Clicky for Awesome-Size
More to come soon.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Golden Sun: The Lost Age - Pocket Portable EPIC
Amazingly, there are even more awesome summon attacks.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
OC BOS removes meeting security from OC Sheriffs
Board takes over security of its meetings
At an earlier board of supervisor meeting meant to discuss the appointed OC Sheriff Hutchens' CCW policy, the second on this topic, security was increased dramatically including plain clothes deputies, and SWAT team members. It was also later discovered that a sheriffs' security camera meant for panning the faces of audience members zoomed in on the personal notes and personal blackberry of two of the supervisors who offer the most dissent to Hutchens' policies.
Supervisors were denied physical access to the tape because Hutchens claimed it was part of an ongoing investigation.
In addition to removing BOS meeting security from the OC Sheriffs, they voted to make security tapes for future BOS meetings property of the BOS.
I'll bet the BOS is regretting their appointment.
Orange County supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to seize back control of security at their meetings after deputies swarmed the boardroom earlier this month, intimidating gun activists from speaking out against Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' new concealed weapons policy.
At an earlier board of supervisor meeting meant to discuss the appointed OC Sheriff Hutchens' CCW policy, the second on this topic, security was increased dramatically including plain clothes deputies, and SWAT team members. It was also later discovered that a sheriffs' security camera meant for panning the faces of audience members zoomed in on the personal notes and personal blackberry of two of the supervisors who offer the most dissent to Hutchens' policies.
Supervisors were denied physical access to the tape because Hutchens claimed it was part of an ongoing investigation.
Supervisors also delayed approval of the sheriff’s request to set up an Intelligence Assessment Center until they get a full update, noting that the battle over boardroom security has made them reluctant to expand the department’s intelligence gathering.
In addition to removing BOS meeting security from the OC Sheriffs, they voted to make security tapes for future BOS meetings property of the BOS.
I'll bet the BOS is regretting their appointment.
The Blago solution
Just let him go, and give him his own sitcom.
Everybody wins.
He's out, and everyone remains entertained.
Everybody wins.
He's out, and everyone remains entertained.
Some weekday sobriety
Me: OH! Tell him about that dude last night!
Coworker 1:You should have seen this guy last night; he was a complete idiot. He was talking to [me] about how he was a security expert, and [me]'s just playing dumb the whole time, trying not to laugh! It was hilarious. 'I use netstat to catch haxors!' Ha! How does this guy even have a company?
Coworker: 2 [long pause] You know... Every millionaire I know is technically pretty dumb. They don't know everything... Actually, there's a lot of things they don't know. But they're millionaires because they actually did something instead of waiting for everything to be perfect... Like us...
Coworker 1:...
Me: ...
Coworker 2: And guys like him hire guys like us. How fucked up is that?
Coworker 1:...
Me: ...
Coworker 2:...
Coworker 1:You should have seen this guy last night; he was a complete idiot. He was talking to [me] about how he was a security expert, and [me]'s just playing dumb the whole time, trying not to laugh! It was hilarious. 'I use netstat to catch haxors!' Ha! How does this guy even have a company?
Coworker: 2 [long pause] You know... Every millionaire I know is technically pretty dumb. They don't know everything... Actually, there's a lot of things they don't know. But they're millionaires because they actually did something instead of waiting for everything to be perfect... Like us...
Coworker 1:...
Me: ...
Coworker 2: And guys like him hire guys like us. How fucked up is that?
Coworker 1:...
Me: ...
Coworker 2:...
Dear Congress
Dear Congress,
We write you with dire predictions.
I fear that our very livelihood is at stake.
An entire industry, with employees numbering in the tens of thousands, will collapse if immediate action is not taken.
If things are allowed to continue as they have, we will see the unemployment or forced retirement of tens of thousands or workers who rely on their employers to provide pensions and retirement. Those benefits will evaporate if those companies are not saved.
I assure you, if you don't take punitive action against the companies who threaten to destroy our industry, we stand to lose an entire generation of workers. A generation of workers whos' only sin was to choose this profession.
These men deserve to keep working their chosen profession without being laid off simply because someone has invented a machine that replaces them.
We beg that you heed our request, and apply severe taxation and regulation upon any company that produces refrigerators.
It's only fair.
Signed,
The Ice Block Deliverymen's Union #133
We write you with dire predictions.
I fear that our very livelihood is at stake.
An entire industry, with employees numbering in the tens of thousands, will collapse if immediate action is not taken.
If things are allowed to continue as they have, we will see the unemployment or forced retirement of tens of thousands or workers who rely on their employers to provide pensions and retirement. Those benefits will evaporate if those companies are not saved.
I assure you, if you don't take punitive action against the companies who threaten to destroy our industry, we stand to lose an entire generation of workers. A generation of workers whos' only sin was to choose this profession.
These men deserve to keep working their chosen profession without being laid off simply because someone has invented a machine that replaces them.
We beg that you heed our request, and apply severe taxation and regulation upon any company that produces refrigerators.
It's only fair.
Signed,
The Ice Block Deliverymen's Union #133
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Obsolescence in firearms?
From Steve at The Firearm Blog, comes this link;
Afghans Rediscover The Lee-Enfield.
The Lee Enfield is a WW2 rifle used by the British. It is a bolt action rifle with a 10 round box magazine.
It fires a .303 caliber bullet at roughly 2500 fps.
By all accounts; it's old.
Today, armies use semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons, made of space-age plastics and polymers, usually chambered in intermediate cartridges fed from large-capacity detachable box magazines.
Yet, the Lee Enfield is still a viable weapon for the modern-day battlefield.
Why?
Because the Lee Enfield is a rifle that is very capable of carrying out its primary function reliably.
Very simply; the function of a rifle is to deliver a high speed projectile reliably and accurately. All it needs is sights, a barrel, a trigger, and a stock.
Everything else just makes it friendlier to the operator.
This old rifle may lack modern optics, shoot an antique cartridge, and be a rough amalgamation of wood and steel, but it can execute its task with almost 100% efficiency. The operator is what usually causes a miss.
We may continue to make rifles easier to shoot, with lighter triggers, better sights, and generally make them more accommodating to the people shooting them, but the machine itself has practically been perfected.
The rest is up to you.
Afghans Rediscover The Lee-Enfield.
The Lee Enfield is a WW2 rifle used by the British. It is a bolt action rifle with a 10 round box magazine.
It fires a .303 caliber bullet at roughly 2500 fps.
By all accounts; it's old.
Today, armies use semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons, made of space-age plastics and polymers, usually chambered in intermediate cartridges fed from large-capacity detachable box magazines.
Yet, the Lee Enfield is still a viable weapon for the modern-day battlefield.
Why?
Because the Lee Enfield is a rifle that is very capable of carrying out its primary function reliably.
Very simply; the function of a rifle is to deliver a high speed projectile reliably and accurately. All it needs is sights, a barrel, a trigger, and a stock.
Everything else just makes it friendlier to the operator.
This old rifle may lack modern optics, shoot an antique cartridge, and be a rough amalgamation of wood and steel, but it can execute its task with almost 100% efficiency. The operator is what usually causes a miss.
We may continue to make rifles easier to shoot, with lighter triggers, better sights, and generally make them more accommodating to the people shooting them, but the machine itself has practically been perfected.
The rest is up to you.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What if they held an inflation and nobody came?
Les Jones has a round up of the unfathomable level of borrowing taking place, and the eventual conclusion.
Very worth your time.
If you can't be bothered, or want the readers digest version, click this gif animation that puts the amount of borrowing in perspective.
Very worth your time.
If you can't be bothered, or want the readers digest version, click this gif animation that puts the amount of borrowing in perspective.
Monday, January 26, 2009
That depends on your definition of the word "voluntary"
This is who's going to have a strong say in running Obama's (in?)voluntary community service program?
Friday, January 23, 2009
Go Out And Love Someone - Pogo
Go Out and Love Someone mp3
A song composed almost completely of prerecorded clips from a movie, in traditional Pogo fashion. It creates a soothing but hip background, while telling a story of love. "Controlled Chaos" might be used as a term to describe this track.
BONUS! White Dresses
For more from Pogo, click here
A song composed almost completely of prerecorded clips from a movie, in traditional Pogo fashion. It creates a soothing but hip background, while telling a story of love. "Controlled Chaos" might be used as a term to describe this track.
BONUS! White Dresses
For more from Pogo, click here
Mmmmmmmm
WE
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
Good to the last scroll.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Quote of TEOTWAWKI
They've been thinking up end of world scenarios ever since the world began.
What's the rush?
~Me!
What's the rush?
~Me!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Hate Springs Eternal
A NJ couple has had their children removed from their custody after they gained notoriety for naming their children Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell.
A spokesperson for NJ family services said the state would not remove children from a home simply because of their names.
If this couple had simply liked the name Adolf Hitler (who knows why), this would have been different. But the name JoyceLynn "Aryan Nation" Campbell eliminates all doubt. Still, I was slightly conflicted.
Should parents be allowed to teach their children hate?
As a freedom-minded individual, I think you should be able to teach your children whatever you want. But as a member of the human race, I want us to get past hate.
When you think about this kind of systemic hate, there's a good chance you imagine that video clip of the Muslim TV anchor asking a three-year-old girl why she hates Jews. "They are apes and pigs." She replies. But there is plenty of hate on this side of the world. Even ideological hate, how ever peaceful it may seem, is the same breed of hate; and whenever hate is evoked, violence is sure to follow.
Wherever someone viscerally abhors a group of people, and every one of the group's members, instead of treating them like individuals, there is hate.
Hate won't be placated. If the Jews magically disappeared on Monday, Muslims would not be living in peace and harmony Tuesday. They would shift their hate to America, then the UK, then the EU, then Russia, then every other nation or people in the world, until every man, woman, and child on the planet was Muslim.
Then they'd divide themselves into sects, and hate each other.
Hate is never ending.
Hate is a congenital defect in the human race, and must be conquered by each individual.
It is amazing that our society, as a whole, frowns upon hate. The civilized world is becoming so diverse, it's difficult to perpetuate the lies that keep hate alive. But we are still anomalous. Many other "civilized" nations hate those they may not have to deal with in day-to-day life, because it's easy, and because it's human nature. What's the harm in hating a group you rarely encounter?
Hate begets hate.
So, why not take these children away?
Why not throw people in jail who say hateful things?
Why not kill those who incite hate?
Why not go to war with civilizations that glorify hate?
Because we are all individuals, and individuals make their own decisions. Whomever may have endeavored to change their mind is of no consequence. Actions speak louder than words.
So, allow someone to stand behind a microphone and preach hate.
But, punish those who hear those words, and choose to perform hateful actions.
But what about the children?
I still don't know. It's possible that Adolf Hitler Campbell would grow up to resent his name, change it at 18, and dedicate his life to the fight against hate in all its forms. Unfortunately, it seems more likely that Adolf Hitler Campbell never escapes the pit of hate his parents built, placed him in, and reinforced over the years of his development.
So what is the answer?
Do we let parents teach their children to hate, and hope they have the fortitude to make the right decision? Or do we remove children from their families, and place them with strangers?
Even though I still feel a little conflicted; I think we have to rescue children from any environment of hate, just as we would an environment of violence. Because there is little difference between the two.
Hate is more than persuasion or indoctrination.
It's the idea that a life is not valuable if it ascribes to a certain belief.
It's the idea that it's okay to kill someone because of their belief system or birth into a group.
It devalues human life, and it must be fought in all its forms.
A spokesperson for NJ family services said the state would not remove children from a home simply because of their names.
If this couple had simply liked the name Adolf Hitler (who knows why), this would have been different. But the name JoyceLynn "Aryan Nation" Campbell eliminates all doubt. Still, I was slightly conflicted.
Should parents be allowed to teach their children hate?
As a freedom-minded individual, I think you should be able to teach your children whatever you want. But as a member of the human race, I want us to get past hate.
When you think about this kind of systemic hate, there's a good chance you imagine that video clip of the Muslim TV anchor asking a three-year-old girl why she hates Jews. "They are apes and pigs." She replies. But there is plenty of hate on this side of the world. Even ideological hate, how ever peaceful it may seem, is the same breed of hate; and whenever hate is evoked, violence is sure to follow.
Wherever someone viscerally abhors a group of people, and every one of the group's members, instead of treating them like individuals, there is hate.
Hate won't be placated. If the Jews magically disappeared on Monday, Muslims would not be living in peace and harmony Tuesday. They would shift their hate to America, then the UK, then the EU, then Russia, then every other nation or people in the world, until every man, woman, and child on the planet was Muslim.
Then they'd divide themselves into sects, and hate each other.
Hate is never ending.
Hate is a congenital defect in the human race, and must be conquered by each individual.
It is amazing that our society, as a whole, frowns upon hate. The civilized world is becoming so diverse, it's difficult to perpetuate the lies that keep hate alive. But we are still anomalous. Many other "civilized" nations hate those they may not have to deal with in day-to-day life, because it's easy, and because it's human nature. What's the harm in hating a group you rarely encounter?
Hate begets hate.
So, why not take these children away?
Why not throw people in jail who say hateful things?
Why not kill those who incite hate?
Why not go to war with civilizations that glorify hate?
Because we are all individuals, and individuals make their own decisions. Whomever may have endeavored to change their mind is of no consequence. Actions speak louder than words.
So, allow someone to stand behind a microphone and preach hate.
But, punish those who hear those words, and choose to perform hateful actions.
But what about the children?
I still don't know. It's possible that Adolf Hitler Campbell would grow up to resent his name, change it at 18, and dedicate his life to the fight against hate in all its forms. Unfortunately, it seems more likely that Adolf Hitler Campbell never escapes the pit of hate his parents built, placed him in, and reinforced over the years of his development.
So what is the answer?
Do we let parents teach their children to hate, and hope they have the fortitude to make the right decision? Or do we remove children from their families, and place them with strangers?
Even though I still feel a little conflicted; I think we have to rescue children from any environment of hate, just as we would an environment of violence. Because there is little difference between the two.
Hate is more than persuasion or indoctrination.
It's the idea that a life is not valuable if it ascribes to a certain belief.
It's the idea that it's okay to kill someone because of their belief system or birth into a group.
It devalues human life, and it must be fought in all its forms.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Quote of the good intentions
Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
~Daniel Webster
~Daniel Webster
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I swear to god
One of these days I'm just going to sell everything, move to Idaho, and open a childrens' book store. All sales will be done by calculator and paper and pencil.
On Sundays I'll dress up like a clown and have story time.
Fuck it. There's going to be crafts.
On Sundays I'll dress up like a clown and have story time.
Fuck it. There's going to be crafts.
Short fuses
My normally calm demeanor has had an awfully short fuse as of late.
Methinks the time has come to spend a few hours at the range with the buckmark.
Methinks the time has come to spend a few hours at the range with the buckmark.
Gun Salesman of the Year
Or Decade?
...a twenty-four percent increase in background checks for 2008 ... follows a forty-two percent (42%) increase in November 2008, the highest number of NICS checks in the system's history ... on Tuesday, January 6, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a notice ... that "an unprecedented increase in demand for ATF Form 4473 had run supplies low enough that dealers were temporarily given permission to photocopy the form until supplies caught up with demand.
Unintended consequences.
Unintended consequences.
Unintended consequences.
Tales of Girderyawning
I tried something new, and used the site selector with some success. The area I occupied lacked magma of any kind, but it also lacked the evil and terror I asked it to avoid. The area seemed a little flat, and rather sparsely wooded, but I figured I'd get by. I dug straight down and started designing my fortress.
Clicky for full size!
Here, you can see my moat, bridge, road to trading depot, and my trading depot flooder for those douchy elves. Blub, blub, motherfuckers! At the pull of two levers, the trade depot is sealed, and flooded. The water outside the depot is from the first test. There are a few farm plots outside for growing plants for rope, and strawberries for wine. Also a couple fisheries in the north west, and the windmill powering my millstone just east of the farm plots.
Clicky for full size!
I focused on a vertical design for quick movement from workshops to stockpiles
I opted for a different layout on my first level just to keep things interesting. More open space with supports. Since all the food was right there, and I wanted to get everyone underground, I set the dining room on this level, next to where the food stores used to be (moved downstairs). Lots of farm plots keep my brewery turning out alcohol, and keep my dwarves fed.
Clicky for full size!
This level is just stockpiles with lots of access above and below to keep movement of goods quick and keep the main staircases from clogging with traffic.
This is the workshop level, and while so many shops are built, few are very active. Lacking any natural coal, and limited on wood, my smelters sit unused. My primary source of income has become my jewler who keeps generating cut gems and encrusting items to increase their value.
Much further down, out of hearing range of my workshops are the rooms. The 3x3 rooms are for my original 7 dwarves, and the 3x1s are for migrants. At the beginning of the second year, I got 19 migrants, and the small dorms were dug out. With the extra hands, I was able to get some of them to smooth the stone in the rooms.
Extended dorms one level below the rooms for mid-season surprise migrants.
Without a good source of coal, I've been focusing on processing plants into the leggings the dwarf traders want, and cutting gems. I feel a tad directionless without my usual trappings. I think a Great Work is in order. A glass tower or some other complicated structure. Maybe I'll just dabble in some of the other aspects of the game I've yet to explore. Siegecraft should be interesting to explore, especially for when the soon-to-be angered elves come to avenge their soon-to-be drowned traders.
Clicky for full size!
Here, you can see my moat, bridge, road to trading depot, and my trading depot flooder for those douchy elves. Blub, blub, motherfuckers! At the pull of two levers, the trade depot is sealed, and flooded. The water outside the depot is from the first test. There are a few farm plots outside for growing plants for rope, and strawberries for wine. Also a couple fisheries in the north west, and the windmill powering my millstone just east of the farm plots.
Clicky for full size!
I focused on a vertical design for quick movement from workshops to stockpiles
I opted for a different layout on my first level just to keep things interesting. More open space with supports. Since all the food was right there, and I wanted to get everyone underground, I set the dining room on this level, next to where the food stores used to be (moved downstairs). Lots of farm plots keep my brewery turning out alcohol, and keep my dwarves fed.
Clicky for full size!
This level is just stockpiles with lots of access above and below to keep movement of goods quick and keep the main staircases from clogging with traffic.
This is the workshop level, and while so many shops are built, few are very active. Lacking any natural coal, and limited on wood, my smelters sit unused. My primary source of income has become my jewler who keeps generating cut gems and encrusting items to increase their value.
Much further down, out of hearing range of my workshops are the rooms. The 3x3 rooms are for my original 7 dwarves, and the 3x1s are for migrants. At the beginning of the second year, I got 19 migrants, and the small dorms were dug out. With the extra hands, I was able to get some of them to smooth the stone in the rooms.
Extended dorms one level below the rooms for mid-season surprise migrants.
Without a good source of coal, I've been focusing on processing plants into the leggings the dwarf traders want, and cutting gems. I feel a tad directionless without my usual trappings. I think a Great Work is in order. A glass tower or some other complicated structure. Maybe I'll just dabble in some of the other aspects of the game I've yet to explore. Siegecraft should be interesting to explore, especially for when the soon-to-be angered elves come to avenge their soon-to-be drowned traders.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Preoccupation
Girlfriend looks over at me. I'm silent, obviously deep in thought.
GF: What are you thinking about?
Me: Thinking about my dwarves...
GF: ...
GF: What are you thinking about?
Me: Thinking about my dwarves...
GF: ...
Quote of the blog
Personal blogs are like windows into someones world, and the blog owner controls just how far the shades are drawn, and on what days.
~Shrugged
~Shrugged
Friday, January 09, 2009
Still waiting for an easy step-by-step tutorial to playing Dwarf Fortress?
WAIT NO LONGER!
Fourteen (14!) ten (10!) minute videos of step-by-step goodness with notes, arrows, and some dude with an accent, teaching you to play dwarf fortress!
140 minutes of YOU GO LEARN NAO!
If you are having trouble reading the text, make sure you're viewing in HD.
Make sure you catch the text notes at the bottom of the videos!
EDIT: I recommend pausing the video to read the notes, otherwise you miss what he says.
Fourteen (14!) ten (10!) minute videos of step-by-step goodness with notes, arrows, and some dude with an accent, teaching you to play dwarf fortress!
140 minutes of YOU GO LEARN NAO!
If you are having trouble reading the text, make sure you're viewing in HD.
Make sure you catch the text notes at the bottom of the videos!
EDIT: I recommend pausing the video to read the notes, otherwise you miss what he says.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
I lol'd
The Firearm Blog has the most badass pump action shotgun ever.
Along with a truly hilarious diagram, which offers the mechanics of a happy side-effect of the muzzle break; the gas propelled shotgun launcher.
Along with a truly hilarious diagram, which offers the mechanics of a happy side-effect of the muzzle break; the gas propelled shotgun launcher.
Mr. Magic - Amy Winehouse
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
My earworm for the last few days.
I think it gets better each time I hear it.
My earworm for the last few days.
I think it gets better each time I hear it.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Memory from 10th grade
Teacher: ...so for exercise, I got this pedometer. Does anyone know what it does?
Me: Why would you want to measure children?
Teacher: ... Where did you learn your latin?
Me: Passim...
Me: Why would you want to measure children?
Teacher: ... Where did you learn your latin?
Me: Passim...
T'all you fine dandies...
SO! T'all you fine dandies so proud, so cock-sure, prancin' aboot with your heads full of eyeballs.
Come and get me I say! I'll be waitin' on ya with a wiff of the old brimstone.
I'm a grim bloody fable with an unhappy bloody end!
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Oleg hits it out of the park again
If pictures really are worth 1,000 words, Oleg's are worth 1,000,000.
Oleg continues to deliver his message simply and effectively.
Firearms in the hands of citizens is irrefutable proof of true freedom, and quite frankly, trust from our government and fellow citizens. Despots do not allow their subjects to own firearms for fear of retaliation. People who by default expect violence and anger from their fellow man do not trust others to own firearms.
America is truly a unique place.
Oleg continues to deliver his message simply and effectively.
Firearms in the hands of citizens is irrefutable proof of true freedom, and quite frankly, trust from our government and fellow citizens. Despots do not allow their subjects to own firearms for fear of retaliation. People who by default expect violence and anger from their fellow man do not trust others to own firearms.
America is truly a unique place.
Inspirational rant
A prolific animator talks about surviving in tough times, and winds up touching on a number of topics that apply to so much more than animation.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
They really don't make 'em like they used to.
Hat tip to Ry
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
They really don't make 'em like they used to.
Hat tip to Ry
Don't go changin'
A comment I've always gotten is, "You keep changing." My appearance; that is.
I always remember having various combinations of hair and facial hair. (but no moustache; never moustache) I actually change my appearance in some way about every month or two, this is apparently not normal. I didn't think it was strange of me to change my appearance so frequently until everyone kept commenting, and I realized how many people never changed.
Someone finally explained to me that people identify themselves with who they see in the mirror. That's why people rarely change their appearance, and are recommended to do so when they want to change their lives or the way they think. I do recall reading articles about how people seeking change in their life should get a new hair style, but thought it was silly.
So if people identify themselves by who they see in the mirror, what am I to infer about myself if I don't?
Maybe I don't like who I am, and keep trying to change into someone I'll like.
Maybe I've disassociated my consciousness from my body, and feel no correlation.
Maybe I just get bored.
Who knows? But it's fun to guess.
I always remember having various combinations of hair and facial hair. (but no moustache; never moustache) I actually change my appearance in some way about every month or two, this is apparently not normal. I didn't think it was strange of me to change my appearance so frequently until everyone kept commenting, and I realized how many people never changed.
Someone finally explained to me that people identify themselves with who they see in the mirror. That's why people rarely change their appearance, and are recommended to do so when they want to change their lives or the way they think. I do recall reading articles about how people seeking change in their life should get a new hair style, but thought it was silly.
So if people identify themselves by who they see in the mirror, what am I to infer about myself if I don't?
Maybe I don't like who I am, and keep trying to change into someone I'll like.
Maybe I've disassociated my consciousness from my body, and feel no correlation.
Maybe I just get bored.
Who knows? But it's fun to guess.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Team Fortress 2
I sucked at TF2 when I started playing Thursday, but I knew that the only way I was going to be able to hammer out the kinks in my gameplay was with practice. So Friday night, I started playing, and barely stopped until 6am. But by then, I had a much better understanding of how the game was meant to be played, and was among the top of the leaderboard. (turning up the vertical and horizontal sensitivity didn't hurt either)
Team Fortress was a great game because it allowed so many different play styles. I'm not talking about diversity in guys with big guns, guys with small guns, and guys with long guns; I'm talking about real diversity. Deciding if you want to run at your opponents screaming, firing a rocket launcher, hide in a corner and shoot enemies from far away, fire grenades and sticky bombs to attack or defend areas, disguise and actually trick opponents into allowing you a one-hit kill on the toughest opponents, build and upkeep equipment to support or defend areas, or just run around and heal everyone.
Certainly there is less skill involved in some classes than others. Soldiers are more playable to new players than spies, and some classes require you to use a lot of strategy. My early attempts gave me most success with the soldier, and seemingly inexplicable failure with any other class (particularly the spy). It wasn't until I had played against other players and seen how they played the classes that I realized all the things I was doing wrong. The trick to being a spy is to move like you're not a spy. The trick to being a demo man is to pick engagements with angles and corners to lob grenades around, and be truly creative hiding your sticky bombs. The trick to being a sniper is to aim small with your feet, hide your laser creatively, and move after almost every shot. The trick to being a pyro is to... well... burn shit. The general gameplay lessons can only be picked up with experience, when to switch to melee, strengths and weaknesses of weapons, how to avoid getting dead. With just these things, the game is great, and you can have a lot of fun playing.
Where this game really shines is when you add voice to the gameplay. When I plugged in that headset, and started reporting enemy locations, and coordinating with my teammates instantly, everything felt perfect. Spotting a spy dropping into the water, and calling it out, sends a pyro to wait for him, or engineers to guard their sentries and beat anyone who gets close. Calling the intelligence location sends everyone there to set up a defensive perimeter, and report enemy movements. Reporting a heavy initiates focus fire. Reporting an enemy sentry warns everyone to its existence and conveys information that usually only arrives to the dead. Talking about our situation leads to players switching classes to help out. Comradery and support become a useful gameplay element. Your team becomes less of a bunch of people trying to kill stuff in their way of choice, and more of a goal-oriented team working in unison. Honestly, I only got the full cooperation experience in a few servers, but while it lasted, it was like no other game.
The other element I really enjoy is the creativity and ingenuity you can use to be successful.
Playing the demoman you quickly learn that the opposing team will avoid the neat pile of sticky bombs you set in their path, so you need to think of more interesting places to set them. Thinking of where enemies come from, and their direction dictating where they won't be able to see, you can pick some great spots with good visibility to make your sticky bombs undetectable until it's too late, and blow them at the right moment from far away. The best part about it is that you can bypass the usually moderate splash damage by leaving a full 8 waiting for your opponent. Nothing beats a soldier/medic combo taking out everything in its way, before rounding a corner to see you standing in the open, helplessly out of grenade range, and turning them both into bloody chunks. Or setting up opposite a corner scouts usually run around, waiting for a flash of color to jump up, and whip round the corner, out of sight, and then fly back into view in bits and pieces. But lets not give away all the good tricks :)
Playing the sniper, you quickly learn to read the angle of the target laser to determine where the sniper targeting your area is, and target him. When you look through your scope, you create a dot wherever you are looking that can be seen by all. Learning to use this dot to your advantage by misleading players waiting to run into the open, or hiding it in water or behind a corner to avoid tipping the opposition off, is a lot of fun, and lends to some pretty creative moves. Knowing that the dead get a look at you and your position after you kill them, will (should) keep an otherwise stationary class moving, and if you're creative, allow you to mislead the player you just killed should they expect to see you in the same spot. Using the duck move to your advantage, you can get a bead on a position the enemy will definitely see your laser, duck so that the laser is obscured on something closer than the target area, but still being able to see the area, lets you release duck, and fire for a practically laser-less shot. The best thing to do as a sniper is to be unexpected. Find corners with long views and hide your laser where it won't be seen, or it'll seem like its coming from another area. Be unexpected.
Valve released these videos of the different classes of Team Fortress 2, so here are two of my favorites.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Team Fortress was a great game because it allowed so many different play styles. I'm not talking about diversity in guys with big guns, guys with small guns, and guys with long guns; I'm talking about real diversity. Deciding if you want to run at your opponents screaming, firing a rocket launcher, hide in a corner and shoot enemies from far away, fire grenades and sticky bombs to attack or defend areas, disguise and actually trick opponents into allowing you a one-hit kill on the toughest opponents, build and upkeep equipment to support or defend areas, or just run around and heal everyone.
Certainly there is less skill involved in some classes than others. Soldiers are more playable to new players than spies, and some classes require you to use a lot of strategy. My early attempts gave me most success with the soldier, and seemingly inexplicable failure with any other class (particularly the spy). It wasn't until I had played against other players and seen how they played the classes that I realized all the things I was doing wrong. The trick to being a spy is to move like you're not a spy. The trick to being a demo man is to pick engagements with angles and corners to lob grenades around, and be truly creative hiding your sticky bombs. The trick to being a sniper is to aim small with your feet, hide your laser creatively, and move after almost every shot. The trick to being a pyro is to... well... burn shit. The general gameplay lessons can only be picked up with experience, when to switch to melee, strengths and weaknesses of weapons, how to avoid getting dead. With just these things, the game is great, and you can have a lot of fun playing.
Where this game really shines is when you add voice to the gameplay. When I plugged in that headset, and started reporting enemy locations, and coordinating with my teammates instantly, everything felt perfect. Spotting a spy dropping into the water, and calling it out, sends a pyro to wait for him, or engineers to guard their sentries and beat anyone who gets close. Calling the intelligence location sends everyone there to set up a defensive perimeter, and report enemy movements. Reporting a heavy initiates focus fire. Reporting an enemy sentry warns everyone to its existence and conveys information that usually only arrives to the dead. Talking about our situation leads to players switching classes to help out. Comradery and support become a useful gameplay element. Your team becomes less of a bunch of people trying to kill stuff in their way of choice, and more of a goal-oriented team working in unison. Honestly, I only got the full cooperation experience in a few servers, but while it lasted, it was like no other game.
The other element I really enjoy is the creativity and ingenuity you can use to be successful.
Playing the demoman you quickly learn that the opposing team will avoid the neat pile of sticky bombs you set in their path, so you need to think of more interesting places to set them. Thinking of where enemies come from, and their direction dictating where they won't be able to see, you can pick some great spots with good visibility to make your sticky bombs undetectable until it's too late, and blow them at the right moment from far away. The best part about it is that you can bypass the usually moderate splash damage by leaving a full 8 waiting for your opponent. Nothing beats a soldier/medic combo taking out everything in its way, before rounding a corner to see you standing in the open, helplessly out of grenade range, and turning them both into bloody chunks. Or setting up opposite a corner scouts usually run around, waiting for a flash of color to jump up, and whip round the corner, out of sight, and then fly back into view in bits and pieces. But lets not give away all the good tricks :)
Playing the sniper, you quickly learn to read the angle of the target laser to determine where the sniper targeting your area is, and target him. When you look through your scope, you create a dot wherever you are looking that can be seen by all. Learning to use this dot to your advantage by misleading players waiting to run into the open, or hiding it in water or behind a corner to avoid tipping the opposition off, is a lot of fun, and lends to some pretty creative moves. Knowing that the dead get a look at you and your position after you kill them, will (should) keep an otherwise stationary class moving, and if you're creative, allow you to mislead the player you just killed should they expect to see you in the same spot. Using the duck move to your advantage, you can get a bead on a position the enemy will definitely see your laser, duck so that the laser is obscured on something closer than the target area, but still being able to see the area, lets you release duck, and fire for a practically laser-less shot. The best thing to do as a sniper is to be unexpected. Find corners with long views and hide your laser where it won't be seen, or it'll seem like its coming from another area. Be unexpected.
Valve released these videos of the different classes of Team Fortress 2, so here are two of my favorites.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
More from the IRC channel
Urso: to clarify guys, the mystery here is how it went off -without any signs of contact to the primer-.
Ry: gamma rays
ET: cosmic rays
Rich_in_Ohio: Global Warming
TD: I blame the Jews
DrStrangegun: you shocked an explosive
Urso: El Nino?
ET: primers did 9/11
Ahab1: YOU ARE SEARED
ET: lol ahab
Urso: a -4- foot drop?
ET: I love this channel
Gudis: BUSHITLER!
Ry: gamma rays
ET: cosmic rays
Rich_in_Ohio: Global Warming
TD: I blame the Jews
DrStrangegun: you shocked an explosive
Urso: El Nino?
ET: primers did 9/11
Ahab1: YOU ARE SEARED
ET: lol ahab
Urso: a -4- foot drop?
ET: I love this channel
Gudis: BUSHITLER!
Bloggers' bane: ambiguous discord and apathetic ire
I've been feeling very meh lately. Which is bad for a blog.
I think.
Occasionally something will raise my ire or my discord will manifest, but lately I seem to be light on the cutting snark.
But who said this blog only has value when the posts are full of angor and rage?
I started this blog to track my thoughts, and interesting links for my personal use. Since then, it has gone places I didn't think it would ever go, bubbled to the top of google searches (much to my chagrin in some cases), dabbled in fiction, covered scary experiences for friends and myself, made unexplained references to obscure items, warehoused things that used to bounce around the internet and become lost and unlost from time to time, shared countless odd thoughts, posted what I claim to call art, been pointlessly silly for no particular occasion, and (I have to admit) been a little ADD from time to time.
So what makes this blog?
FuckedifIknow.
I'm just going to keep doing whatever I want, and recommend you do the same.
I'm having fun. Are you?
I think.
Occasionally something will raise my ire or my discord will manifest, but lately I seem to be light on the cutting snark.
But who said this blog only has value when the posts are full of angor and rage?
I started this blog to track my thoughts, and interesting links for my personal use. Since then, it has gone places I didn't think it would ever go, bubbled to the top of google searches (much to my chagrin in some cases), dabbled in fiction, covered scary experiences for friends and myself, made unexplained references to obscure items, warehoused things that used to bounce around the internet and become lost and unlost from time to time, shared countless odd thoughts, posted what I claim to call art, been pointlessly silly for no particular occasion, and (I have to admit) been a little ADD from time to time.
So what makes this blog?
FuckedifIknow.
I'm just going to keep doing whatever I want, and recommend you do the same.
I'm having fun. Are you?
Friday, January 02, 2009
Awesome Dwarf Fortress video
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Lemme try to help you out on this...
Most of the architecture is what it looks like, sparse green spots with green clovers are grass and trees, gray rectangular areas are carved stone structures, blue waves or numbers are water. Blood is red. Lots of red. Any character with a red background is a corpse.
"g"s are invading goblins
"O"s are invading Ogres.
"E"s are the dreaded elephants.
Happy faces are dwarves.
"+" is finished ground (road or polished stone floor)
There's some pretty epic shit in this video.
Amazing fortress designs at 4:37 and 5:06.
Lemme try to help you out on this...
Most of the architecture is what it looks like, sparse green spots with green clovers are grass and trees, gray rectangular areas are carved stone structures, blue waves or numbers are water. Blood is red. Lots of red. Any character with a red background is a corpse.
"g"s are invading goblins
"O"s are invading Ogres.
"E"s are the dreaded elephants.
Happy faces are dwarves.
"+" is finished ground (road or polished stone floor)
There's some pretty epic shit in this video.
Amazing fortress designs at 4:37 and 5:06.
Your; you're doing it wrong.
One of my pet peeves is confusion between "you're" and "your," which makes it even more annoying when I use it incorrectly.
My readers have my apologies.
My typos are usually incorrect words, instead of misspellings because my hands are used to typing words, and if my head goes faster than my hands, they just type whatever word they're most used to typing that begins the same way.
My readers have my apologies.
My typos are usually incorrect words, instead of misspellings because my hands are used to typing words, and if my head goes faster than my hands, they just type whatever word they're most used to typing that begins the same way.
In keeping with amazing artists who suck at personal lives...
Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Because it's an awesome video.
I was too young to really get into Michael Jackson, then when his fucktardedness came to light, I had no inclination to look at his stuff. I was youtube wandering, and happened upon this video and was blown away. He is one hell of a performer.
Sorry, youtube is being ghey, and lagging the page; click here for the video.
Because it's an awesome video.
I was too young to really get into Michael Jackson, then when his fucktardedness came to light, I had no inclination to look at his stuff. I was youtube wandering, and happened upon this video and was blown away. He is one hell of a performer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
