinch surfacing. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers this Holiday season as I find myself turning into that “old guy” who lives down the street who finds the joyous sounds of children playing especially grating. Oh yeah, here’s a picture. Bah humbug.

After you heard me complain, you would have thought my house looked like this, right?

Is Your Santa Up To Snuff?

You don’t want your kid sitting in this guy’s lap, right? [via thebluestbutterfly]

Dojo Info 11/27/07

1. Best and Worst Consumer Electronics, 2007
   Wii Destroys PS3 and 360, France Surrenders
2. Clinton, she scares me a little
   A little? She scares me a lot!
3. MTV’s “Rock Band” takes on “Guitar Hero”
   Apparently there’s a big RB announcement coming “soon.” One I would mightily hope for is better quality on their controllers because it seems the current ones are breaking left and right.
4. Stem Cells, the Right Way
   Even with the astounding news that stem cells can be created from basic skin cells, there are those who continue to push for embryonic stem cell research (which grows and destroys embryos). These people are either doing this for financial reasons, which is horrid. Or, for example, Sen. Arlen Specter, who claims that “My own view is that science ought to be unfettered.” Simply, he doesn’t want to be proven wrong and he’s too stubborn to admit this. Others, like Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Dianne DeGette are still pushing embryonic research. If they represent you, tell them what you think.
5. Black Friday’s hottest buys
   Looks like the Wii is selling out in lots of places.

Miracles Still Happen

What follows is a true story documented by Pastor Rob Reid. At this time of year, with the world the way it is, it’s heartwarming to read stories like this. Please pass it along to someone in need of encouragement.

Continue reading »

Dojo Info 11/26/07

1. Eight Quotes by C.S. Lewis
   My favorite from his list: “If you are really a product of a materialistic universe, how is it that you don’t feel at home there?” C. S. Lewis is easily one of mankind’s most brilliant thinkers.
2. Video Game Hall of Fame
   Added another winner to the Hall. Can you guess which one?
3. Gators’ Tebow to have cast on right (non-throwing) hand for at least two weeks
   Tebow once scored a TD in high school with a broken fibula. I’m sure a broke bone in his off hand won’t hamper Superman. I hate Florida, but I’m a Tebow fan.
4. May 67% of You Have a Merry Christmas
   Now comes the tough part… figuring out who’s part of the 67% and who’s not.
5. ACLU Crosses Another Line
   In this case, the ACLU hasn’t actually gotten involved yet… but if they hold true to form, they will in the future. This is completely unjust, BTW.

Zune Logo Redux

Microsoft has a product called Zune. This product, of course, has a logo. What I’m unsure about is why they thought the logo’s bug made any sense. As a designer, it seems fairly straight-forward (at least to me) that they were trying to create a 3D version of a “Z” but I think the one they came up with is overly complex.

So I tweaked it. What do you think?

GH Fuels Music Sales

In what amounts to the least “big surprise” ever, songs included on games like Guitar Hero have seen their sales jump. Of course, some more than others. Older, more established songs generally increase by a smaller margin. So the question remains why do some artists continue to refuse to play?

Dojo Info 11/25/07

1. LG.Philips to Make Clean Notebook Screen
   A must for any parent of young, active children. *wink*
2. Tired on Thanksgiving? Don’t Blame Turkey
   Non-experts, you and I, need to realize that the experts flip-flop more than the politicians on parade. Make up your mind already!
3. A better infograph to fit a year comfortably within a business card.
   “Fitting” it is one thing. Understanding it is another. Thus far, #5 is the only one I could honestly vote for. [via kottke]
4. Hoop Dreams
   For the true basketball lover this film gives an amazing look inside the lives of two young men trying to make a way for themselves through the game.
5. The Guys Behind the Rock Band Music
   “We’re really busy right now getting as much polish as we can for the download songs that are coming out every week!” Slave master’s whip says, “Crack!”

‘Buy Nothing Day’ Getting No Play on MTV

Everyone has heard of Black Friday, right? What about Buy Nothing Day? The big wiki calls it:

an informal day of protest against consumerism observed by social activists

Sounds fair enough, even if underneath it all it’s a targeted jab against the wealthy. Well, strangely enough, the spot is not right for MTV. This is what their spokesman had to say about the Buy Nothing Day public service spot.

“[it] goes further than we are willing to accept on our channels.”

Are you serious? That’s just crazy talk. Well, some are rightfully upset.

Gangsta rap and sexualized, semi-naked school girls are okay, but apparently not a burping pig talking about consumption.

That’s why I believe that there is a religion of sorts at work in our country. Bizarre.

On a related note, the primary reason the country is currently freaked out about foreclosures killing the housing market is because home buyers are buying more house than they can afford. An attitude you won’t hear coming from our nation’s credit purveyors.

Dojo Info 11/23/07

1. Weaving Arantix bikes by hand
   They’ll do anything to reduce weight on these things.
2. Stem cell breakthrough uses no embryos
   This would be absolutely huge! No more “farming” embryos.
3. Video: Nvidia’s weekend gaming bash
   The latest in gaming graphics and physics is Crysis. As to the video card needed to actually play the game? It better be big. Ouch!
4. Wii Is Most-Wanted Widget in Wintertime
   ‘Tis right good fun this Holiday Season!
5. T-Mobile Offers IPhone Without Contract
   Apparently you’ll be able to get the iPhone at some carries besides AT&T, like T-Mobile. Then why isn’t it on their website?

Paladin’s Bioshock Review

I was waiting for Bioshock since late-summer. I knew that the producers of such great games as Ultima Underworld, System Shock I & II and Freedom Force were involved and couldn’t help but have high expectations.

To say they delivered would be an understatement. I believe that this is the best, single-player videogame I’ve ever played. And that’s saying something because I’ve got records going back to the Atari 2600.

[Playing Quake and other id games online is still my #1 videogame experience but connectivity being what it is and the call of more adult activities, have me sidestepping online play since my clanberries days. Fix the box Marion!]

You can get an in-depth review from Gamespot so I’ll just hit you with my impressions in bullet time format:

• Atmosphere: Great games create an atmosphere that consistently suck you in and won’t let you out. The developer’s desire to go all 1950s with Bioshock, I initially thought was a mistake. That was before I played the game. The voice-acting, the ambient sounds, the level and object designs… were all superlative. I can’t really say enough about how well they captured the feel of the 50s. This coming from someone who wasn’t even alive then.
• Storyline: Another essential component to great games is having a viable premise and attainable goal. Bioshock’s story is completely compelling. I don’t want to give any of it away. In fact, if you are thinking about buying this game, don’t read the reviews. They inevitably give away too much of the surprise. It’s better to go in blind.
• Gameplay: One of my biggest gripes about the game was it’s video requirements. My computer is fairly new, dual-core and all that stuff, but I had to tone it down to 800×600 to get a decent frame rate. Even then, the game stuttered on me at certain points. It’s hard to imagine what kind of beast of a machine someone would need in order to play this game at 1280×1024.
• Realism: A pet-peeve of mine is a lack of realism in game designs. I’ve started to capture some of these concepts in my Real Life Manifesto document. (Feel free to send me some of yours!) Bioshock falls down on several of these. For example, your character has no problem carrying a wrench, pistol, shotgun, machinegun, rocket-launcher, flame-thrower, plenty of ammo for all, a camera & film, 9 first aid kits and 9 syringes of Eve, all the while running and jumping at the same speed as you did at in the first minutes of the game when you merely held the wrench. Stuff like this kills me. Anyway, all of these lapses are common to most games these days, so they’re (mostly) easy to forgive.

The game was immersive and addictive. As soon as I finished it the first time on Hard, I played it again on Medium so I could check out of more of the characters and environment. I give it the highest rating I’ve ever given a game, 9.5 out of 10.

Note: I do need to mention the game is rated “M” for mature and that’s due primarily to the harsh language “provided” by the games characters. The game is certainly violent which added to the rating but not to the point of being gory.

‘Romantics’ Cry Cover Too Good

Thanks to reader thebluestbutterfly who posted about The Romantics suing Activision over GH’s cover of their song “What I Like About You.” Get this, they claim the cover song was too close to their original. Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

Here’s to money grubbing lawyers and greedy aging rock bands getting theirs this Christmas. And by “theirs” I mean a colossal piece of coal.