I'm doing this week's post a early, simply because I found a Penny-Arcade Strip just too funny to ignore. For those that don't know (I presume most of you), Penny-Arcade is a comic about video games/game culture, and every year it runs a charity known as Child's Play that gives out games, consoles, etc. to sick children in Hospitals, etc.
Now you might think that this would be a strip with limited appeal and an even more limited base of people to support the Child's Play charity, but you would be forgetting a key point: Video gamers (especially the original generation) are nerds. And as nerds, video gamers have two qualities that make them (us) perfect for such a charity: They are very passionate about their geekdom, and they have a lot (and I mean a lot) of money.
In less than a week this year, the charity had raised nearly $500,000 dollars (it is well over a $1,000,000 now), and they haven't even had the actual auction dinner yet!
To give a little bit of background, every year, Penny-Arcade hosts a dinner where they auction off items donated by big name video game companies, developers, and themselves. Last year, the creators of Penny-Arcade decided to auction off a guest-strip at the dinner. Due to the size of the readership (essentially everyone who regularly reads about video games or knows anything about the industry read this comic), this was a big deal. But the guest strip never appeared, despite a sizable chunk of change being dropped for the comic (if I recall, it was in the tens of thousands of dollars). Well, today, with another dinner approaching (and the want to auction another comic off), the strip finally appeared.
Personally, it helped remind me, as we approach the holidays, that some things are worth the wait, and that our good deeds will come back to us in one way or another eventually.
To my readers, have a Merry Christmas (this is the internet, so I don't have to be PC!), and don't forget to consider all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for, earned or not!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Appreciation
Thanksgiving and duck hunting last week gave me some good perspective on the things we enjoy in life... food, family, health.
Unfortunately for me, as is often the case when we learn a valuable lesson, this was due to reaction, rather than reflection.
For family, it was due to an unforeseen delay that prevented my uncle and cousin from joining us. Unfortunately for me, that was the least... direct example of how we often forget our good fortune:
Nothing reminds you of how much you appreciate the ease of your neighborhood supermarket and the wonders of pest control like sitting in a duck blind waiting for a small, foul-tasting bird to happen by while swarmed by a cloud of mosquitoes so thick that the buzzing drowns out conversation.
And based on how well I shoot, how often we saw ducks, and the fact that our clothing did nothing to stop the mutant vampire insects that probed us repeatedly for fresh fluids - had I been a tribesman hunting for my food, my family would have starved shortly before I succumbed to malaria.
Thank the Lord for thick, juicy meat of the Turducken and your neighborhood Publix!
Unfortunately for me, as is often the case when we learn a valuable lesson, this was due to reaction, rather than reflection.
For family, it was due to an unforeseen delay that prevented my uncle and cousin from joining us. Unfortunately for me, that was the least... direct example of how we often forget our good fortune:
Nothing reminds you of how much you appreciate the ease of your neighborhood supermarket and the wonders of pest control like sitting in a duck blind waiting for a small, foul-tasting bird to happen by while swarmed by a cloud of mosquitoes so thick that the buzzing drowns out conversation.
And based on how well I shoot, how often we saw ducks, and the fact that our clothing did nothing to stop the mutant vampire insects that probed us repeatedly for fresh fluids - had I been a tribesman hunting for my food, my family would have starved shortly before I succumbed to malaria.
Thank the Lord for thick, juicy meat of the Turducken and your neighborhood Publix!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Speak softly (usually) and carry a big stick
Things just keep getting busier and busier, but it is just a lesson in the need to push oneself forward all the time. But boy, have I gotten a bludgeoning recently!
It seems like a lot of people I know are taking the title of this posting to heart, and giving quite a beating:
My novel pod wants better development, in fewer words, at the beginning of my novel - Bam! The hammer comes down in red all across the page.
I study Japanese with Janelle - she does great; I don't know all the vocab - Crack! A (loving) verbal lashing by said (obnoxious) sibling!
I need to make my stance wider and move FASTER! - Whack! A blow across my backside with the stick (and not metaphorical) from Sensei (granted, more of a goad than a painful blow).
Sigh, just one more sign that I need to be doing more! But it is a good thing - it just lets me show off my scars and tell war stories when I finally succeed.
Well, as long as I survive!
It seems like a lot of people I know are taking the title of this posting to heart, and giving quite a beating:
My novel pod wants better development, in fewer words, at the beginning of my novel - Bam! The hammer comes down in red all across the page.
I study Japanese with Janelle - she does great; I don't know all the vocab - Crack! A (loving) verbal lashing by said (obnoxious) sibling!
I need to make my stance wider and move FASTER! - Whack! A blow across my backside with the stick (and not metaphorical) from Sensei (granted, more of a goad than a painful blow).
Sigh, just one more sign that I need to be doing more! But it is a good thing - it just lets me show off my scars and tell war stories when I finally succeed.
Well, as long as I survive!
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Beat of Your Drum
The last week has been hectic. That's not to say it's a bad thing to be busy, but there is a lot of different things going on right now. Unfortunately, that means that posting sort of gets put on the back burner.
Of course, being able to balance everything and not taking on too much is important, too. So I'm going to keep posting, but I am going to try to make them more fluid - which is another way of saying stream of consciousness. I am just going to write and hope something moderately intelligent, or at least intelligible comes out.
Here's hoping.
But, assuming I can manage everything, it will hopefully also be a temporary shift. I like to consider topics and focus on one idea. It results, generally, in a much better post. I must admit, however, that just writing like I am now is somewhat freeing, and far less stressful. I've put more on the page in the last 5 minutes than I have in two weeks. And even if its repetitious, poorly written, and boring, I could at least make the argument that something is better than nothing. You may disagree.
Fortunately for me, however, since I most of my readership doesn't post comments anyway, I don't really have to worry about negative feedback. There are a few exceptions, of course (Mom), but honestly, the advantage of humming your own tune is twofold: Either you drown out everyone else, or you don't even realize they aren't listening. You've just got make sure you don't stop.
Hmmmm...Uh, hello?
Of course, being able to balance everything and not taking on too much is important, too. So I'm going to keep posting, but I am going to try to make them more fluid - which is another way of saying stream of consciousness. I am just going to write and hope something moderately intelligent, or at least intelligible comes out.
Here's hoping.
But, assuming I can manage everything, it will hopefully also be a temporary shift. I like to consider topics and focus on one idea. It results, generally, in a much better post. I must admit, however, that just writing like I am now is somewhat freeing, and far less stressful. I've put more on the page in the last 5 minutes than I have in two weeks. And even if its repetitious, poorly written, and boring, I could at least make the argument that something is better than nothing. You may disagree.
Fortunately for me, however, since I most of my readership doesn't post comments anyway, I don't really have to worry about negative feedback. There are a few exceptions, of course (Mom), but honestly, the advantage of humming your own tune is twofold: Either you drown out everyone else, or you don't even realize they aren't listening. You've just got make sure you don't stop.
Hmmmm...Uh, hello?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Tuxedo Effect
An amusing anecdote from yesterday, highlighting the many hilarious facets of the human mind (quotes may not be verbatim, but pretty darn close):
Last night I went to play poker with some friends. I've spoken about this before: it's a great group, and Brian and Jesse's home outside of Tampa is beautiful. Unfortunately, due to where its located, it can be a real bear getting out there during Friday's rush to get home. Last time took about an hour and forty minutes! To help skirt this, and save time, I met the other half of the group at Westshore mall to carpool and leave before the dreaded traffic struck. The problem is, of course, that I live in the opposite direction, so I didn't have time to stop at home to change - I was still in my formal work attire.
Now, as a brief precursor, several studies have come out recently regarding the placebo effect, and the power of the mind to influence situations. These studies got me thinking, and made me decide to try a little experiment. Knowing full well I wouldn't have time to change that evening, I packed a bag of clothes to change, and dressed up in some of my sharper clothes (black shirt, grey pants, silverish-grey tie - very snazzy). I might not be worth a million bucks, but I only had to convince people that I was.
I wandered around for a little while, and then stumbled upon the perfect store: Brookstone, home of the expensive gadget that is really cool but you certainly don't need.
Merely walking into the store confirmed my suspicions: Like a moths to a flame... locusts upon a field... they descended. Salesmen - hunger in their eye.
I actually walked in, unintentionally, at the same time as another group wearing faded t-shirts. I believe the salesman said something like this: "How are you folks do -- Sir, are you looking for something in particular?"
He had been carefully placing items on a low shelf, but some sixth sense must have alerted him to my prescence - in a moment, he had suddenly stood bolt upright, head just peering over the display - like some prairie dog out of his hole, sniffing the wind.
And when I made the mistake of turning away for but a moment to check some newfangled holographic clock/toaster gadget, he was upon me: "Perhaps you would like to try our new deluxe shoulder massager? It's like having your own personal massuese on hand 24/7."
I actually feel kind of bad, because I intentionally said, "Oh no, thank you, I'm just looking," and then made a bee-line directly to the biggest display in the store, to where the most outlandish armchair I had seen in a long time waited.
"That's the newest in our UltraRelaxtion line. It actually senses how you are sitting and analyzes your muscle tension to create a personalized massage experience."
"Really?" In my most delightfully surprised voice.
"Oh yes, and we're having a special promotional offer." He cooed.
Out of curiousity, I actually checked the price tag at this point: It was $150 dollars off... of a $2000+ armchair. Hooray for <5% off!
And then the salesman tossed me a softball I simply couldn't resist: "You know, I could tell you more, but it really is the type of thing you must experience."
"Oh, I don't know... I don't think I could - it seems like the type of thing where if I tried it, I simply couldn't say no." I definitely felt a twinge of guilt at that one, especially when he responded, right on cue.
"Well, now you simply must try it!" He was really excited at this point.
At that point, although I actually did want to try the chair, I simply couldn't string the guy along any further. Another gentlemen walked into the store, and so I politely excused myself as best I could. I know its the salesman's job to do it, and he has to deal with failure constantly, but it still bothered me to string the guy along when there was absolutely zero chance of me buying anything. I might as well let him work on another customer who actually might purchase something. Perhaps he was just good at seeming interested (and a good salesmen will), but I have never gotten that level of attention, and so quickly, before. He actually seemed disappointed when I left, like the big one that got away.
But it was an entertaining and enlightening experience. My goal was to really see how much of a difference The Tuxedo Effect would make... and what a difference. It is something we all realize, but it is shocking to experience at times. And honestly, it wasn't just in Brookstone where I suddenly recieved so much more attention. I guess I just looked like a man with money burning through his pockets.
Power suit, indeed.
Last night I went to play poker with some friends. I've spoken about this before: it's a great group, and Brian and Jesse's home outside of Tampa is beautiful. Unfortunately, due to where its located, it can be a real bear getting out there during Friday's rush to get home. Last time took about an hour and forty minutes! To help skirt this, and save time, I met the other half of the group at Westshore mall to carpool and leave before the dreaded traffic struck. The problem is, of course, that I live in the opposite direction, so I didn't have time to stop at home to change - I was still in my formal work attire.
Now, as a brief precursor, several studies have come out recently regarding the placebo effect, and the power of the mind to influence situations. These studies got me thinking, and made me decide to try a little experiment. Knowing full well I wouldn't have time to change that evening, I packed a bag of clothes to change, and dressed up in some of my sharper clothes (black shirt, grey pants, silverish-grey tie - very snazzy). I might not be worth a million bucks, but I only had to convince people that I was.
I wandered around for a little while, and then stumbled upon the perfect store: Brookstone, home of the expensive gadget that is really cool but you certainly don't need.
Merely walking into the store confirmed my suspicions: Like a moths to a flame... locusts upon a field... they descended. Salesmen - hunger in their eye.
I actually walked in, unintentionally, at the same time as another group wearing faded t-shirts. I believe the salesman said something like this: "How are you folks do -- Sir, are you looking for something in particular?"
He had been carefully placing items on a low shelf, but some sixth sense must have alerted him to my prescence - in a moment, he had suddenly stood bolt upright, head just peering over the display - like some prairie dog out of his hole, sniffing the wind.
And when I made the mistake of turning away for but a moment to check some newfangled holographic clock/toaster gadget, he was upon me: "Perhaps you would like to try our new deluxe shoulder massager? It's like having your own personal massuese on hand 24/7."
I actually feel kind of bad, because I intentionally said, "Oh no, thank you, I'm just looking," and then made a bee-line directly to the biggest display in the store, to where the most outlandish armchair I had seen in a long time waited.
"That's the newest in our UltraRelaxtion line. It actually senses how you are sitting and analyzes your muscle tension to create a personalized massage experience."
"Really?" In my most delightfully surprised voice.
"Oh yes, and we're having a special promotional offer." He cooed.
Out of curiousity, I actually checked the price tag at this point: It was $150 dollars off... of a $2000+ armchair. Hooray for <5% off!
And then the salesman tossed me a softball I simply couldn't resist: "You know, I could tell you more, but it really is the type of thing you must experience."
"Oh, I don't know... I don't think I could - it seems like the type of thing where if I tried it, I simply couldn't say no." I definitely felt a twinge of guilt at that one, especially when he responded, right on cue.
"Well, now you simply must try it!" He was really excited at this point.
At that point, although I actually did want to try the chair, I simply couldn't string the guy along any further. Another gentlemen walked into the store, and so I politely excused myself as best I could. I know its the salesman's job to do it, and he has to deal with failure constantly, but it still bothered me to string the guy along when there was absolutely zero chance of me buying anything. I might as well let him work on another customer who actually might purchase something. Perhaps he was just good at seeming interested (and a good salesmen will), but I have never gotten that level of attention, and so quickly, before. He actually seemed disappointed when I left, like the big one that got away.
But it was an entertaining and enlightening experience. My goal was to really see how much of a difference The Tuxedo Effect would make... and what a difference. It is something we all realize, but it is shocking to experience at times. And honestly, it wasn't just in Brookstone where I suddenly recieved so much more attention. I guess I just looked like a man with money burning through his pockets.
Power suit, indeed.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Exhaustive...
It's been a busy week for me, and I'm extremely exhausted. So tired, in fact, that I was about to post a whole other blog entry when I finally realized that it would be unwise to do so (I know you are intrigued... but you won't find the answers here).
Anyway, to make a long story short, here is a blog post about my other blog post, one that is mercifully short for both you and me. If you would like to know more about my exhaustive week (which honestly, why would you? Do YOU like to hear people complain?) I'm sure you can talk to me or someone I've whined to. And if you like to know what I was going to post, well, too bad.
And one final note, for those of you who have noticed grammatical errors, and etc. in my posts and/or commented on it(Not naming any names... NATE!): Indeed, I only perform a quick check over my blog posts for general issues. You will find, as in the case of my title (which should say 'exhausted'; 'exhaustive' could be interpreted in more than one way), that blogging is a release for the week, and an opportunity to simply streamline my writing, and not attack it head on. Editing my novel fills that void. For those of you who keep up with my blog - me sorry for bad grammer and speling, deal with it!
Anyway, to make a long story short, here is a blog post about my other blog post, one that is mercifully short for both you and me. If you would like to know more about my exhaustive week (which honestly, why would you? Do YOU like to hear people complain?) I'm sure you can talk to me or someone I've whined to. And if you like to know what I was going to post, well, too bad.
And one final note, for those of you who have noticed grammatical errors, and etc. in my posts and/or commented on it(Not naming any names... NATE!): Indeed, I only perform a quick check over my blog posts for general issues. You will find, as in the case of my title (which should say 'exhausted'; 'exhaustive' could be interpreted in more than one way), that blogging is a release for the week, and an opportunity to simply streamline my writing, and not attack it head on. Editing my novel fills that void. For those of you who keep up with my blog - me sorry for bad grammer and speling, deal with it!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Rambling Man...
It's been a couple of weeks since I officially posted on my blog. It has been a busy time, with lots of projects and work for my job, and keeping busy with all my other activities. This has made it difficult to take any time to think about my blog, and has made it more difficult to write; now that I've decided not to spend have a page rambling on about various, random topics I'm finding it difficult to write.
This is particularly ironic, because after staring at this post for 10 minutes, I decided to just start writing and see what happened. I've produced more by rambling on about not being able to ramble in 5 minutes than I have in the last two weeks. I guess I just find it easier to dive into my writing and experiment with my postings. Perhaps what I really need to be focusing on is my editing and learning how to chop things out.
And speaking of chopping, my Karate sensei is quite the rambler (ba da dum...ching). Don't get me wrong, he is a knowledgeable and dedicated master; but last Tuesday, our "couple minute" discussion about Master Yama (the founder of Kyokushin karate), ended up segwaying (45 minutes later) into a discussion about atomic bombs. I think I know how I hurt my back this week; sitting up straight for an hour is a killer. He then announced that he wanted to have similar discussions at least once a month.
But seriously, as my Dad often says, "Every experience is a learning opportunity": I just try to reflect on how these times are excellent for teaching me patience (which I have very little of). I find few things more trying than coming home from work and sitting up straight for an hour when I really just want to beat something with my fists.
Of course, I just hope that you don't want to do the same when reading my blog entries.
This is particularly ironic, because after staring at this post for 10 minutes, I decided to just start writing and see what happened. I've produced more by rambling on about not being able to ramble in 5 minutes than I have in the last two weeks. I guess I just find it easier to dive into my writing and experiment with my postings. Perhaps what I really need to be focusing on is my editing and learning how to chop things out.
And speaking of chopping, my Karate sensei is quite the rambler (ba da dum...ching). Don't get me wrong, he is a knowledgeable and dedicated master; but last Tuesday, our "couple minute" discussion about Master Yama (the founder of Kyokushin karate), ended up segwaying (45 minutes later) into a discussion about atomic bombs. I think I know how I hurt my back this week; sitting up straight for an hour is a killer. He then announced that he wanted to have similar discussions at least once a month.
But seriously, as my Dad often says, "Every experience is a learning opportunity": I just try to reflect on how these times are excellent for teaching me patience (which I have very little of). I find few things more trying than coming home from work and sitting up straight for an hour when I really just want to beat something with my fists.
Of course, I just hope that you don't want to do the same when reading my blog entries.
Monday, September 7, 2009
A boy and his blog
So this week's post has been extremely hard to write, which is ironic, because of how much more I've thought about this post than the last one.
I had an excellent discussion about the nature of my blog this past week, and came to some interesting conclusions:
First of all, the old adage holds true: If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
I wouldn't say that Mom hated the last post, but a general loathing wouldn't be far off. After talking with her about the last post, I agree with her assessment - the last post stunk.
Of course, unhappy moms have a truly incredible ability: To emotionally club you, all the while saying it in a very sweet and completely different way that makes you feel like that it is your fault. Being clubbed as I was, the conversation we had is somewhat hazy, but it went something like this:
Jon: "Did you read my blog post?"
Mom: "Yes." (terse tone; translation: The parts I could slog through.)
Jon: "Didn't you like it?"
Mom: "Well... It really wasn't my favorite." (guarded tone; translation: I hated it.)
Jon: "Oh..."
Mom: "You know I always love what you write... but..." (quick, upbeat response; translation: It was really, really bad)
Jon: "But...?"
Mom: "Well, it's just that I know you can do better." (soft, hurt tone; translation: You have shamed with me with your awful writing. How dare you subject your mother to such drivel! Don't you love me, after all the sacrifices I have made for you?)
Yeah, all of you know what I'm talking about. I suspect wives have this ability, as well, but I can only offer anecdotal evidence.
But seriously, she raised some good points - namely that the last post did not accomplish what is both my greatest strength and ultimately, the purpose of my blog: to be funny and to entertain my readers. It is not my intent to be long-winded, boring, or whiny - all of which could describe my last post.
That being said, sometimes making your unhappiness known can garner results - and of course, for those who read the last post, I'm referring to the fact that Stardock has kindly agreed to refund my money after I sent them a very nicely worded worded letter describing my complaint.
Hmmm... I think Mom might be onto something.
I had an excellent discussion about the nature of my blog this past week, and came to some interesting conclusions:
First of all, the old adage holds true: If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
I wouldn't say that Mom hated the last post, but a general loathing wouldn't be far off. After talking with her about the last post, I agree with her assessment - the last post stunk.
Of course, unhappy moms have a truly incredible ability: To emotionally club you, all the while saying it in a very sweet and completely different way that makes you feel like that it is your fault. Being clubbed as I was, the conversation we had is somewhat hazy, but it went something like this:
Jon: "Did you read my blog post?"
Mom: "Yes." (terse tone; translation: The parts I could slog through.)
Jon: "Didn't you like it?"
Mom: "Well... It really wasn't my favorite." (guarded tone; translation: I hated it.)
Jon: "Oh..."
Mom: "You know I always love what you write... but..." (quick, upbeat response; translation: It was really, really bad)
Jon: "But...?"
Mom: "Well, it's just that I know you can do better." (soft, hurt tone; translation: You have shamed with me with your awful writing. How dare you subject your mother to such drivel! Don't you love me, after all the sacrifices I have made for you?)
Yeah, all of you know what I'm talking about. I suspect wives have this ability, as well, but I can only offer anecdotal evidence.
But seriously, she raised some good points - namely that the last post did not accomplish what is both my greatest strength and ultimately, the purpose of my blog: to be funny and to entertain my readers. It is not my intent to be long-winded, boring, or whiny - all of which could describe my last post.
That being said, sometimes making your unhappiness known can garner results - and of course, for those who read the last post, I'm referring to the fact that Stardock has kindly agreed to refund my money after I sent them a very nicely worded worded letter describing my complaint.
Hmmm... I think Mom might be onto something.
Friday, September 4, 2009
A Shout Out to Stardock
So this week has been pretty miserable. It turns out that I managed to contract a bacterial respiratory infection during my recovery from my viral infection last week. Essentially, I managed to be as sick as I have ever been during the past 6-7 years of my life. Miserable.
To help pass the time, I purchased a video game that I've wanted to own for some time and have been playing the demo for a couple of weeks: DemiGod.
It's a fun game, but I did so knowing full well that in all likelihood the game would immediately go on sale after I purchased it.
I bought the game on Sunday.
Guess what? Yes! Lo and behold, today I received an e-mail from Stardock (the company that sells the game) advertising DemiGod (This weekend only!) for 50% off. Needless to say, despite being glad I had something to help pass the time this week, I was somewhat miffed.
So I fired off an e-mail this morning to Stardock explaining how I had just purchased the game and how I would like for me (and Peter, who I convinced to purchase it, as well) to receive the discount.
You might wonder why a company would do this, but I think it was actually rather reasonable request, considering the circumstances: I've owned the game for less than a week and because it seemed like a reasonable time to finally buy it. Beyond that, however, it is a good business decision.
Not only is Stardock known for trying to support gamer/consumer rights as a company, but I'm a darn good customer.
After purchasing their original game, Sins of a Solar Empire (an excellent strategy game, by the way), not only have I purchased the expansion for Sins, bought Demigod, and used their on-line purchasing service to buy another game (Dawn of War: Dark Crusade), but I've convinced no less than 5 people to buy Sins and its expansion, one person to buy Sins, and had a hand in two other Demigod purchases. All in all, if Stardock were to refund the 50% off ($20 apiece to both me and Peter), it would represent less than 8% of the total revenue I have generated for them so far (approximately one year). And since I am now writing about it on my blog and exposing more and more people to their company, it could be an exponentially bigger amount.
Essentially, I represent the type of core consumer that is known for making or breaking companies - those consumers that use word of mouth to entice, or discourage, others from using a product.
I'm not going to lie, Stardock's software is not always flawless or bug free, and their purchasing service sometimes has real issues. But in general, their software (espcially their games) are well-crafted and extremely worthwhile, and if they are willing to put their money where their mouth is, to put customer loyalty and satisfaction first, that says a great deal about them as a company. It also tends to keep people like me with them and recommending their products to my friends and family.
This is especially important now, for a smaller company like Stardock, which is trying to make a successful launch of its on-line purchasing engine, Impulse, and trying to grab market share from the current industry leader (and honestly, less buggy) Steam (from Valve Software, an excellent company). In this day and age of total automation (which is definitely good), it is nice to know that there is still someone on the other end sometimes making sure things don't go totally wrong, and willing to work out the problems that do arise. That means a lot to consumers, even ones who love the ability to have video game purchasing boiled down to a few button clicks (you don't even have to wait for it to come in the mail - you get it NOW).
So far, all I know is that they have recieved my e-mail and are reviewing it and that it usually takes two business days to respond to e-mail requests (via automated e-mail responder; it did provide a ticket number to track the issue should I not hear from them).
I'll keep you posted as I learn more, but either way, this will be a valuable lesson about the free market. Either I will be happy, and I can guarantee Stardock will be happy... or I will be disappointed, and Stardock - well, they won't be happy.
The customer is always right - and people like me guarantee it.
To help pass the time, I purchased a video game that I've wanted to own for some time and have been playing the demo for a couple of weeks: DemiGod.
It's a fun game, but I did so knowing full well that in all likelihood the game would immediately go on sale after I purchased it.
I bought the game on Sunday.
Guess what? Yes! Lo and behold, today I received an e-mail from Stardock (the company that sells the game) advertising DemiGod (This weekend only!) for 50% off. Needless to say, despite being glad I had something to help pass the time this week, I was somewhat miffed.
So I fired off an e-mail this morning to Stardock explaining how I had just purchased the game and how I would like for me (and Peter, who I convinced to purchase it, as well) to receive the discount.
You might wonder why a company would do this, but I think it was actually rather reasonable request, considering the circumstances: I've owned the game for less than a week and because it seemed like a reasonable time to finally buy it. Beyond that, however, it is a good business decision.
Not only is Stardock known for trying to support gamer/consumer rights as a company, but I'm a darn good customer.
After purchasing their original game, Sins of a Solar Empire (an excellent strategy game, by the way), not only have I purchased the expansion for Sins, bought Demigod, and used their on-line purchasing service to buy another game (Dawn of War: Dark Crusade), but I've convinced no less than 5 people to buy Sins and its expansion, one person to buy Sins, and had a hand in two other Demigod purchases. All in all, if Stardock were to refund the 50% off ($20 apiece to both me and Peter), it would represent less than 8% of the total revenue I have generated for them so far (approximately one year). And since I am now writing about it on my blog and exposing more and more people to their company, it could be an exponentially bigger amount.
Essentially, I represent the type of core consumer that is known for making or breaking companies - those consumers that use word of mouth to entice, or discourage, others from using a product.
I'm not going to lie, Stardock's software is not always flawless or bug free, and their purchasing service sometimes has real issues. But in general, their software (espcially their games) are well-crafted and extremely worthwhile, and if they are willing to put their money where their mouth is, to put customer loyalty and satisfaction first, that says a great deal about them as a company. It also tends to keep people like me with them and recommending their products to my friends and family.
This is especially important now, for a smaller company like Stardock, which is trying to make a successful launch of its on-line purchasing engine, Impulse, and trying to grab market share from the current industry leader (and honestly, less buggy) Steam (from Valve Software, an excellent company). In this day and age of total automation (which is definitely good), it is nice to know that there is still someone on the other end sometimes making sure things don't go totally wrong, and willing to work out the problems that do arise. That means a lot to consumers, even ones who love the ability to have video game purchasing boiled down to a few button clicks (you don't even have to wait for it to come in the mail - you get it NOW).
So far, all I know is that they have recieved my e-mail and are reviewing it and that it usually takes two business days to respond to e-mail requests (via automated e-mail responder; it did provide a ticket number to track the issue should I not hear from them).
I'll keep you posted as I learn more, but either way, this will be a valuable lesson about the free market. Either I will be happy, and I can guarantee Stardock will be happy... or I will be disappointed, and Stardock - well, they won't be happy.
The customer is always right - and people like me guarantee it.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Too many tales to tell
So I hit a bit of an impasse today, and an ironic one at that. Despite proclaiming in my very first post just a couple of months ago that I might have to struggle for ideas, I've got way too many tales to tell this week. It's been hectic, made even more so by me being sick since Monday night (which has really put a damper on my productivity, let me tell you).
This might seem counter-intuitive, but seeing as the illness itself could be a topic of discussion, let alone my attempts to write and accomplish work while ill, my week has been full of blog worthy topics. So instead (and because I really don't feel like spending a huge amount of time writing this week because of said illness), I am using that idea as the topic of discussion.
This is a common problem I face in writing: Keeping on track and fully exploring one topic of discussion. It's not necessarily a bad problem to have, but when a writer attempts to explore every possible aspect of a story, every potential plot line, it tends to end up something akin both metaphorically and physically like a grocery list.
For example, the potential list of topics I could discuss this week are: my illness, my sister's first week of college, various news stories (from the recovery of the girl missing from 1991 to elections in Afghanistan, video games (including Demi-God and Dawn of War II, and which I played because I was sick), and on and on and on. There are many more, but as you can see, while there may be potential in each of these topics, right now they are nothing more than potentially juicy morsels, unable to satisfy the appetite of a hungry reader.
So what is the point that I'm trying to get across? Well, always take the time to fully explain and explore a topic, otherwise a writer can miss great opportunities and leave the reader unsatisfied. It is better to explain one topic well and fully, than to just touch a number of them. This is true for anything from a lecture or speech to a blog post.
The second point I would like to get across is that one should never write a blog post while sick. It tends to make you want to end your postings suddenly and unexpectedly.
Of course, as I said before, sometimes it is a good idea to leave your readers wanting more.
This might seem counter-intuitive, but seeing as the illness itself could be a topic of discussion, let alone my attempts to write and accomplish work while ill, my week has been full of blog worthy topics. So instead (and because I really don't feel like spending a huge amount of time writing this week because of said illness), I am using that idea as the topic of discussion.
This is a common problem I face in writing: Keeping on track and fully exploring one topic of discussion. It's not necessarily a bad problem to have, but when a writer attempts to explore every possible aspect of a story, every potential plot line, it tends to end up something akin both metaphorically and physically like a grocery list.
For example, the potential list of topics I could discuss this week are: my illness, my sister's first week of college, various news stories (from the recovery of the girl missing from 1991 to elections in Afghanistan, video games (including Demi-God and Dawn of War II, and which I played because I was sick), and on and on and on. There are many more, but as you can see, while there may be potential in each of these topics, right now they are nothing more than potentially juicy morsels, unable to satisfy the appetite of a hungry reader.
So what is the point that I'm trying to get across? Well, always take the time to fully explain and explore a topic, otherwise a writer can miss great opportunities and leave the reader unsatisfied. It is better to explain one topic well and fully, than to just touch a number of them. This is true for anything from a lecture or speech to a blog post.
The second point I would like to get across is that one should never write a blog post while sick. It tends to make you want to end your postings suddenly and unexpectedly.
Of course, as I said before, sometimes it is a good idea to leave your readers wanting more.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
TV and Video Games: How to Rot your Brains
The last couple months, while editing my novel, I haven't been entirely sure if my writing has been improving or not. I've thought so, but it is impossible to tell without some sort of outside verification. I gotten positive feedback from my parents as they have re-read the edited sections, but that doesn't necessarily imply that I am improving, merely that Erin (my editor) is good at communicating areas that need greater detail.
Unfortunately, there aren't many tests that allow me to demonstrate my writing prowess, other than a new work. And it would still be difficult to tell: differences in plot, length, pacing, etc. could all impact the quality of the work. Outside of a direct sequel, there aren't many ways to tell.
But I may have found a litmus test of sorts: television. I don't really watch much television at all, but the other night I was flipping through the channels during a commercial break in the X-games. I stumbled upon a show that I actually enjoy, Star Trek: Enterprise. What hit me next was something very odd... I realized that although I liked the overall premise of the show, there was something lacking in the episode I was watching. The characters were obviously in a supposedly tense situation while infiltrating something or some such, and therein lay the problem. There was nothing definitive about the planet the heroes were on; nothing struck me as extraordinary about their situation, or spoke volumes about the Enterprise world. I might have only picked up on it because I had basically jumped into the show right smack in the middle. With nothing to shape the environment or story premise, I found my brief snapshot of their world lacking and somewhat uninteresting.
That was the moment I realized I might be improving as writer.
I've realized that when writing a story, if you were to take a snapshot of any given moment in the plot, there must be something that stands out, something that draws the reader in. I am not sure if this is truly always possible, but I understood that in a sci-fi show like Enterprise, there should have been something in that scene alone that marked it as unique to that world. There is a balance that must be maintained, of course, but in a genre such as science fiction, it is an almost unforgivable sin to have a scene which correlates so exactly to another generic situation. Four heroes, holding guns, hiding behind a rock could be a scene out of a thousand movies or tens of thousands of books.
And it made me cringe at scenes I had constructed similarly in my own work.
On the flip side, I have also recently witnessed how smallest details can make a situation all the more inspiring and epic. Take for instance, the humorous tactics and strategy game Plants vs Zombies I recently downloaded onto my computer. The premise of the game is simple - and silly enough: protect yourself from brain-eating zombies by planting a garden of dangerous, semi-sentient plants across your lawn. It's a well-crafted game, with an easy game mechanic and a rather deep strategy and tactics component: each plant has distinct advantages and disadvantages against the many varieties of zombie you encounter, all of whom are seeking your succulent brains.
But besides the humorous premise, the finale of the game is actually quite exciting: the ultimate battle with Dr. Edgar von Zomboss and his giant Zom-bot.
OK, OK, so maybe it doesn't sounds more silly than epic, but it really is the little details: From the faster beat to the music, to the slightly decreased size of battlefield, to the change in tactics from surviving waves of enemy zombies to actually needing to damage Dr. Zomboss - all contribute to the excitement of the final battle. But beyond that, details that flesh out the world add to the finale as well. The grammatically correct note of warning from Dr. Zomboss just before the final battle (as opposed to the more common: Deer naybor, plez lets us eats your brainz). The loss of your most trusted ally, Crazy Dave, just before the battle. The nighttime onslaught, so your plants don't recieve additional sunlight to beef them up. It is these details that are unique to world and add depth to it.
It is these details that suck a player, a watcher, a reader into the world. For a brief moment in time, my lawn really is all that stands between the world and oblivion, and Dave - Crazy Dave is counting on me.
So ready the Cob Cannons, reinforce the Wall-Nuts, and wake up the Magnet Shrooms, the final battle has come!
Of course, maybe all that TV and those video games just rotted my brains, instead...
Mmmmm...brainz...
Unfortunately, there aren't many tests that allow me to demonstrate my writing prowess, other than a new work. And it would still be difficult to tell: differences in plot, length, pacing, etc. could all impact the quality of the work. Outside of a direct sequel, there aren't many ways to tell.
But I may have found a litmus test of sorts: television. I don't really watch much television at all, but the other night I was flipping through the channels during a commercial break in the X-games. I stumbled upon a show that I actually enjoy, Star Trek: Enterprise. What hit me next was something very odd... I realized that although I liked the overall premise of the show, there was something lacking in the episode I was watching. The characters were obviously in a supposedly tense situation while infiltrating something or some such, and therein lay the problem. There was nothing definitive about the planet the heroes were on; nothing struck me as extraordinary about their situation, or spoke volumes about the Enterprise world. I might have only picked up on it because I had basically jumped into the show right smack in the middle. With nothing to shape the environment or story premise, I found my brief snapshot of their world lacking and somewhat uninteresting.
That was the moment I realized I might be improving as writer.
I've realized that when writing a story, if you were to take a snapshot of any given moment in the plot, there must be something that stands out, something that draws the reader in. I am not sure if this is truly always possible, but I understood that in a sci-fi show like Enterprise, there should have been something in that scene alone that marked it as unique to that world. There is a balance that must be maintained, of course, but in a genre such as science fiction, it is an almost unforgivable sin to have a scene which correlates so exactly to another generic situation. Four heroes, holding guns, hiding behind a rock could be a scene out of a thousand movies or tens of thousands of books.
And it made me cringe at scenes I had constructed similarly in my own work.
On the flip side, I have also recently witnessed how smallest details can make a situation all the more inspiring and epic. Take for instance, the humorous tactics and strategy game Plants vs Zombies I recently downloaded onto my computer. The premise of the game is simple - and silly enough: protect yourself from brain-eating zombies by planting a garden of dangerous, semi-sentient plants across your lawn. It's a well-crafted game, with an easy game mechanic and a rather deep strategy and tactics component: each plant has distinct advantages and disadvantages against the many varieties of zombie you encounter, all of whom are seeking your succulent brains.
But besides the humorous premise, the finale of the game is actually quite exciting: the ultimate battle with Dr. Edgar von Zomboss and his giant Zom-bot.
OK, OK, so maybe it doesn't sounds more silly than epic, but it really is the little details: From the faster beat to the music, to the slightly decreased size of battlefield, to the change in tactics from surviving waves of enemy zombies to actually needing to damage Dr. Zomboss - all contribute to the excitement of the final battle. But beyond that, details that flesh out the world add to the finale as well. The grammatically correct note of warning from Dr. Zomboss just before the final battle (as opposed to the more common: Deer naybor, plez lets us eats your brainz). The loss of your most trusted ally, Crazy Dave, just before the battle. The nighttime onslaught, so your plants don't recieve additional sunlight to beef them up. It is these details that are unique to world and add depth to it.
It is these details that suck a player, a watcher, a reader into the world. For a brief moment in time, my lawn really is all that stands between the world and oblivion, and Dave - Crazy Dave is counting on me.
So ready the Cob Cannons, reinforce the Wall-Nuts, and wake up the Magnet Shrooms, the final battle has come!
Of course, maybe all that TV and those video games just rotted my brains, instead...
Mmmmm...brainz...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Language Barrier - A Metaphysical Discussion
I had an interesting revelation this week: Human language is both liberating and confining to human ideas. This may seem highly esoteric and metaphysical, but as always, I'll ask you to bear with me.
This revelation was actually something that occurred to me while trying to write in some edits for my novel after I had been listening to a Japanese language CD.
So first of all, what do I mean when I say that language is both liberating and confining? Well, obviously language is what allows humans to communicate with one another. But how does it allow humans to communicate? By simplifying ideas into more manageable pieces that another person can understand. For example, examine the difference between these two sentences:
A person went to the market.
I went to the market.
The word "I" communicates that well, I, went to the market, and not any one of 6 billion others on the planet. Language is functional because it constrains ideas. It limits the way that we can communicate a thought so that the thoughts meaning (what we wish to convey to others), is not open to interpretation.
If it were, we would be unable to communicate ideas effectively, and human progress would stop. For fun, see if you can figure out what I am trying to communicate here (don't get overwhelmed, they're easy):
Me...Me, Twins
Eye, Anti-Diamond
Simple Apple Circle
Actually, it would be fun to see what people think in comments. It might give a clue to how differently people think. Come up with your answers and then leave a comment with your solutions. I'll put my answers as a comment.
So, are you finished looking at those? What is the point I am making? Well, here is the interesting thing: As a writer, I am often trying to do just the opposite. I want certain things open to interpretation. Characters and places feel more alive when the reader can inject their own thoughts into it, because our own perspective is the most real. Language allows us to understand others perspectives to a degree, but never to the same amount as our own constant internal dialogue (and let me tell you, after the conversations I've had with that Jon guy... man, he's nuts). This struggle to convey ideas while leaving them open to interpretation or escape the boundaries of language is the same problem that inventors, thinkers, and thousands of others face as well, especially when trying to convey a new and original idea. It is a fascinating balancing act.
But let's add a new dimension to this discussion, how does each language impact the thoughts and culture of the country or people it is used by? Each language communicates thoughts and ideas differently, changing the way both that those ideas are expressed, and how people think about them. French, Spanish, German, they all have masculine and feminine forms and words, conveying certain traits and ideas automatically. Take the word chair. In English, it has no masculine or feminine modifier. Do you consider the object differently if is la chaise (as in French feminine)? I think it is impossible not to. Why are certain words modified in a certain way?
And others languages are entirely different. Take Japanese, which relies on the simplest of syllables and sometimes using words in the same way I expressed them in the game above. An entirely different method of thinking is required to grasp and communicate in another language. And here is the most important part, at least for me - writers can often greatly improve their own writing by forcing another perspective upon themselves, either by having someone edit, or attempting to adopt that perspective themselves. How much can I improve my own writing by learning another language? We will just have to find out.
This revelation was actually something that occurred to me while trying to write in some edits for my novel after I had been listening to a Japanese language CD.
So first of all, what do I mean when I say that language is both liberating and confining? Well, obviously language is what allows humans to communicate with one another. But how does it allow humans to communicate? By simplifying ideas into more manageable pieces that another person can understand. For example, examine the difference between these two sentences:
A person went to the market.
I went to the market.
The word "I" communicates that well, I, went to the market, and not any one of 6 billion others on the planet. Language is functional because it constrains ideas. It limits the way that we can communicate a thought so that the thoughts meaning (what we wish to convey to others), is not open to interpretation.
If it were, we would be unable to communicate ideas effectively, and human progress would stop. For fun, see if you can figure out what I am trying to communicate here (don't get overwhelmed, they're easy):
Me...Me, Twins
Eye, Anti-Diamond
Simple Apple Circle
Actually, it would be fun to see what people think in comments. It might give a clue to how differently people think. Come up with your answers and then leave a comment with your solutions. I'll put my answers as a comment.
So, are you finished looking at those? What is the point I am making? Well, here is the interesting thing: As a writer, I am often trying to do just the opposite. I want certain things open to interpretation. Characters and places feel more alive when the reader can inject their own thoughts into it, because our own perspective is the most real. Language allows us to understand others perspectives to a degree, but never to the same amount as our own constant internal dialogue (and let me tell you, after the conversations I've had with that Jon guy... man, he's nuts). This struggle to convey ideas while leaving them open to interpretation or escape the boundaries of language is the same problem that inventors, thinkers, and thousands of others face as well, especially when trying to convey a new and original idea. It is a fascinating balancing act.
But let's add a new dimension to this discussion, how does each language impact the thoughts and culture of the country or people it is used by? Each language communicates thoughts and ideas differently, changing the way both that those ideas are expressed, and how people think about them. French, Spanish, German, they all have masculine and feminine forms and words, conveying certain traits and ideas automatically. Take the word chair. In English, it has no masculine or feminine modifier. Do you consider the object differently if is la chaise (as in French feminine)? I think it is impossible not to. Why are certain words modified in a certain way?
And others languages are entirely different. Take Japanese, which relies on the simplest of syllables and sometimes using words in the same way I expressed them in the game above. An entirely different method of thinking is required to grasp and communicate in another language. And here is the most important part, at least for me - writers can often greatly improve their own writing by forcing another perspective upon themselves, either by having someone edit, or attempting to adopt that perspective themselves. How much can I improve my own writing by learning another language? We will just have to find out.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Ready. Set. Cook!
In my post last week, "Good game, Bad game", I talked about how I had been learning a great deal about conveying the proper level of detail for a good story. Honestly, it's a fine line. Too simplistic and the world can't coalesce for the reader. Too much detail and the story bogs down - excruciating detail leads to excruciating sequences.
This exact level is important in character development - characters are expressed through both their descriptions and emotions, as well as their interactions with other characters and the world. A character's clothes may need to have tiny details explained to complete the picture, but put those details in while that character is interacting with another and the conversation becomes stilted and unnatural.
But this week I've discovered something even more difficult: Action sequences. Although I've written plenty of action sequences before, I never realized their difficultly quite as much as I did this past week, when I reached the first particularly complex action sequence of my novel, and realized how much tweaking it needed.
Action sequences are unique not only in that the precise balance between detail and flow is so exact to create an enjoyable experience, but also in that you only get one shot. Whereas characters can grow and change, and a few off-kilter sequences still allow the reader to form a coherent picture, action sequences are a one-shot deal. You convey the action appropriately and you move on. If your character jumps across the chasm to fight the monster on the other side, your reader better darn well realize it, otherwise they are going to be very, very confused in a very short time.
All the momentum you have garnered up to that point in the story can come to a sudden, screeching halt. And once momentum is lost, it can take a long, long time to get back, assuming your reader wants to stick with you that long.
Case in point - in this blog post I wanted to talk about a new recipe I made up the other night: Goat Cheese, Spinach, Sausage, and Mushroom Stuffed Shells with a homemade Alfredo Sauce.
But how do I do that? Writing the recipe down isn't all that exciting, even if you do like to cook. Sometimes the greatest challenging is, ahem, "spicing up" the most mundane of sequences with enough detail and action to make each sequence interesting enough to hold the reader's interest.
I could write about the step-by-step process of the recipe, or simply say I cooked it. But both would be very passive and uninteresting. One is overloaded with detail; the other lacking.
Instead, I engaged in a dazzling display of culinary prowess. One hot summer afternoon, with my stomach growling incessantly for a meal, I was suddenly struck by inspiration. By combining the soft creaminess of goat cheese, the aromatic spices of hot sausage, the freshness of new spinach, and the mellow flavor of portobello mushrooms, I could create a delicious new pasta dish. And when topped with a homemade alfredo sauce to accent its creamy flavor, it would be truly fantastic.
Idea in hand, the kitchen became a flurry of activity, soon filling with the aroma of frying sausage and sauteed vegetables. Juggling pots and pans, mixing bowls and utensils, and chopping ingredients, soon I had labored to produce my goal: One pan with a delicious, smooth filling of goat cheese, sausage, spinach, and mushrooms, and another, simmering a mouth-watering combination of heavy cream, butter, and cheese. After but a few moments of adding spinach and mushrooms to the alfredo sauce, and rolling a lump of goat cheese into each shell, I had created a dish fit for kings!
It was ready for the final step: to be baked, each shell carefully topped with alfredo and a fine layer of grated cheese. A few, but interminable minutes later, I pulled my bubbling concoction from the oven, the intense heat the only thing keeping me from eating it straight from the pan.
And after stuffing myself with far more than I should have, I realized that the most difficult task of all still awaited me! No, not writing about it on my blog, as you may believe! It was doing the dishes - but no one wants to read about that!
This exact level is important in character development - characters are expressed through both their descriptions and emotions, as well as their interactions with other characters and the world. A character's clothes may need to have tiny details explained to complete the picture, but put those details in while that character is interacting with another and the conversation becomes stilted and unnatural.
But this week I've discovered something even more difficult: Action sequences. Although I've written plenty of action sequences before, I never realized their difficultly quite as much as I did this past week, when I reached the first particularly complex action sequence of my novel, and realized how much tweaking it needed.
Action sequences are unique not only in that the precise balance between detail and flow is so exact to create an enjoyable experience, but also in that you only get one shot. Whereas characters can grow and change, and a few off-kilter sequences still allow the reader to form a coherent picture, action sequences are a one-shot deal. You convey the action appropriately and you move on. If your character jumps across the chasm to fight the monster on the other side, your reader better darn well realize it, otherwise they are going to be very, very confused in a very short time.
All the momentum you have garnered up to that point in the story can come to a sudden, screeching halt. And once momentum is lost, it can take a long, long time to get back, assuming your reader wants to stick with you that long.
Case in point - in this blog post I wanted to talk about a new recipe I made up the other night: Goat Cheese, Spinach, Sausage, and Mushroom Stuffed Shells with a homemade Alfredo Sauce.
But how do I do that? Writing the recipe down isn't all that exciting, even if you do like to cook. Sometimes the greatest challenging is, ahem, "spicing up" the most mundane of sequences with enough detail and action to make each sequence interesting enough to hold the reader's interest.
I could write about the step-by-step process of the recipe, or simply say I cooked it. But both would be very passive and uninteresting. One is overloaded with detail; the other lacking.
Instead, I engaged in a dazzling display of culinary prowess. One hot summer afternoon, with my stomach growling incessantly for a meal, I was suddenly struck by inspiration. By combining the soft creaminess of goat cheese, the aromatic spices of hot sausage, the freshness of new spinach, and the mellow flavor of portobello mushrooms, I could create a delicious new pasta dish. And when topped with a homemade alfredo sauce to accent its creamy flavor, it would be truly fantastic.
Idea in hand, the kitchen became a flurry of activity, soon filling with the aroma of frying sausage and sauteed vegetables. Juggling pots and pans, mixing bowls and utensils, and chopping ingredients, soon I had labored to produce my goal: One pan with a delicious, smooth filling of goat cheese, sausage, spinach, and mushrooms, and another, simmering a mouth-watering combination of heavy cream, butter, and cheese. After but a few moments of adding spinach and mushrooms to the alfredo sauce, and rolling a lump of goat cheese into each shell, I had created a dish fit for kings!
It was ready for the final step: to be baked, each shell carefully topped with alfredo and a fine layer of grated cheese. A few, but interminable minutes later, I pulled my bubbling concoction from the oven, the intense heat the only thing keeping me from eating it straight from the pan.
And after stuffing myself with far more than I should have, I realized that the most difficult task of all still awaited me! No, not writing about it on my blog, as you may believe! It was doing the dishes - but no one wants to read about that!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
A Old Perspective from a New Source
Don't miss my post that I put up last night, but here is an fascinating Op Ed by Fouad Ajami concerning the state of the Arabic World. It reminds me in some ways of what I understand the Soviet Union was like near the end, except with leaders who use a religious hard-line to maintain order, instead of a loyalty to the state. It will be interesting to see which one of the two can last longer, although historically, religion has always survived longer than any state.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Taxing ourselves into prosperity,,, and better health.
Here it is: the culmination of the administration's economic policies. Heck, even this heavily biased NYTimes op-ed ends with:
“There is no way we can pay for health care and the rest of the Obama agenda, plus get our long-term deficits under control, simply by raising taxes on the wealthy,” said Isabel V. Sawhill, a former Clinton administration budget official. “The middle class is going to have to contribute as well.”
If that wasn't enough, this article appeared on the healthcare reform initiative going through Congress. Nothing like burning the candle at both ends... and when that fails to illuminate the situation, you can always curse about how we got here. Even if it seems pathetic and unhelpful, at least you feel better. And isn't that what's important?
Perhaps that is overly sarcastic.
I do find it important to consider all of these issues, and I am most likely preaching to the choir, if I know anything about my readership. I just always find it unfortunate that there exists a serious disconnect between how people expect themselves to react and how others react. For examples, see socialism and game theory. Of course, ignoring how people feel can end badly, too.
And I'm obviously not that pessimistic, as I bought some stocks tonight. But maybe I'm just making some poor assumptions.
“There is no way we can pay for health care and the rest of the Obama agenda, plus get our long-term deficits under control, simply by raising taxes on the wealthy,” said Isabel V. Sawhill, a former Clinton administration budget official. “The middle class is going to have to contribute as well.”
If that wasn't enough, this article appeared on the healthcare reform initiative going through Congress. Nothing like burning the candle at both ends... and when that fails to illuminate the situation, you can always curse about how we got here. Even if it seems pathetic and unhelpful, at least you feel better. And isn't that what's important?
Perhaps that is overly sarcastic.
I do find it important to consider all of these issues, and I am most likely preaching to the choir, if I know anything about my readership. I just always find it unfortunate that there exists a serious disconnect between how people expect themselves to react and how others react. For examples, see socialism and game theory. Of course, ignoring how people feel can end badly, too.
And I'm obviously not that pessimistic, as I bought some stocks tonight. But maybe I'm just making some poor assumptions.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Good Game, Bad Game...
This weekend has been pretty busy so far, and it is going to keep that way. Normally, I would try to be a little more productive over the weekend, but this weekend is filled to the brim with activities.
To wit, I hosted a poker party for some friends last night. It was a small crowd - 6 of us - really just the perfect size for a poker game. I grabbed some great BBQ from a local dive that just opened last week (and which I discovered completely by accident), and we enjoyed a very relaxed couple of games while chowing down.
We played Texas Hold 'Em and a variant called Blind Man's Bluff, which I personally find very entertaining. For those who know how to play Texas Hold 'Em, Blind Man's Bluff is played exactly the same way, with one distinct difference: each player holds his (or her) hand on his forehead, and never actually sees his cards. It's a great variant for mixing up the game a bit and is a ton of fun.
Of course, it also helps that won our Blind Man's Bluff game, so that might skew my opinion of it a bit.
But not all the games I've played this weekend have been so satisfying: I finished a video game I've been working on for the last couple weeks called Prince of Persia.
Now, some of you might not care so much about video games, but bear with me, as the game has shown me some good insight into my own writing:
The series itself is well known as being of high quality, and the production values on this game are no less superb. It features a beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous graphics that look like a mix of high quality sketches and watercolor paintings. The two main characters, "The Prince" (you) and Elika, are likable, well-defined, and have plenty of clever dialogue, as well as a good chemistry.
So what exactly, is lacking in the game? What lessons might one take from it, especially an aspiring writer? Well, for starters, when I play a game, I usually look for two main components: a) a good challenge, and b) an engrossing world/story. Unfortunately, the game's goal is the agent of its own destruction: This new version of Prince of Persia is designed with the Nintendo Wii generation in mind. That is, to be simple and easy enough to be accessible to all.
And this is where I saw a parallel to my own writing and something I think has been the biggest improvement in the edits that I have been working on - in order to keep things simple and moving along quickly, the rest of the world never gets the same treatment that "The Prince" and Elika do. Never the same development. You understand their quest, but you aren't attached to it. Nothing special distinguishes each location other than a variant color palette (each place is actually different looking, but for all intents and purposes, plays exactly the same). And although I am always a fan of simple, intuitive controls, the simplicity of it and absolute zero death penalty makes it so you never feel like you are really challenging yourself or developing your skill. Although "The Prince" is extremely acrobatic and does plenty of fantastic moves, you never feel like you are the one performing them, or that you somehow, by improving your play, can do something someone else cannot. This was a striking parallel to some of the weakest parts of my book: an amorphous, almost intangible place that poses some amorphous, intangible risk. To keep things moving, I kept things too vague and simple. You want to care, but because the world hasn't been better defined, you cannot. It really was a fascinating look into the downfall of trying to keep everything overly simple.
But I stuck with the game, as I really liked the characters, and there is some element of fun (it is a game), despite the challenge truly being almost zero. When I say zero death penalty, I mean "ZERO DEATH PENALTY". If you jump off a cliff to your doom, Elika's magic immediately rescues you and teleports you back to her. If an enemy is about to kill you, Elika's magic knocks the enemy back and prevents your untimely death. No matter what situation arises, Elika has a solution, and her magic, NEVER, EVER runs out. I literally searched the game for a way to kill my characters just so that I could feel like there was some element of challenge and that The Prince has more to offer than just witty banter. Alas, my efforts were to no avail.
And then, the game commited the most grevious of sins - after all the effort (time, really - you can't die, but you still have to run everywhere), it gave me a BAD ENDING! And when I say bad, I don't mean bad as in poorly written (it is actually a unique ending for a game, and raises an interesting moral question). I mean bad, as in the bad guy wins and does it by having The Prince help him. You don't even get a choice - no, after fighting to keep the evil god Airhiman imprisoned all game, The Prince undos all your work in about two minutes to save Elika, thus allowing the Airhiman to escape and win. Very unsatisfying.
But then it got worse. I made the mistake of thinking that, like most other games (including prior Prince of Persia games), I failed to collect all the stupid "Light Seeds" that appear in the levels, and thus didn't have enough power to save Elika. Surely, if I were to devote the time to collect every single one, I would have the power to change my fate!
No, collect all ONE THOUSAND flippin' Light Seeds and you still FAIL. Curse you, Ubisoft - Curse you for all time!
So, what did I get for my efforts, you ask? The ability to play through the game again in a different outfit!
And also I arrived at the realization that one should never, ever, have your main character sacrifice everything to save the love interest when said love interest would hate his guts for doing it and by making said sacrifice undo everything else that was achieved in the game.
OK, so I already knew that and it isn't really applicable to my writing, but still! And again I curse the name Ubisoft, once respected developer of Prince of Persia.
So now you know - it's not all fun and games this weekend. Video games are hard work!
To wit, I hosted a poker party for some friends last night. It was a small crowd - 6 of us - really just the perfect size for a poker game. I grabbed some great BBQ from a local dive that just opened last week (and which I discovered completely by accident), and we enjoyed a very relaxed couple of games while chowing down.
We played Texas Hold 'Em and a variant called Blind Man's Bluff, which I personally find very entertaining. For those who know how to play Texas Hold 'Em, Blind Man's Bluff is played exactly the same way, with one distinct difference: each player holds his (or her) hand on his forehead, and never actually sees his cards. It's a great variant for mixing up the game a bit and is a ton of fun.
Of course, it also helps that won our Blind Man's Bluff game, so that might skew my opinion of it a bit.
But not all the games I've played this weekend have been so satisfying: I finished a video game I've been working on for the last couple weeks called Prince of Persia.
Now, some of you might not care so much about video games, but bear with me, as the game has shown me some good insight into my own writing:
The series itself is well known as being of high quality, and the production values on this game are no less superb. It features a beautiful soundtrack and gorgeous graphics that look like a mix of high quality sketches and watercolor paintings. The two main characters, "The Prince" (you) and Elika, are likable, well-defined, and have plenty of clever dialogue, as well as a good chemistry.
So what exactly, is lacking in the game? What lessons might one take from it, especially an aspiring writer? Well, for starters, when I play a game, I usually look for two main components: a) a good challenge, and b) an engrossing world/story. Unfortunately, the game's goal is the agent of its own destruction: This new version of Prince of Persia is designed with the Nintendo Wii generation in mind. That is, to be simple and easy enough to be accessible to all.
And this is where I saw a parallel to my own writing and something I think has been the biggest improvement in the edits that I have been working on - in order to keep things simple and moving along quickly, the rest of the world never gets the same treatment that "The Prince" and Elika do. Never the same development. You understand their quest, but you aren't attached to it. Nothing special distinguishes each location other than a variant color palette (each place is actually different looking, but for all intents and purposes, plays exactly the same). And although I am always a fan of simple, intuitive controls, the simplicity of it and absolute zero death penalty makes it so you never feel like you are really challenging yourself or developing your skill. Although "The Prince" is extremely acrobatic and does plenty of fantastic moves, you never feel like you are the one performing them, or that you somehow, by improving your play, can do something someone else cannot. This was a striking parallel to some of the weakest parts of my book: an amorphous, almost intangible place that poses some amorphous, intangible risk. To keep things moving, I kept things too vague and simple. You want to care, but because the world hasn't been better defined, you cannot. It really was a fascinating look into the downfall of trying to keep everything overly simple.
But I stuck with the game, as I really liked the characters, and there is some element of fun (it is a game), despite the challenge truly being almost zero. When I say zero death penalty, I mean "ZERO DEATH PENALTY". If you jump off a cliff to your doom, Elika's magic immediately rescues you and teleports you back to her. If an enemy is about to kill you, Elika's magic knocks the enemy back and prevents your untimely death. No matter what situation arises, Elika has a solution, and her magic, NEVER, EVER runs out. I literally searched the game for a way to kill my characters just so that I could feel like there was some element of challenge and that The Prince has more to offer than just witty banter. Alas, my efforts were to no avail.
And then, the game commited the most grevious of sins - after all the effort (time, really - you can't die, but you still have to run everywhere), it gave me a BAD ENDING! And when I say bad, I don't mean bad as in poorly written (it is actually a unique ending for a game, and raises an interesting moral question). I mean bad, as in the bad guy wins and does it by having The Prince help him. You don't even get a choice - no, after fighting to keep the evil god Airhiman imprisoned all game, The Prince undos all your work in about two minutes to save Elika, thus allowing the Airhiman to escape and win. Very unsatisfying.
But then it got worse. I made the mistake of thinking that, like most other games (including prior Prince of Persia games), I failed to collect all the stupid "Light Seeds" that appear in the levels, and thus didn't have enough power to save Elika. Surely, if I were to devote the time to collect every single one, I would have the power to change my fate!
No, collect all ONE THOUSAND flippin' Light Seeds and you still FAIL. Curse you, Ubisoft - Curse you for all time!
So, what did I get for my efforts, you ask? The ability to play through the game again in a different outfit!
And also I arrived at the realization that one should never, ever, have your main character sacrifice everything to save the love interest when said love interest would hate his guts for doing it and by making said sacrifice undo everything else that was achieved in the game.
OK, so I already knew that and it isn't really applicable to my writing, but still! And again I curse the name Ubisoft, once respected developer of Prince of Persia.
So now you know - it's not all fun and games this weekend. Video games are hard work!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
For your reading pleasure...
My Uncle Don sent me this link:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3200:
It is the current form of the health care reform bill making its way through congress. Two important things to draw from this:
1) I didn't know that this resource existed for looking up Bills. Just go to THOMAS, the Library of Congress on-line resource. That knowledge alone is useful!
2) I've seen bills before, and I am always struck by how very long and bloated they are. I honestly wonder if our Congressmen read half the things they pass. My guess: at best there is some intern who has read and pulled the most important facts for said Congressman and his constituents.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3200:
It is the current form of the health care reform bill making its way through congress. Two important things to draw from this:
1) I didn't know that this resource existed for looking up Bills. Just go to THOMAS, the Library of Congress on-line resource. That knowledge alone is useful!
2) I've seen bills before, and I am always struck by how very long and bloated they are. I honestly wonder if our Congressmen read half the things they pass. My guess: at best there is some intern who has read and pulled the most important facts for said Congressman and his constituents.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Hooray?
What this article really shows is that, no matter the intentions, you just never quite care as much when you are spending someone else's money.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wow...
Can anyone say, "Ponzi scheme". Just read the first sentence and you will know what I am talking about.
Washington Morality
All I say on this article is this: "With great power, comes great responsibility."
Funny how a comic book seems to know better than anyone, and I mean anyone, in Congress.
Another article. This time focusing on Obama. Not only is his perception of the health system frightening (we are in really bad shape if this is how Doctors treat their patients!), but it demonstrates the same simplicity of analysis and solution that plagues all of his other initiatives. And really, I don't have a problem with simple solutions. I often think those are best. The issue is when you have a simple analysis that leads to a simple solution, that is when you get into trouble. If only I could find an appropriate Dilbert cartoon to post right now...
Funny how a comic book seems to know better than anyone, and I mean anyone, in Congress.
Another article. This time focusing on Obama. Not only is his perception of the health system frightening (we are in really bad shape if this is how Doctors treat their patients!), but it demonstrates the same simplicity of analysis and solution that plagues all of his other initiatives. And really, I don't have a problem with simple solutions. I often think those are best. The issue is when you have a simple analysis that leads to a simple solution, that is when you get into trouble. If only I could find an appropriate Dilbert cartoon to post right now...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Quick update
I tried to be clever and publish these separately, but it backfired a bit. Start at the bottom of the new material ("Only the best...") and work your way up today.
1 vs 100
I would have posted all these entries last night, but I was distracted by an engrossing new interactive experience. It is a game called 1 vs 100 that is currently in the beta stage on X-box Live.
From what I understand, 1 vs 100 is a game show in which a single contestant competes for prizes vs a "Mob" of 100 by answering trivia. If the contest answers correctly, they keep playing, with the prize increasing with each Mob member knocked out of the game. The Mob works together to fight the One, and also competes against each other. Every Mob member answers the trivia questions on their own, and each time a Mob member answers a question wrong, they are removed from the Mob, causing a dwindling number of people to go against the one, until either a) the one finally answers a question that eliminates all remaining Mob members, or b) the Mob is victorious by answering a question when the One misses it. The catch is that the Mob divides the prize that the One had earned up to that point when they are victorious, which means that if you are in the Mob, you ultimately would want to be the last man standing when the One fails.
Simple enough. Both have trivia, and both even have commercials. The real trick here, however, is how the Xbox version trumps the live TV version: Anyone can win prizes.
The X-box version sets up times which you visit on-line, complete with your own avatar, and join an honest-to-goodness Live episode of the game. Theoretically, every person on X-box live (all what, 4 or 5 million of them?) can join the live streams on Friday and Saturday nights. The game still features the 1 vs the 100 Mob members, but the rest of the people join the "The Crowd." The crowd participates in the game as well: answering questions, going for the high score (based on speed of responses, correct answers, etc.) and even providing a life-line to the One. With a live host providing comedic banter, the 1 and the 100 will be randomly chosen from the crowd, the game quickly hauls you in. Plus, you can increase your chances of being the 1 or the 100 by having a higher score in prior rounds. And since every member of the crowd has an X-box account, when you are selected to be the one or in the Mob, you do actually win prizes. Games, microsoft points (up to $125), etc. are all prizes that participants can win. And since games last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, there is a quick turnover in contestants. It really is a cleverly designed experience.
Even the scheduling for Friday and Saturday nights screams genius. Only on Friday and Saturday night are the live shows held with actual prizes. Every other day and time has additional trivia times where you can compete against people around the world and learn more trivia, with the idea, of course, to improve your chances when YOU are selected as the one.
The fact that being selected as the one is probably akin to winning the lotto (maybe slightly better), is glossed over a bit by the host.
It is a very addicting game. The trivia is fun, and competing for a high score alone is enjoyable (made better by not only seeing your score vs the world high scores, but by competing directly against three others players your are matched against). But with the potential to be selected as a real contestant, demonstrating your knowledge to all of the world and winning real prizes, the game transcends the normal experience.
Watch out. This is the type of meta-game that will eventually replace TV game shows, truly bringing the opiate of the masses (not religion, in this case) into your home.
From what I understand, 1 vs 100 is a game show in which a single contestant competes for prizes vs a "Mob" of 100 by answering trivia. If the contest answers correctly, they keep playing, with the prize increasing with each Mob member knocked out of the game. The Mob works together to fight the One, and also competes against each other. Every Mob member answers the trivia questions on their own, and each time a Mob member answers a question wrong, they are removed from the Mob, causing a dwindling number of people to go against the one, until either a) the one finally answers a question that eliminates all remaining Mob members, or b) the Mob is victorious by answering a question when the One misses it. The catch is that the Mob divides the prize that the One had earned up to that point when they are victorious, which means that if you are in the Mob, you ultimately would want to be the last man standing when the One fails.
Simple enough. Both have trivia, and both even have commercials. The real trick here, however, is how the Xbox version trumps the live TV version: Anyone can win prizes.
The X-box version sets up times which you visit on-line, complete with your own avatar, and join an honest-to-goodness Live episode of the game. Theoretically, every person on X-box live (all what, 4 or 5 million of them?) can join the live streams on Friday and Saturday nights. The game still features the 1 vs the 100 Mob members, but the rest of the people join the "The Crowd." The crowd participates in the game as well: answering questions, going for the high score (based on speed of responses, correct answers, etc.) and even providing a life-line to the One. With a live host providing comedic banter, the 1 and the 100 will be randomly chosen from the crowd, the game quickly hauls you in. Plus, you can increase your chances of being the 1 or the 100 by having a higher score in prior rounds. And since every member of the crowd has an X-box account, when you are selected to be the one or in the Mob, you do actually win prizes. Games, microsoft points (up to $125), etc. are all prizes that participants can win. And since games last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, there is a quick turnover in contestants. It really is a cleverly designed experience.
Even the scheduling for Friday and Saturday nights screams genius. Only on Friday and Saturday night are the live shows held with actual prizes. Every other day and time has additional trivia times where you can compete against people around the world and learn more trivia, with the idea, of course, to improve your chances when YOU are selected as the one.
The fact that being selected as the one is probably akin to winning the lotto (maybe slightly better), is glossed over a bit by the host.
It is a very addicting game. The trivia is fun, and competing for a high score alone is enjoyable (made better by not only seeing your score vs the world high scores, but by competing directly against three others players your are matched against). But with the potential to be selected as a real contestant, demonstrating your knowledge to all of the world and winning real prizes, the game transcends the normal experience.
Watch out. This is the type of meta-game that will eventually replace TV game shows, truly bringing the opiate of the masses (not religion, in this case) into your home.
The Nexus
So I'm going to Japan.
Yes, you read that right. I'm going to Japan.
But not anytime soon. I've decided to take a trip there, and starting with my next paycheck, I'm going to be saving the money. Now, there might be several things you could say to this proclamation. But I urge you to read on, because the real story is why I've decided to go:
First off, it's been brewing for a long time. I've always wanted to visit the far east. Partly because I've always found the culture fascinating there (part of the reason that I am taking Karate), and partly because I've always been a big nerd. Where else in the world other than Japan, do you celebrate the anniversary of a popular cartoon series by erecting a giant robot in the center of town?
Anyway, after years of seeing all the fascinating things that have come from the country, from the really amazing to the truly bizarre (I don't feel the need to link to any of those), I think it would be incredible to visit. And all the great things I've heard about the country from those have visited have only added to my desire.
But desire isn't everything, is it? I mean, I desire a bazillion dollars - that doesn't mean I'm going to get it. You have to have the will and the capability - which brings me to my second point:
Will. One of the great things I realized in college is that life doesn't come to you. It is the reason I have kept working on my book for five years, why I was able to drop about 50 pounds from high school, and why I'm taking martial arts now. If you really want something, if you want to experience life to the fullest, you have to FIND opportunities and seize them. This idea was recently reinforced by the spinning instructor Seth and I visit every Friday morning. She had just gotten back from France after watching the beginning of the Tour. I don't know if this was some long-held dream, or even if she organized it. That's not the point. The point is that she did, she had fun, and she didn't have any regrets (that I know of...it was France - apologies to my French friends; correction, minor apologies). So thus, if I want to go to Japan, I need to make it happen. Magical plane tickets are going to drop from the sky, and if they did, I would still need to get a hotel. Which brings me to my third point:
Money. As in, I now have a source for it. No longer am I living off my parents good graces (although admittedly, I'm still on their wireless plan). With a job and the proper motivation (say a trip to place I've always wanted to go), I have an incentive to tighten the belt a bit and save a little bit more. And now I won't feel guilty about spending the money (like I did when I went to Europe). There is a key difference between your appreciation for something when you pay for it yourself, through blood, sweat, or tears, and when someone just gives it to you. It can only enhance the enjoyment of the experience. And experience is key, especially when it comes to:
Language. Now you might say this is a deterrent, but for me, this only adds to the fire. You see, I've made a key realization. The language may be difficult, even insanely, absurdly so. But I relish challenges, and I don't like to fail at anything (nor does anyone, but most of my friends can attest to my, at times, hyper-competitiveness). But that wasn't the realization, I knew that before. My epiphany was that I despise French. Not the people, but the language. Why? Because after five years of study in high school, I still can't speak it fluently. Five years of not grasping the true culture of the language - because I wasn't interested, because I didn't connect with the teachers, because I never felt like I was improving or saw a reason to.
And I realized that at this point, I've failed to learn a language, in part, because now I am simply afraid of acknowledging that those five years were a failure. That I would have to confess that I, through my own stubbornness, I am unwilling to learn a language because I am afraid of failing at it, when I (not so modestly, I might add) am usually so good at things.
But now, I am once again presented with an opportunity: the chance to prove that I learned a language, or at the very least, that I gave it my all (which I cannot say for French). The chance to go to a country, a strange land, and be confident enough to, at the very least, survive (and not explode when I am unable to locate a bathroom!). Fortunately, for me, as is always the case when attempting any great challenge, I won't have to do it alone:
Janelle will be studying Japanese in college and studying abroad there (she's hell-bent on it). Apparently, she likes Japan even a tad more than I do, especially after visiting a few years ago. So, I will have my little sister (who will no doubt be an expert - no pressure, Janelle), to work and practice with over the next couple years (gives me an excuse to call her up and see how she is doing).
The final goal: to be moderately proficient in the language and visit Janelle when she studies abroad in two or three years. No need to be the best - just enough to feel comfortable. If I can order my meals, ask for directions, etc. on my own, without translator or tribulation, I will be happy.
Now you know why I go. The opportunity to create the experience of lifetime: through new knowledge, new adventure, and new memories.
And so, ladies and gentlemen,
I go to Japan.
Truly, my reason is grand:
Be a better man.
Yes, you read that right. I'm going to Japan.
But not anytime soon. I've decided to take a trip there, and starting with my next paycheck, I'm going to be saving the money. Now, there might be several things you could say to this proclamation. But I urge you to read on, because the real story is why I've decided to go:
First off, it's been brewing for a long time. I've always wanted to visit the far east. Partly because I've always found the culture fascinating there (part of the reason that I am taking Karate), and partly because I've always been a big nerd. Where else in the world other than Japan, do you celebrate the anniversary of a popular cartoon series by erecting a giant robot in the center of town?
Anyway, after years of seeing all the fascinating things that have come from the country, from the really amazing to the truly bizarre (I don't feel the need to link to any of those), I think it would be incredible to visit. And all the great things I've heard about the country from those have visited have only added to my desire.
But desire isn't everything, is it? I mean, I desire a bazillion dollars - that doesn't mean I'm going to get it. You have to have the will and the capability - which brings me to my second point:
Will. One of the great things I realized in college is that life doesn't come to you. It is the reason I have kept working on my book for five years, why I was able to drop about 50 pounds from high school, and why I'm taking martial arts now. If you really want something, if you want to experience life to the fullest, you have to FIND opportunities and seize them. This idea was recently reinforced by the spinning instructor Seth and I visit every Friday morning. She had just gotten back from France after watching the beginning of the Tour. I don't know if this was some long-held dream, or even if she organized it. That's not the point. The point is that she did, she had fun, and she didn't have any regrets (that I know of...it was France - apologies to my French friends; correction, minor apologies). So thus, if I want to go to Japan, I need to make it happen. Magical plane tickets are going to drop from the sky, and if they did, I would still need to get a hotel. Which brings me to my third point:
Money. As in, I now have a source for it. No longer am I living off my parents good graces (although admittedly, I'm still on their wireless plan). With a job and the proper motivation (say a trip to place I've always wanted to go), I have an incentive to tighten the belt a bit and save a little bit more. And now I won't feel guilty about spending the money (like I did when I went to Europe). There is a key difference between your appreciation for something when you pay for it yourself, through blood, sweat, or tears, and when someone just gives it to you. It can only enhance the enjoyment of the experience. And experience is key, especially when it comes to:
Language. Now you might say this is a deterrent, but for me, this only adds to the fire. You see, I've made a key realization. The language may be difficult, even insanely, absurdly so. But I relish challenges, and I don't like to fail at anything (nor does anyone, but most of my friends can attest to my, at times, hyper-competitiveness). But that wasn't the realization, I knew that before. My epiphany was that I despise French. Not the people, but the language. Why? Because after five years of study in high school, I still can't speak it fluently. Five years of not grasping the true culture of the language - because I wasn't interested, because I didn't connect with the teachers, because I never felt like I was improving or saw a reason to.
And I realized that at this point, I've failed to learn a language, in part, because now I am simply afraid of acknowledging that those five years were a failure. That I would have to confess that I, through my own stubbornness, I am unwilling to learn a language because I am afraid of failing at it, when I (not so modestly, I might add) am usually so good at things.
But now, I am once again presented with an opportunity: the chance to prove that I learned a language, or at the very least, that I gave it my all (which I cannot say for French). The chance to go to a country, a strange land, and be confident enough to, at the very least, survive (and not explode when I am unable to locate a bathroom!). Fortunately, for me, as is always the case when attempting any great challenge, I won't have to do it alone:
Janelle will be studying Japanese in college and studying abroad there (she's hell-bent on it). Apparently, she likes Japan even a tad more than I do, especially after visiting a few years ago. So, I will have my little sister (who will no doubt be an expert - no pressure, Janelle), to work and practice with over the next couple years (gives me an excuse to call her up and see how she is doing).
The final goal: to be moderately proficient in the language and visit Janelle when she studies abroad in two or three years. No need to be the best - just enough to feel comfortable. If I can order my meals, ask for directions, etc. on my own, without translator or tribulation, I will be happy.
Now you know why I go. The opportunity to create the experience of lifetime: through new knowledge, new adventure, and new memories.
And so, ladies and gentlemen,
I go to Japan.
Truly, my reason is grand:
Be a better man.
Only the best
In an effort to make this more like a blog, I'm going to separate my major stories into different posts. I realized that in many respects I will still following my old newsletter format, in which everything was grouped together as one. Now, each juicy tidbit will be carefully examined for its quality and presented a la carte, as opposed to buffet style. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
WSJ Overload...
Can I help it if I like the WSJ?
This first article is about The Right Stuff, and how American culture is changed. Although I would like to think things are not as bad with today's culture as the author portrays, I think the author shows a lot of wisdom in his analysis of Neil Armstrong, on this day after the anniversary of the landing on the moon.
The second is, you guessed it, another discussion on the current hot-button topic, health-care reform. I'm sure all of you have figured out my stance from my postings, but this article explains about Erisa, a federal law of which I was completely unaware. It's interesting, I remember John McCain explaining how important this idea was, I didn't realize it was already partially in effect. I was wondering how my employee insurance plan could be based out of Arizona, but now it makes sense. It's also a real-life example of how important it is, as my company searched for a long-time to get a cost-effective plan, and now I have pretty solid insurance, which I otherwise would be completely unable to get. If only we could allow anyone to by insurance across state lines.
I'm going to have to look for some other articles from other sources; I don't like to be one-sided. That being said, I do read other news outlets; all the time really. Can I help it if I often feel nauseated when I do?
This first article is about The Right Stuff, and how American culture is changed. Although I would like to think things are not as bad with today's culture as the author portrays, I think the author shows a lot of wisdom in his analysis of Neil Armstrong, on this day after the anniversary of the landing on the moon.
The second is, you guessed it, another discussion on the current hot-button topic, health-care reform. I'm sure all of you have figured out my stance from my postings, but this article explains about Erisa, a federal law of which I was completely unaware. It's interesting, I remember John McCain explaining how important this idea was, I didn't realize it was already partially in effect. I was wondering how my employee insurance plan could be based out of Arizona, but now it makes sense. It's also a real-life example of how important it is, as my company searched for a long-time to get a cost-effective plan, and now I have pretty solid insurance, which I otherwise would be completely unable to get. If only we could allow anyone to by insurance across state lines.
I'm going to have to look for some other articles from other sources; I don't like to be one-sided. That being said, I do read other news outlets; all the time really. Can I help it if I often feel nauseated when I do?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Protectionism
Another interesting WSJ article, this one dealing with trade protectionism. It's too true that protectionism, whatever its intentions, often does more harm than good to both nations and workers.
Bizarre...
It was pointed out to me that a couple sections repeated themselves in my blog. Some sort of bizarre posting error. I think it happened when I tried to edit the blog, as I caught another copy error at that time, too. It should be cleaned up, but if not, just let me know.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Life Imitating Art...
Sorry for the delay in the update - it's been a surprisingly busy week. I guess my prediction from last week has already been proven wrong - oh well, at least it means interesting postings!
Anyway, I've been rushing all over St. Pete and Tampa this week: seeing my old friends Brian and Jesse from my MBA program, working on my novel, helping others edit their own novels, AND learning Kyokushin Karate.
I've been wanting to take up martial arts for a while now. For strength and flexibility, discipline, and frankly, just to look cool. So a few weeks ago, I started doing research into local dojos. The are literally dozens of them in the area, and it seems overwhelming at first, especially when trying to factor in quality of the dojo, as well as distance and likelihood of attendance.
To narrow my search down, I started by looking only at dojos with websites. I figured that a dojo with a website could signify both a greater commitment to success in the area as well as provide me with greater knowledge that just a yellow pages listing. With that new criteria, my list shrunk dramatically, and I started going through the websites one-by-one. A few, I quickly realized, were nowhere near me, and thus removed immediately, but the defining characteristic of most of sites seemed to be a prominent picture of two twenty year-old guys beating the living $&#* (insert profanity of your choice) out of each other. Although this idea did have a certain amount of appeal, it conflicted slightly with my impression of true martial arts, namely restraint and discipline.
And then I happened upon a site for the Meigetsu Dojo and "Sensei Joe". He discussed discipline, setting a good example, and the importance of his family. And the only picture was of some old Japanese guy! So I decided to give it a shot, figuring if I was wrong, I could always just go join one of those testoterone-fueled dojos.
Calling up Sensei Joe and making an appointment for Thursday, I arrived to find the dojo was the back room of an art gallery, where they had a crafts camp earlier that day. I found a somewhat dimunitive man who was clearly foriegn, although not Japanese (perhaps Eastern European). I was struck simultaneously by two thoughts - 1) I've made a terrible mistake and 2) Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge, maybe this is "the hidden school". A sort of movie-like state where the unassuming student stumbles upon the great master. Well, there is always, hope, anyway.
Sensei Joe, gave me a uniform, lined us up (surprised that he had so many new students today - a total of three) and explained that he wants us to communicate to him if at any time we feel ill or sick or need to rest. I nodded politely, secretly laughing inside. pssh...Like I'm going to feel sick. I run for miles, do dozens of pushups with a weight vest, work out every day. This is going to be some easy introduction class that won't tell me anything. Another new student and I exchange a knowing look.
30 minutes later, dripping with sweat and desperately trying to suck in the sweet, sweet air, the Sensei (who isn't breathing hard) informs us that we have almost completed our warm-up. We just have a little light cardio to do before we move onto forms. Right. Light Cardio. Light. Nothing like dozens of leaping, kicking, push-ups to get the heart rate up a tad.
After a brief respite, we were lined up again, this time for kicking. The kicking stance, Sensei Joe explained, was critical for its stability. He demonstrated several kicks for us to start with, and then lined us up to practice them. Doing the slow count of Japanese as we kicked, he walked between us, examining our forms. He came up beside me, looked at my feet, and BAM!
Catching me by my sleeve as I flew sideways, he said: "See! Not stable!"
It only took about three or four more times for me to manage it.
We then moved onto punches. Oh yes... it gets better. We changed stances, and this time he brought up his top belt to demonstrate the new form. Circling his student Jacob, he explained the horse stance, pointing at his legs. "See how his legs are positioned. In this stance, one pushes their legs muscles inward. Why?" Sensei Joe's leg shot out and swept the feet from under Jacob. "Because when one doesn't push inward, that is what happens." Needless to say, Jacob got it right the second time.
Finally, Sensei Joe, demonstrated the correct method for punching, describing the angle of the wrist in detail, the reasoning for it (support), and where to aim to take down an opponent. "Not the stomach, there is too much muscle. Not the chest, too much bone. But right between them." He came to stand in front of me, showing his knuckles. "And remember, you want to use the first two knuckles. Step forward." I stepped forward. BAM!
"See how easily he falls backward from the blow." Everyone else quickly nodded in agreement.
Now in fairness, he really didn't do it that hard. But it was impressive how easily he could knock me back with a precise blow. Of course, I don't think he really needed to do it a second and third time, but that's just me. I was also acutely aware at that moment of how easily he could kill me.
The whole experience was almost surreal. I kept being reminded of the ancients masters in movies and books who pretty much mercilessly beat their pupils and enjoy every moment of it. Needless to say, I look forward to returning to the dojo. Now, I just need some ancient evil to arise or a bitter rival to fight and the comparison will be complete. Perhaps Chuck Norris with a black moustache.
Whew! An epic posting. Anyway, look for consistent updates on Friday nights/Weekends (aiming for Saturday). Smaller updates sometimes during the week.
Anyway, I've been rushing all over St. Pete and Tampa this week: seeing my old friends Brian and Jesse from my MBA program, working on my novel, helping others edit their own novels, AND learning Kyokushin Karate.
I've been wanting to take up martial arts for a while now. For strength and flexibility, discipline, and frankly, just to look cool. So a few weeks ago, I started doing research into local dojos. The are literally dozens of them in the area, and it seems overwhelming at first, especially when trying to factor in quality of the dojo, as well as distance and likelihood of attendance.
To narrow my search down, I started by looking only at dojos with websites. I figured that a dojo with a website could signify both a greater commitment to success in the area as well as provide me with greater knowledge that just a yellow pages listing. With that new criteria, my list shrunk dramatically, and I started going through the websites one-by-one. A few, I quickly realized, were nowhere near me, and thus removed immediately, but the defining characteristic of most of sites seemed to be a prominent picture of two twenty year-old guys beating the living $&#* (insert profanity of your choice) out of each other. Although this idea did have a certain amount of appeal, it conflicted slightly with my impression of true martial arts, namely restraint and discipline.
And then I happened upon a site for the Meigetsu Dojo and "Sensei Joe". He discussed discipline, setting a good example, and the importance of his family. And the only picture was of some old Japanese guy! So I decided to give it a shot, figuring if I was wrong, I could always just go join one of those testoterone-fueled dojos.
Calling up Sensei Joe and making an appointment for Thursday, I arrived to find the dojo was the back room of an art gallery, where they had a crafts camp earlier that day. I found a somewhat dimunitive man who was clearly foriegn, although not Japanese (perhaps Eastern European). I was struck simultaneously by two thoughts - 1) I've made a terrible mistake and 2) Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge, maybe this is "the hidden school". A sort of movie-like state where the unassuming student stumbles upon the great master. Well, there is always, hope, anyway.
Sensei Joe, gave me a uniform, lined us up (surprised that he had so many new students today - a total of three) and explained that he wants us to communicate to him if at any time we feel ill or sick or need to rest. I nodded politely, secretly laughing inside. pssh...Like I'm going to feel sick. I run for miles, do dozens of pushups with a weight vest, work out every day. This is going to be some easy introduction class that won't tell me anything. Another new student and I exchange a knowing look.
30 minutes later, dripping with sweat and desperately trying to suck in the sweet, sweet air, the Sensei (who isn't breathing hard) informs us that we have almost completed our warm-up. We just have a little light cardio to do before we move onto forms. Right. Light Cardio. Light. Nothing like dozens of leaping, kicking, push-ups to get the heart rate up a tad.
After a brief respite, we were lined up again, this time for kicking. The kicking stance, Sensei Joe explained, was critical for its stability. He demonstrated several kicks for us to start with, and then lined us up to practice them. Doing the slow count of Japanese as we kicked, he walked between us, examining our forms. He came up beside me, looked at my feet, and BAM!
Catching me by my sleeve as I flew sideways, he said: "See! Not stable!"
It only took about three or four more times for me to manage it.
We then moved onto punches. Oh yes... it gets better. We changed stances, and this time he brought up his top belt to demonstrate the new form. Circling his student Jacob, he explained the horse stance, pointing at his legs. "See how his legs are positioned. In this stance, one pushes their legs muscles inward. Why?" Sensei Joe's leg shot out and swept the feet from under Jacob. "Because when one doesn't push inward, that is what happens." Needless to say, Jacob got it right the second time.
Finally, Sensei Joe, demonstrated the correct method for punching, describing the angle of the wrist in detail, the reasoning for it (support), and where to aim to take down an opponent. "Not the stomach, there is too much muscle. Not the chest, too much bone. But right between them." He came to stand in front of me, showing his knuckles. "And remember, you want to use the first two knuckles. Step forward." I stepped forward. BAM!
"See how easily he falls backward from the blow." Everyone else quickly nodded in agreement.
Now in fairness, he really didn't do it that hard. But it was impressive how easily he could knock me back with a precise blow. Of course, I don't think he really needed to do it a second and third time, but that's just me. I was also acutely aware at that moment of how easily he could kill me.
The whole experience was almost surreal. I kept being reminded of the ancients masters in movies and books who pretty much mercilessly beat their pupils and enjoy every moment of it. Needless to say, I look forward to returning to the dojo. Now, I just need some ancient evil to arise or a bitter rival to fight and the comparison will be complete. Perhaps Chuck Norris with a black moustache.
Whew! An epic posting. Anyway, look for consistent updates on Friday nights/Weekends (aiming for Saturday). Smaller updates sometimes during the week.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Nerd for the Ages...
I normally wouldn't update this late, but I just had to post this. If you have played, or even seen Guitar Hero, this will resonate. A true expression of the desperate need to be a rock star the game caters to, and the power of the internet to provide an outlet. As an avid gamer, I don't know whether to be honored or horrified I consider myself a member of their ilk. The internet has truly changed what can be considered a complete waste of time.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Point and Counterpoint
And here is a counterpoint to my argument yesterday. Being positive or appeasing someone should never be more important than the truth.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
WSJ Article - True, but is anyone listening?
This WSJ OpEd gives visions of Atlas Shrugged to anyone who wondered what happened prior to the start of the novel. It is very negative, but also very true.
I despise articles like this though, because only the people who already share the beliefs with the author are likely to read it. Few Obama supporters are going to read why "Europe Should Hope Obama Fails". It is natural tendency we all share - to close our ears and minds as soon as we are on the defensive. It is not healthy or wise, but it is what we tend to do. Unfortunately, this is part of the reason conservatives are struggling to reach people today: the message is always negative, even when people are hurting. Negative attacks work best when times are good - the threat of loss. Positive messages work best when times are bad - See Lincoln, Kennedy, or Churchill. People even do it subconciously. I've always wanted to do a study on the correlation between pop culture and America's current economic and military state... I think one would find that the messages tend to become more and more negative as we experience the good times and positive during the bad. Again, its a theory, and I would love to see data supporting one way or another.
Obama was elected, for good or ill, on his promise of Hope and Change. Positive messages. We could all learn a thing or two from that, no matter our party affiliation.
I despise articles like this though, because only the people who already share the beliefs with the author are likely to read it. Few Obama supporters are going to read why "Europe Should Hope Obama Fails". It is natural tendency we all share - to close our ears and minds as soon as we are on the defensive. It is not healthy or wise, but it is what we tend to do. Unfortunately, this is part of the reason conservatives are struggling to reach people today: the message is always negative, even when people are hurting. Negative attacks work best when times are good - the threat of loss. Positive messages work best when times are bad - See Lincoln, Kennedy, or Churchill. People even do it subconciously. I've always wanted to do a study on the correlation between pop culture and America's current economic and military state... I think one would find that the messages tend to become more and more negative as we experience the good times and positive during the bad. Again, its a theory, and I would love to see data supporting one way or another.
Obama was elected, for good or ill, on his promise of Hope and Change. Positive messages. We could all learn a thing or two from that, no matter our party affiliation.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Perils of Blogging
So I've realized something: Writing a blog is difficult.
Why? Well, for starters, there is the whole "keeping people interested" in said blog post. As I sit here, staring at the screen, I am now remembering how extraordinarily difficult it is, based on prior experience.
For those of you who don't know, I wrote a newsletter every week of my freshman year in college. For some odd reason, people will sometimes bring it up to me, asking why I stopped. That suggests that it was, at least in some small way, moderately successful. But why was it successful? I attribute its success to two reasons: it was sent to my family (bless them, the poor fools!), and it was funny. As in ha-ha, and not just in my head.
The advantage of writing a newsletter in your freshman year in college is that you simply can't avoid wacky situations. Whether it is because you nearly get arrested by the "Po!" because you are so naive you don't even know what the "Po!" is - or accidentally getting your head shaved because the barbers at the campus barber shop who couldn't make the cut elsewhere don't think to ask what you really want when you tell them to "trim it up." I mean, who really thinks a $10 "style cut" means "attack me with the weedwhacker." These were experiences born from my lack of experience. This fact, combined with the entirely new situation of being on my own, surrounded by people who, like me, are so completely inept at life survival that we think being able to force oursleves awake at 10 a.m., showing up to class looking like a bedraggled hippie, and managing to stay awake through two hours of class constitutes the equivalent of a full time job, is bound to create many a situation which can only end with much hilarity.
This is not to say that such situations will not continue to arise, or that I have acquired all the experience I will ever need, only that such situations will hopefully arise less frequently. Which is the cause for my lament. How can one write a successful blog when one is hopefully learning from his mistakes? Would we still remember old Roadrunner cartoons so fondly if Wile E. Coyote had realized the first time that every tunnel he painted on the side of cliff would eventually culminate in the roadrunner escaping and a train running over him? I think not.
Alas, now I am forced to find humor more abstractly, by examining events and pulling the humor from them, as opposed to having it bowl me over. But it does convey certain advantages, namely, I no longer have to make fun of myself! I can use anyone's experience to find the truly polished nuggets of comedy gold.
And I must say, I can't wait until Janelle goes to college!
And of course, there is always the problem of getting people to come back to read the next post - but that's an issue I'll tackle next time.
Why? Well, for starters, there is the whole "keeping people interested" in said blog post. As I sit here, staring at the screen, I am now remembering how extraordinarily difficult it is, based on prior experience.
For those of you who don't know, I wrote a newsletter every week of my freshman year in college. For some odd reason, people will sometimes bring it up to me, asking why I stopped. That suggests that it was, at least in some small way, moderately successful. But why was it successful? I attribute its success to two reasons: it was sent to my family (bless them, the poor fools!), and it was funny. As in ha-ha, and not just in my head.
The advantage of writing a newsletter in your freshman year in college is that you simply can't avoid wacky situations. Whether it is because you nearly get arrested by the "Po!" because you are so naive you don't even know what the "Po!" is - or accidentally getting your head shaved because the barbers at the campus barber shop who couldn't make the cut elsewhere don't think to ask what you really want when you tell them to "trim it up." I mean, who really thinks a $10 "style cut" means "attack me with the weedwhacker." These were experiences born from my lack of experience. This fact, combined with the entirely new situation of being on my own, surrounded by people who, like me, are so completely inept at life survival that we think being able to force oursleves awake at 10 a.m., showing up to class looking like a bedraggled hippie, and managing to stay awake through two hours of class constitutes the equivalent of a full time job, is bound to create many a situation which can only end with much hilarity.
This is not to say that such situations will not continue to arise, or that I have acquired all the experience I will ever need, only that such situations will hopefully arise less frequently. Which is the cause for my lament. How can one write a successful blog when one is hopefully learning from his mistakes? Would we still remember old Roadrunner cartoons so fondly if Wile E. Coyote had realized the first time that every tunnel he painted on the side of cliff would eventually culminate in the roadrunner escaping and a train running over him? I think not.
Alas, now I am forced to find humor more abstractly, by examining events and pulling the humor from them, as opposed to having it bowl me over. But it does convey certain advantages, namely, I no longer have to make fun of myself! I can use anyone's experience to find the truly polished nuggets of comedy gold.
And I must say, I can't wait until Janelle goes to college!
And of course, there is always the problem of getting people to come back to read the next post - but that's an issue I'll tackle next time.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Rising Healthcare Costs
For those of you who believe that government run healthcare is the answer, especially you guys, just take a look at the difference in cancer survival rates between the U.S. and Britain in the WSJ article.
Comments welcome.
Comments welcome.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
