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News: Ahright, so the US gov't thinks its constituents are stupid.
Sun, 28 Oct 2007

I mean, one can question the Bush administrations motives and efficiency and so-forth (though I don't doubt for a minute Dubyah is actually a bad person; I really do think he is sincere. And a fascist, but I digress.) But when a prominent wing of the government outright attempts to trick the public Orwellian-style, and furthermore actually believes they can get away with it.. the only conclusion one can draw is that they believe the American public is stupid enough to go for it. Or else this stunt was during the World Series so no one would notice. Pretty disgusting if you ask me. This is one administration that needs to facde jail time or serious fines .. anyone else tries to pull those stunts (*cough* Enron) and they're up a creek.

Riddle me this Batman -- why does the word Pacifist include Fist. And Passing one.

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Health: Healthy by Default?
Mon, 22 Oct 2007

That phrase has popped into my mind a few times over the last couple weeks. I suppose I've been revisiting old vices to work out if I want to attempt to discard them or not, but its tough -- vices are vices because they're just so darned lovable. Consider caffeine -- I don't drink coffee (its disgusting) or tea (too lazy), but imbibe cola by the truckload. (I'm trying to work the word 'imbible' into this somehow, but its just not going to fit.) Anyway, I don't drink the cola for the caffeine -- its a nice little boost (and yes, all you coffee drinkers will note how patheticly small a boost it is while you gag on your vile bean) but I just dig the taste. Of late I'm hooked on the Dr. Pepper, much as I was as a child when they ran a contest whereby cans would have a Space Invader printed on the bottom.

Now that was something. Hell, I can blame them right -- who can refuse a delicious beverage with a giant pixelated monster on the bottom?

Still by the by, we all know cola (diet or otherwise) is really bad for us. I've given it up before a few times and endured crippling headaches for a few days to emerge the better man, only to decide wholeheartedly I'd rather be on the sauce than not.

Another vice (I prefer 'feature') is a certain piece of jewellery embedded in my person. In my tongue, you perves. Its pretty happy in there, and that location is relatively private .. so I've never been worried about the job interviews or the like. My daughter seems fascinated by it, too. But really, my teeth have been severely damaged by it over the long years I've been sporting it (probably 15 or so now!) As my brother would put it - "Its harder than you". The partial solution is to pick up plastic studs for the bar instead of the usual stainless steel ones -- plastic should wear on the goods so much more less.

But the question that has entered my mind so many times the last few weeks -- to be an example for my child, should I be healthy by default? I love my cola and my tonguering. But ditching both would improve my overall health and knocking off a few poounds due to reduced cola consumption would add some time (and isn't _any_ time worth it) to my existance on this terra firma. And cost less to boot.

But damn you Mr. Pepper, you makes a fine bevvy. So many long nights over these few decades have we danced the ends of the candle together..

Hmmmm.

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Gaming: Valve's _Portal_ in review
Mon, 15 Oct 2007

Portal has the potential. Like chocolate. It knows things. Sadly, this latest title from mighty Valve of Halflife fame, is only scratching a surface where lay many itches in waiting.

(Portal is I think available only in The Orange Box, a collection including the aforementioned Halflife 2 title and so forth, plus Team Fortress 2, and all at a very compelling price. Sure, you have to bend over for the Steam system to violate your machine, but fine.. games downloading in background direct to your spinal column, is oft worth the discomfort. Or you can buy the XBox 360 version.)

Anyway, Portal is probably unique among games (how rare is that?) since it is really a puzzle game implemented within a first person shooter. Doubleplusgood. The central puzzle is that your avatar, standing at the front of some strange room, must be brought to an exit at the other end.. where 'end' is defined as somewhere else in the 3d-space instead of being opposite you. What sets this apart is the method of control the player imposes over his world is via a portal gun - a device that lets the player place two circular entrances into a wormhole into the world. Think of it like this -- placing a portal on a wall beside you and also down the hall on the floor means you could then walk into the wall and end up walking up and out of the floor by the by. Momentum is maintained, so if you jump through the wall on an angle, you'll fly out of the floor at that angle relative to the portals position on the floor. Neat. And immediately usable, as if a new limb on your body.

Suffice to say this simple mechanism is really compelling. I found myself looking at a long corridor to walk down and thinking immediately 'hell with this' .. drop a portal on one wall and a wall at the end, step through and turn around and keep going, instantly saving a few seconds of treading about. A tool like this you would simply make use of in every day life should it turn up. Second nature.

Naturally, the game puzzles are more complex than than that -- you'll find yourself dodging gun turrets (or dropping them through floors), falling onto floors several stories down so that you can vault high over some obstacle, or climbing around strange 3d rooms laid out like a jenga tower, not in any sensible square like we use. Its fantastic. Sometimes reactions must be quick as you'll be placing portals just in time to capture and repoing something, then flinging yourself through the air to an exit and so forth, but its all good. If something seems really hard and out of place, you're probably doing it the hard way. Without revealing anything, a few times I found msyelf up against somethign seemingly twitchy and hard, then realizing I could totally circumvent it via some clever placement of portals. The imagination reels with options, but Valve has very carefully constrained the levels so you can't be done them in mere seconds.. no, you must use strategy, delicious delicious strategy.

The problem is that Portal is really short. 19 levels, where the first 10 are really just two minute trainers to get you used to travelling in this erratic way. So really, we're talking about 9 or 10 actual levels, each relatively unique, that you can complete in 5 or 10 minutes. So in total, a couple hours gameplay. Still, considering this is one small part of a cheap pacakge its worth the money.. but its a steak dinner without the potatos -- you are left wanting.

I commend Valve for their usual high quality; each main level presents a new theme, and they exploit it in that session and move on. Most games would flog each theme for dozens of levels each. But in this one case, I would _love_ to see more.. even of the same. Just a few more levels without waiting for the modding community. With how short the game is, one can only assume Valve was really just being lazy.. rather assuming the modders would make their content for them rather than meeting half way. In this day and age it is difficult to go the right distance .. to provide enough content to be good, without going too far and delaying indefinately or spending too much and all that. But this is enough to make one mad.

I mean really.. if I can complete the game over a couple of very short sessions, it means someone with normal human free time could knock it off in one evening. Thats pretty sad for a title with such huge potential.

The Orange Box is excellent value, and all the games therein are fantastic.. but don't be lazy, GabeValve. Where'd those years of development go? There must be dozens of half baked levels lieing around.. you going to troll them out over months? bleh. I suppose with how little free time I have this is nice in a way.. a game I can finish! But 99% of the rest of the world expendable time.

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Quotes: One from Black Mage
Thu, 04 Oct 2007

OKay, this is a little gamer-centric so I'll explain. Black Mage sees something stupid in the world, and then exclaims:

I'd cry, but there aren't enough tears.

That riff always makes me laugh. Just like Not yours in Fark or seeing lolkitty or Cliche Kitty.

Aside: Star Wars Lego (For PSP) really does rock. Screw you naysayers!

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