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Video Games – The Virtual Meth

I used to think I was addicted to video games; I have loved them my entire life.  Infact, I would venture to say that I have spent entire weekends playing video games. I have dicthed my friends to go play video games. I have even failed some classes due to video games.  But am I addicted today? 

Last night, I played Battlefield 2 over the internet with one of my buddies for about three hours.  Today, since I am back at home (woohoo…), my parents accused me of being addicted to video games.  I instantly responded with my standard reply for anything they ask: “nah.” But it got me thinking, am I addicted?  The answer came to me quickly: no.  But I still had to think, what would I be doing last night if I wasnt playing video games?  The answer, since it was a monday night and I had nothing to do, I would be watching TV; I would be doing something less mind consuming that playing videogames.  So, I then asked myself, how often do I play video games? The answer would be almost everyday.  But everytime I played video games fell under the same guidlines: I had nothing better to do, and its better than watching TV.  So I decided, I am not addicted; but just because I am not hook doesnt mean that video games aren’t virtual meth to others.

We all know at least one person who is hooked on gaming, typically the nerdy kids who spend all their time in their rooms with the door closed.  When I lived in the dorms, there were kids that I would only see very rarely on the way to the bathroom, the rest of their time was spent in hiding getting their virtual fix.  I have heard a story, maybe its an urban legend, of a guy that got so hooked on EverQuest that he lost his job, his wife took the kids and left him and he now works part-time just to support his gaming.  Right now, there are about four games that I really care about: Half Life 2 (which I don’t play right now because I am waiting for the expansion pack), Civilization III (I rarely play it, but I won’t give up on the game untill I conquer the French), Battlefield 2 (a fun game, but I usually play it with one of my friends [real life friends, for all you hardcore gamers wondering]), and World of Warcraft (a now pointless game that I  play in hopes that some day it will have a point).  Now the reason that I know that there are truely video game junkies is because as much as I play, I still do not compare to these people; here is a list why:  For one, they speak a language of acronyms that I can not begin to understand, and when I ask what they are saying, they make fun of me and call me a “noob.”  That of course makes me laugh, because what they are truely saying is that I am not a nerd.  For two, some of their best friends are online; I must admit that in warcraft, I do have a friends list of people I know only in the game.  I belong to a guild, and the other people my character in it.  But they all think I am a crack head because I dont give a crap about what they think, I act like a dumbass just to entertain myself, they are not real friends, they dont know anything about me. They only know me through a video game; it baffles me how someone could consider one of their best friends to be a level 60 gnome warlock named Balfazar and know nothing else about them.  For three, these people spend so much time on a game it loses its fun and becomes a repetitive motion.  Personally I play a game untill I beat it or untill I grow bored with it.  In Battlefield 2, there are players who spend the entire game in a jet flying in the same partern, dropping perfect bombs on people by doing the same thing every day for months.  What do they accomplish?  Nothing, there is no prize for it, there is no point for it.  I used to play Starcraft, when I played online against some hardcore gamers, the whole point was to see who could build the most guys the quickest then attack; it lost all its strategy and became a predetermend mechanical game of speed. Even worse is World of Warcraft.  My guild spends its friday and saturday nights running a dungeon called Molten Core which requires 40 men to do it.  I did this twice.  I have pledged not to waste my time in that manner ever again.  These hardcore gamers spend their entire night alone in there rooms wating for 39 other hardcore gamers who are also alone in their room to cooridinate an attack on one monster at a time.  The result is 3-5 hours of sitting around and 30 min of actual fighting for the mere hope of one of these monsters dropping a piece of armor for your specific class that you have to roll over against 4-8 other hardcore gamers of the same class, and the whole point of getting this piece of armor is so that you can be stronger for the next time you do the same dungeon with 39 other people; It isnt even fun at all.  When I played this dungeon, I quit half way through because I realized that I was giving up going to the bars socialize and hang out with real friends to play a game that makes Dungeons and Dragons look like a social event; at least you are in the same room with other people when you play Dungeons and Dragons instead of being a recluse.  That is when I realized that as much of a video game addict I may be, I am nothing in the slightest compaired to these hard core gamers.  The sad thing is, that there are a whole lot of them.

Jill Carroll – Fake Kidnapping or Bluffing Terrorists?

This blog will probably get me into trouble, I feel as if I am crossing the line while I write it, but I must put my theory out there to be heard. Jill Carroll, a freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped on January 7th and has since made three videos calling for the release of all women prisonors held in Iraq. Each video release has also set a deadline to release the women prisonors before they kill Carroll. Of course, the two first deadlines have passed. That brings me to my hopeful theory: The terrorists are just bluffing and Carroll will eventually be released. I really hope that is the case. However, I also have a less flattering theory: I think she might be faking it. There are a few things that stirred this questioning. She works for the Christian Science Monitor, a pacifist news magazine. Beyond that, I question the whole situation: Why are these terrorists, who capture hostages and only negotiate for the release of the hostage if their country withdraws from Iraq, suddenly asking for the release of women? Why have these terrorists been so obviously bad at bluffing? Why have we never heard of this specific terrorist group, the “Brigades of Vengeance,” until this capture? Why has Carroll been wearing different clothes in every video, and appearing in good health? Why are these clothes making her resemble the the anti-American Al Jazeera reporters? Things are just not adding up. I hope I’m wrong but this whole terrorist situation just seems so fake and out of the ordinary. But in all honesty, I really hope the terrorists are just bluffing and will let her go.

Freak O’ the Week – Flying lawn mower

Alright, this video is freaking cool. It is a lawn mower that not only mows the lawn by itself, it flies too. The picture definatly looks like a hoax, but there is a video to accompany it. There isn’t too much to say about it but the fact that it is freaking awsome. I’m gonna order one on ebay. Here is the video.

Quick, question…

I didn’t feel like writing today, so I got a quick point, that you should all look at.  Liberal and laziness both start with an “L”.  Coincidence?  Just think about it.

P.S. Lameo, also starts with an “L”.  Think about it.  Coincidence?

Why Corporations are Freaking Awesome

Lots of people hate corporations in this day and age. Corporations are associated with money-loving, heart-lacking, white man run organizations of evil. I suspect that these beliefs were some how created by hippies. Here is what I think: Corporations are awesome; way freaking awesome. There is a disclaimer, corporations are heartless. That is because they are run by thousands of shareholders, not by one man. The sole purpose of a corporation is to make a profit, that is it, there is no emotional side of a corporation; every decision is made with profit in mind. So to say that a corporation is evil, is the same as saying your computer is evil because it lacks emotional computation.
So, why are corporations and big businesses awsome? Corporations are good because they are financial juggernauts. Their output is at such a high level that they not only make goods more available, they make goods more affordable. For example, you can buy a motorcycle from a large output, factory business like Harley-Davidson for approx. $16,000. Or you could buy a motorcycle from a relatively small output, handmade buisness like Orange County Choppers for approx. $60,000. The reason is because OCC builds bikes individually, where as Harley-Davidson uses an assembly line. With that in mind do you think you could afford a car? I know I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to. You can thanks corporations and big businesses for cars. In fact, you can thank corporations for plenty of things that would have been unaffordable if not nonexistent. Thank coporations for computers, cell-phones, airline travel, long-distance communication , modern medicine, television, videogames, electricity, the Internet itself would not have been possible, cheap clothing, refrigerators, electronics and many more products and services. Do some corporations break the law? Yes, breaking the law for personaly benifit is evil and should be punished accordingly. Should all corporations be thrown into the same groups as the ones that break the law? I think no, but you can stereotype if you want. However, Corporations have produced multitudes of products that people enjoy, so I thank corporations for that much, you should do the same.

Hussein needs a muzzle

Saddam Hussein has been controlling his trial in an unfortunate way. Today, Hussein proclaimed that he was starting a hunger strike because of his captors’ treatment. Hussein also has interrupted the judge on many occasions; causing the court to enter disorder. This is what I don’t get. This disobedience is intended to rile up the Iraqis against the authenticity of the trial. Why the hell is this allowed? Hussein is notorious for his torture and murderous acts. By complaining about how he is being tortured should not encourage support for Saddam, it should cause the Iraqis to hate him more for denying them trials in the first place. This is what should happen, they should not force Saddam to be present at all, if he wants to defend himself, he should be there by his own will. If he continues to create chaos in court, he should be muzzled. This trial should be carried out, and the Iraqi government should not pander to Hussein in any way.

Fur is Fine

I’ve been absent for a week, so prepare for a huge post. Personally, I don’t own any fur. I might have some leather shoes or belts. But my lack of animal skin does not mean I do not support it. On Sunday there was another animal protest In Los Angeles. Now while I am by no means supportive of animal cruelty, I cannot stress enough that animals do not have any right what-so-ever.

The headline of the protest was “Please join our protest against the fur trade in China where they are skinning alive Two Million dogs and cats for their fur and 37 million other wild animals.” Let’s look at this statement carefully. First off, they are bashing poor China whose fur industry makes 2.5 billion dollars according to the animal lovers’ statement. I’m not a China activist in the slightest, but China has a lot of really poor people. If they have a 2.5 billion dollar industry, I say fantastic; that means less poor people in the world. However, animal activists do not care about good things for humans. The second part of the statement says that the animals are “skinned alive.” Tell me, what kind of retard skins an animal alive? This statement honestly has got to be one of the biggest pieces of fabricated dog poop that I have ever seen. Why would you skin an animal alive? Animals that are alive can bite you, they can claw you, they are fidgety. Do skinners like a challenge or something? I guarantee that they are killed before they are skinned. The third piece of this statement is the use of the terms “dogs and cats” to stir up emotion. Dogs and cats have an important place in Americans’ hearts. That is the reason these activists used it. However, I eat cows, I’m sure most of you reading this also eat cows. Hindus think cows are gods. In China, dogs and cats are viewed as friendly food (food that was once your friend). Just because you like dogs and cats doesn’t mean that the Chinese have to.

Now, why don’t animals have rights? Because rights are granted by peoples. Every right you have is protected by the government. Unfortunately, animals do not have governments, so they have no way of upholding their rights (one of the perks of being a superior being). Are we responsible for animals? No; if you disagree, just tell me why we should be responsible for animals, I will destroy your arguement. Animals are self sufficient entities. You are only responsible for dependent entities, enough said. Furthermore, if you do not believe we are superior beings, than that means we have even right to wear their skin and eat their innards. If we are equals, and there is truly some animals right crap, then there is a huge problem. Do you know what is worse than wearing skin? Eating it. Predators not only eat the animals’ innards but they also eat the skin. They even eat baby animals. If we are equal, we need to stop lions from eating gazelles, wolves from eating moose, killer whales from eating seals. Guess what other animals’ rights are violated by other animals… Ants herd aphids in the same way that we herd cattle. Basically, the ants own the aphids like slaves, and that technically violates the aphids rights to freedom.

If that isn’t enough proof that animals do not deserve rights, consider this: Why does the metazoa have more rights than the Embryophyta or the Fungi? We are all forms of life, what deems one life form superior than the other? Why can we eat, wear and kill plant life but not animal life? Personally I know; It’s the same reason humans can eat, wear and kill animals. Here is a link to a site I found which contains animal-wacko quotes: it’s furs.com. To end this epic blog I want to quote myself with a saying that I have been using for many a year: “I wouldn’t eat the little bastards if they didn’t taste so damn good,” I put that on a t-shirt.

Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan has dropped out of the Olympics due to a groin injury.  Now while many people will say that it was an admirable thing to do because it allowed Emily Hughes to get an invite.  Now while I don’t really watch ice skating ever, I must say one thing.  If ice skating is a sport, then where is the “don’t give up mentality present in all other sports?”  By dropping out Michelle Kwan has said two things, ice skating is for pansies and America has quitters in its midst. Michelle Kwan should have a chat with Donovan McNabb.

Hamas Refuses to Recognize Israel

In a response to the majority of the world refusing to acknowledge a Hamas run Palestine, Hamas has refused to recognize Israel. The US is refusing to send aid money to Palestine unless it disarms its militant wing and changes its platform from the “death of Israel” to something more pleasant. Israel is sending its last care package of $54 million, which is a literal lifeline to the Palistine government. Under these circumstances, I can see two outcomes. One, Hamas will break under the lack of funds and give in to the demands of the world. Or two, Hamas will break under the lack of funds and attack the rest of the world with suicide bombers because they feel “oppressed”. If the second happens, Israel will probably go to war and eliminate Hamas. However, of the two choices, I would put my money on the first one. Sure Hamas may still hate Israel, but you can’t bite the hand that feeds you (I once had a dog that bit me when I fed it, the keyword is had). My bet is that Hamas will sell out in an attempt to keep power.

Freak ‘o the Week – Mech Warrior

Ever wonder when we were gonna have Mechwarriors? Well I personally never cared, but some guys are trying to make “Mechas” a reality. I came across this while trying to find this week’s freak. It is an 18-foot tall mech warrior being built by some dude in Alaska. His web site is neogentronyx.com. Now, at first I was reminded of the forklift in the movie Aliens, but then I thought, “Doesn’t Japan love making Robots?” So I searched for more Mech Warriors and found even sweeter ones than this.

Toyota, the masterminds behind the Camry, have turned their skills toward the robotics world. First I found a walking chair, that was cool but then I dug deeper. They created some freaking sweat wheel chair called the i-Unit, along with a walking mech called the i-foot.

Beyond Toyota, other institutions have been working hard at mechanized exoskeletons. UC Berkeley has created “Bleex,” an exoskeleton that helps you carry heavy backpacks. The University of Tsukuba has created a device called “HAL” intended to help people to walk if they suffer from paralysis or something. HAL also gives the wearer “super human strength,” which is nice.

However, of all the mechs I found online, the coolest was definitely the “Land Walker” made by sakakibara-kikai; another company in Japan. The Land Walker is huge, can walk, and has guns. There is even a video showing the guy shooting the guns at a space invader. This thing may not be able to take on a tank yet, but America clearly needs to start making mech warriors for world war III, cause I don’t want the USA being the nation with the lamest weapons in that war.