Life Sometimes

You ever had one of those days when you just have so many things to do, but you just want to lay back and relax because you've been busy for the past few days and will continue to be busy in the near future.?  Of course you have, everybody has those days.  I had one of those days today.  I was walking all over town to get to classes, and to do other errands, which had to be done today, because I have work the next couple days, so I really don't have any other option than to do everything in one day  Maybe it's because I just haven't gotten the routine down yet, but I'm honestly just completely exhausted.  I hate making complaints like this public, but this is all I can really think about right now, so that's what I'm writing about.  Hopefully nominal service will return tomorrow, but right now, I just want to get to sleep.  Unfortunately, I still have some reading to do.  Ah well, such is college.

Team Fortress Tuesday #6

For this week's edition, I'd like to talk about getting better at TF2.  If you have any amount of self-motivation, you'll want to get better at everything you do, and I'm of the opinion that video games should be no different.  When I started off, I had no idea what I was doing.  The fun for  me was in learning the game, learning how to play every class, and how to play them well.  That novelty lasted me about six months.  After that point, I basically had all the mechanics down, I could pretty much do everything that was required of me to be a valuable team member on any pub server I joined.  However, even after one gets a hang of the basics, Team Fortress 2 is a very complex game, and if one wants to actually stand out, there is a lot that one needs to learn beyond mere basics.  It's not enough to learn how to rocket jump, you have to learn how to control your jumps, actually, airstrafing in general is a massively useful skill to learn, but it isn't a skill you see your typical noob learning.  The art of prediction is invaluable, the ability to completely control an enemy so you don't have to get down and dirty is great because one fight doesn't leave you crippled and looking for a Medic.  However, the most important thing that time will teach you is gamesense.  Granted, prediction is related to gamesense, but prediction is just a part of overall gamesense.  Prediction, map knowledge, knowledge of other class mechanics, all these things are part of gamesense, and if you have it, you can get away with not being so good at the whole deathmatching thing.

Writing Tips #1

It occurs to me that since I'm rather proficient at the whole writing thing, it would be beneficial to give out some tips on how to write.  After all, it can't hurt to get advice from a totally unproven amateur, right?  No way this could possibly go wrong. 

Anyway, now that I've inspired the proper amount of confidence, let's get to it.  One of the most important things for a writer to do is to, you know, write.  It's all well and good to be talented naturally, but you'll never improve unless you practice.  I'll be honest, this blog is as much a writing exercise as it is anything else.  Writing a few hundred words every day will help you enormously, because you'll be getting better.

What if you're not specifically a writer?  Obviously that advice doesn't do you much good if you don't want to make a living off of your writing.  So, let's say you're writing a paper for a class, and you have no idea where to start?  You're not a writer at heart, so any sort of extensive essay gives you fits.  However, if you really can't get started, it is actually beneficial to do a similar thing as above.  Just start writing down anything that comes to mind, and eventually you'll figure out exactly what you want to say.  Granted, you'll need to do some editing, but it beats staring at a blank computer screen for hours on end, wondering where to begin.  Trust me, we've all been there.

Barclays Championship

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1749909-barclays-2013-leaderboard-day-4-analysis-highlights-and-more?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&hpt=hp_t2

Looks like it was a crazy finish.  Wish I had gotten to watch it.

The News

I'll be honest, I knew it was going to be work maintaining a daily blog, but I'm struggling here to come up with something new and novel here everyday, and it's proving difficult with there not being a whole lot of interesting news.  Well, some might argue with that, but I'm talking about about real and educational stuff, you know, news that expands your horizons.  All I see now is the latest outrage about somebody dying or some sort of tragedy, and I don't know, it just doesn't get my blood boiling.  I know seeing all that upsets a lot of people, but for some reason, I just can't bring myself to care all that much.  But hey, that's what happens when we have cameras everywhere, and where anybody with an internet connection can have a big voice.  Maybe I'm jaded, maybe I have a thick skin, I don't know.  I don't want to say that I don't want to see the negative side of the world because frankly, it's important that we do see every story.  But we don't see every story, we only see the news that gets people's attention, and that news is usually bad.  People don't pay to know that life is good, they pay to see tragedy, so that's we get.  To be honest, it's little wonder that if you ask somebody on the street, they'll tell you that these are difficult times we live in, what with all the problems in the world.  But let's be honest here, our problems pale in comparison to those of the past.  We certainly don't live under threat of nuclear annihilation, or with World Wars, or Great Depressions, or real labor problems.  People complaining that the minimum wage isn't enough, that it hasn't been adjusted for inflation?  At least they're making money in relatively safe conditions.  At least they're not tied to the company like serfs.  The fact is, the world is as much at peace as it has ever been, but you'd never know it, because we don't hear about it.  We'd rather hear the bad news, because let's face it, it's just easier to be indignant.

College

So, college is starting up in a couple of days, and for me, it's my last semester.  I've got 6 classes, one more than normal, but since one of my classes is a gym class, I needed an extra one.  It's interesting, in only a few months, I'll be done with school for the rest of my life.  Like most people my age, I don't remember a time when I didn't have school looming over my head.  That sounds negative, but I mean that in a positive way, I like school, I like learning.  I'm going to miss obligatory learning.  Of course, being an English major, there's been so many subjects that I've been able to completely neglect.  It's kind of sad how little I've had to deal with math and the sciences.  I came into college with credits from AP tests, so I only had to take one science class and no math classes.  I'm actually taking an extra science class this semester, because I like learning about science.  It's kind of sad, I haven't taken any sort of math since high school, I've forgotten more about math than most of my fellow English students ever knew.  In one of my classes last semester, one of the things we had to read dealt with quantum mechanics, and let me tell you, no one had any idea what any of it meant.  I tried explaining it because I'd done some reading a few years back, and I understood it.  Well, as much as any layperson would.  But explaining those concepts to a bunch of English majors, a bunch of people who should be reasonably intelligent felt like I was talking to a wall.  I kept it simple, I really did, but honestly, I wanted to beat my head against a wall.  We just don't learn enough in college.  I really think every college student would benefit from a balanced class list.  Taking more than basic classes outside of your major would make everyone a better person. 

A Modern Interpretation of Doctor Faustus, Scene 3

 Something fun I did for one of my college classes.  Enjoy!

[Enter Faustus to conjure]

Faustus- It’s a cold November night, and I’m all alone up here.  Everyone I know is at a party because they’re all a bunch of fools.  They came to college, but they have no interest in learning.  It’s terrible.  So, rather than joining them, I think I’m going to summon the devil.  I want to see if I can get him to serve me, and obey my every wish.  So, I’ve got this summoning circle where I’ve written down the name of God forward and backward, and the names of holy saints.  The planets are aligned because you can’t summon things without planet alignment.  Everyone knows that.  Alright, let’s do this, there’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just the devil, nothing to be afraid of here.  Let the magic words do the work for you.  Sint mihi dei Acherontis proptii!  Valeat numen triplex Jehovae!  Ignei, aerii, aquatic, terreni spiritus salvete!  Orientis princeps, Belzebub inferni ardentis monarcha, et Demogorgon, propitiamus vos ut appareat et surgat Mephastophilis.  Quid tu mororis?  Per Jehovam, Gehennam, et consecratam aquam quam nunc spargo, signumque crucis quod nunc facio, et per vota, ipse surgat nobis dicatus Mephastophilis.

           

 [Enter a devil]

Hey, you!  Don’t appear to me like that!  You look like a devil!  Come back when you look like a person.  Actually, come back to me looking like a monk, because I’m an asshole to all the supernatural beings that I summon. [Exit Devil]  Huh, he actually listened to me.  I must be really good at this magic thing for him to be this compliant.  Now I can command the devil, how can this possibly go wrong?  Quin redis, Mephastophilis, fratris imagine!

            

 [Enter Mephastophilis]

Mephastophilis- So, Mister Faustus, what can I do for you?

Faustus- I want you to be my servant, to do whatever I want, no matter what it is, I want you to do it for me.

Mephastophilis- I’m the servant of Lucifer, I can’t just follow you without his consent.

Faustus- Did he tell you to come here?

Mephastophilis- No, I came of my own accord.

Faustus- So, it wasn’t my conjuring that brought you here?

Mephastophilis- It did bring me here, but not for the reason you think.  When we hear someone 

blaspheme God like you were doing, we come to try and take their soul.  We only do it though when the person truly prays to Satan.

Faustus- Well, I’ve done just that.  Lucifer is my king, and I dedicate myself to him.  Eternal damnation doesn’t scare me, because frankly, I don’t think it’s that bad.  So, tell me about Lucifer.

Mephastophilis- He rules hell.

Faustus- Wasn’t he an angel once?

Mephastophilis- Yes, and one of God’s favorites.

Faustus- Then how did he end up in hell?

Mephastophilis- He conspired against God, who actually isn’t all that forgiving, and who decided to throw him to hell.

Faustus- And what about you?  How’d you end up in hell?

Mephastophilis- I followed Lucifer, instead of God, and for that I shared his fate.

Faustus- So, if you got sent to hell, how are you here?  Can you just leave at will?

Mephastophilis- You wouldn’t understand, this is hell, hell is all around us.  Not being in God’s presence is hell, being deprived of heaven is worse than you could possibly imagine.

Faustus- Why are you so upset about not being in heaven?  I’ll teach you how to be a real man, and I’ll make you laugh at those things you miss about heaven.  Tell Lucifer that I will forsake God, offer up my soul to him, in exchange, I want 24 years of your service.  I want you to serve me, to give me whatever I want, to do whatever I want, and to always be obedient to me.  Go, return to Lucifer, and meet me in my study in an hour, and tell me what his decision is.

Mephastophilis- I will, Faustus.                      [Exit]

Faustus- If I had as many souls as there were stars in the sky, I’d give them all to Mephastophilis.  With him by my side, I will become ruler of the world.  From the cold wastes of the Arctic to the tropical African shores, I will rule over all.  No country will stand against me, not America, not China, no one.  Now that I have what I want, I’m going to go think about everything I can do until Mephastophilis returns with his answer.

Fed-Ex Cup

So, the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs start tomorrow.  Truly, this is an exciting time, all those majors were just a warm-up for the sheer adrenaline that the playoffs will offer.  Unfortunately, I can be as sarcastic as I want to about it, but the fact is that the playoffs could hardly fail to be less exciting than the last major.  Of course, you can see my views on that here:

http://looseontheinternet.blogspot.com/2013/08/thoughts-on-pga-championship.html

The Fed-Ex Cup has been going on for several years now, and while it has gotten easier to understand, it still doesn't feel very important.  I think they've run into the same problem that they ran into with the Players Championship.  Golf has four majors, and it really doesn't have room for another big tournament.  I know the LPGA has five majors this year, and it just doesn't feel right.  Inbee Park has won three out of the four, and if she wins the last one, people aren't sure if it's a Grand Slam or not.  Personally, I would say no, but that's not the point here.  The point is that golf, no matter what tour, only has room for four major tournaments, and the PGA Tour already has four.  I don't think it matters how much the Tour puffs up the Fed-Ex Cup, it will never be particularly important.

Team Fortress Tuesday #5

For this edition, I want to talk about my favorite maps.  When it comes to maps, I have a strong preference towards 5CP.  3 out of the 4 are 5CP: Process, Gullywash, and Badlands.  Process is insanely fun for Soldier because of all the ramps.  Rocket jumping is so much fun with all the different skip jumps off the ramps.  You can go from one side of the map to the other in one series of jumps, and that never gets old.  Gullywash can get stalematey, but I don't know, it has an interesting design, the control points are unique.  And I love the underground route to the last control point, it has helped me end many games of Engineer Fortress.  Of course, Badlands is a classic, the spire is just so ridiculously fun to fight on.  The other map I really enjoy is Gravel Pit.  I feel like it rewards intelligent gameplay, which is something I can always get behind.  Also, I've played the map so much I really know it like the back of my hand.  Based off of that experience, it seems to be friendly towards all the classes, and even though I prefer 6's to Highlander, I think for pubs, it's good to give every class something to do.  That isn't the case with my guilty pleasure map.  We all have one, that map that is terrible in every way but you like anyway for whatever reason.  For me, that map is Dustbowl.  It's terrible, it really is, but I have fun on it sometimes, and you get to laugh at some of those players who don't know any better.  Watching five hatless engineers whacking their sentries is comedy gold. 

Ben Crenshaw Interview

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/ben-crenshaw-interview-masters-ryder-cup-golf-course-design-and-his-favorite-courses?page=1

This is an interview done in Golf Magazine with Ben Crenshaw, a famous golfer and golf course architect.  He has a lot of interesting and refreshing ideas, and since his courses speak for themselves, he really can be humble about it.  I would love to get out and play some of the courses he and Bill Coore have built, especially Sand Hills.  Seriously, that place just looks magical.

On Social Change

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/17/us/four-ways-to-beat-the-man/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

The above article details the important components of staging a successful social movement.  I found it highly informative.  One question the article raises is whether or not another social revolution is necessary in the US.  Seeing as how it seems fashionable to declare that we live in troubled times, I don't think there's any stronger way to deny that claim than to look around and note that there is no social revolution.  The conclusion of the article is that if the circumstances are extreme enough, any group of people will rebel, and I honestly think that about the US today.  I think that my generation has become too dependent on technology and doesn't know how to get their hands dirty, but if their comfortable life is threatened, they'd learn.  Unfortunately for the proponents of change, those circumstances are not threatened.  The average person is still relatively content, and neither side is successfully appealing to the average person.  The article does sort of mention the importance of appealing to the middle, and to the necessity of compromise, but I feel that enlisting the support of the middle is absolutely necessary.  It isn't the downtrodden you have to convince to join your cause, and you'll never convince the people against you.  It's the moderates who need to be convinced.

An important example of this is the aftermath of the Boston Massacre.  The instigators of the riot were hoping that the British soldiers would be charged with murder, and that Britain would intervene on the soldier's behalf, proving that Britain did not have the colonists best interests at heart.  Unfortunately, if that had actually happened, all it would have proved that Boston was being run by an unruly mob, and that Britain was fully justified in military intervention.  Thanks to the impassioned defense of John Adams, the soldiers were acquitted, and there was no military intervention yet.  Furthermore, moderates felt they could get behind the Bostonian's cause, so when the British military did come in after the Boston Tea Party, the reaction in the colonies was that Britain had gone too far in punishing Boston.  What does this prove?  Patience and compromise are essential in any social revolution, and that the middle will only act when they feel threatened.  I fully acknowledge that things are not perfect, and that change would be nice.  However,  the parties at either political spectrum pushing for change seem neither patient or willing to compromise.  Compromise and moderation is certainly not in the Tea Party's language, and liberal minded people always seem to forget that part of toleration is tolerating the opinions you don't agree with.  As much as the vocal minority would lead you to believe, things are not that bad right now.  As a content moderate, I don't feel that my standard of living is in any danger.  Why would I go out and campaign for big change when I don't think it's necessary?  Why should I care?  Until I feel like I would get something out of a social revolution, I'm going to stay put.  And until someone proves otherwise, I'm going to keep considering the people out on the edges as exactly that: crazy people who are out of touch with reality.  So for all you prospective revolutionaries out there, I'll offer this wisdom: pick the battles you can win, cause you won't win all of them.  Maybe sometime you will, but not today.

Some Funny Videos

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkxji9Npm4ijlD306I-BCTDabAdVhGwzh

I haven't personally played any of the Grand Theft Auto games, but that really doesn't stop these videos from being absolutely hilarious.  This is probably my favorite series of videos on Youtube.  Seriously, they're really funny.

Regrets

I don't subscribe to the belief that one should not have regrets in their life.  I think if you go through life without meditating on the mistakes you've made, you're setting yourself up to repeat those mistakes.  However, it is important to learn from these regrets and not to dwell on them.  If you let mistakes define your existence, it will be difficult for you to try anything new, for fear of failure.  As usual, the best course of action is one of moderation, but the middle path is often the most difficult one to take.  I can see why ignoring your mistakes is so appealing, especially to people of my generation.  I don't think we're very well equipped to deal with our own shortcomings.  It has become fashionable to say that everyone is perfect the way they are, when that is just not true.  No one is ever perfect, everyone can make mistakes, and if you think otherwise, life is going to be difficult for you.  Sometimes you just have to accept that it was your fault.  I know, doing that is difficult, but acknowledging the fact  that you are not perfect is taking a big step in leading a fulfilling life.

Pushing Daisies

I remember watching Pushing Daisies when it was first on.  Actually, it was rather special, as it was one of the few shows the entire family sat down and watched because we all really liked it.  Unfortunately, it didn't last very long.  I don't remember why, but I missed the last couple episodes when they aired, and since I've never seen reruns of the show, I had never seen how it ended.  That changed today.  I've been watching the show for the past week or so, and I got myself all caught up.  There were only 21 episodes, it didn't take too long.  While I was watching, my initial feelings on the show were confirmed: this was one of the greatest things I'd ever seen.  I love everything about the show, the characters, the dialogue, the visuals, everything about the show was great.  It was so off the wall, yet it never felt absurd.  The visual aspect was perhaps the show's greatest strength, it seems like it's rare nowadays to find a live-action TV show that aspires to be bright and colorful.  I don't know what it is, but everybody like dark and gloomy.  Actually, I could go on about the show for a long time, but I don't want to ramble.  So I'll just say that of all the shows cancelled before their time, this one hurts me the most. 

Hyperloop

http://blog.caranddriver.com/elon-musks-hyperloop-do-760-mph-while-sitting-in-a-tube/

I've seen several articles on the Hyperloop in the past few days, and it does look pretty interesting.  If it turns out to be less expensive than a train, I don't see why we shouldn't start building these things.  I love to drive, but honestly, sometimes it's just easier not to, and since taking a plane or a train is a pain, the idea of travelling in a high-tech pneumatic tube sounds like a breath of fresh air.  We'll have to see if this actually happens, if it does, it could do wonders.

Team Fortress Tuesday #4

While I don't play competitive Team Fortress 2 currently, I like to follow the scene, and the next couple of weeks figure to be pretty big.  There are two big LAN's in the next two weekends, the ESEA LAN this weekend, and i49 next weekend.  This week, the four best North American TF2 teams will meet and play against each other, and barring some major upset, we all know who the winner is going to be.  HRG has played two perfect seasons, and with their number one challenge having roster issues, I don't see them losing this LAN.  The next event figures to be more interesting.  The i49 LAN is in Europe, but like i46 last year, there will be two non-European teams going as well.  Last year it was two American teams, this year it's HRG, from America, and iM, the best team in Australia.  I hope this one is more competitive than the last, because the European teams got absolutely destroyed by the Americans.  This European LAN in Europe featured two American teams in the finals.  I think that was a bit of a rude awakening for them, and with some additional weapons allowed in the European leagues now and the European teams out of their hibernation, I can't imagine they'll be beaten so easily this time around.  I don't know much about the Australian team, but I hear they're good.  It really should be an exciting tournament.

Advanced Hot Dog Cooking

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/how-to-cook-a-sausage-with-an-aventador-2013-08-12

I don't know who that guy is, but he is a genius.  I think that's all that needs to be said about that video.

Thoughts on the PGA Championship

Well, I suppose it's only fitting that the most boring golfer won today, because this tournament has been a snooze.  I don't want to blame the golf course entirely, because no course should be set up like that.  Thick rough does not make for exciting golf, it gets rather dull when you watch someone pitch out into the fairway again and again and again.  I watched most of the back nine today, and all Dufner and Furyk were doing was hitting fairway, green, then two putts.  That's why Dufner won, because he didn't do anything wrong.  He just played calm, cautious golf because that's all he needed to do.  If you played aggressively, any slight mistake meant a bogey.  So, no epic charges today, because the golf course just wasn't set up for it.  This was just as painful to watch as the U.S Open.  I don't care for watching golfers back up on Sunday, I want to see them take the title by playing the best, not by making the fewest mistakes.  So next time, tone down the rough a bit.

Mars One Project

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/tech/innovation/mars-one-applications/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

The above link goes to an article about the Mars One Project, which proposes to send a series of small groups to Mars.  These people will be there for the rest of their lives.  Now, before I get going, I commend the spirit of the people who started the project and the people who signed up for it.  Manned space exploration is a noble goal, and like it or not, it really will become a necessity at some point in the future.  That being said, there's no way this is going to happen.  The project proposes launching in 2022, which is only nine years in the future.  For reference, it took NASA eight years to become ready for a moon landing, and that was with the resources of an entire nation and boundless determination.  While private space flight has at least gotten off the ground, it is nowhere close to being ready to send a man to Mars.  If their goal was the moon, maybe, but Mars is a much more difficult and dangerous target.  I'm sorry, but there is no way a grassroots project like this will work.  The technology just isn't there, and it will cost billions to develop it, and I don't think the people involved have enough money to do it.  To even attempt this flight would be insanely reckless and would probably do more harm than good to the name of space exploration, an area that has low enough public support as it is.

The Definition of 'Favorite'

Judging from what I see browsing the Web, I think there's a lot of confusion on what 'favorite' actually means.  A lot of people see someone using that word and think that person means 'greatest,' or 'best.'  This is not necessarily the truth, and in fact usually isn't.  The difficulty stems from the fact that it is nearly impossible to objectively declare something to be the best, so instead people substitute in their own personal opinions, which is worse.  Something doesn't have to be great to be one of my favorites, and just because something is great doesn't mean I have to like it.  For example, one of my favorite bands is Electric Light Orchestra, yet by no stretch of the imagination would I consider them a great band.  Very good, yes, but not great.  Sticking with music, I recognize the Beatles as being one of the greatest musical acts ever, but I still don't really like them.  Another example, I really like The Big Bang Theory, but I wouldn't consider it a great TV show.  It's amusing, but not earth-shattering.  On the flip side, I thought Breaking Bad is painfully boring, but I'm willing to admit that it's a highly-influential and quality show.  In summary, 'favorite' signifies an opinion, while 'great' or 'best' signify a fact.  If people could just wrap their heads around that, the internet would be a much more pleasant place.

An Idea for the PGA Championship

It's no secret that the PGA is the least prestigious of the majors.  It's important, but winning a PGA just doesn't have the same oomph as winning a Masters, or either of the Opens.  It just seems like the sort of major anybody can win.  I know that happens all the time, and that all of the majors get fluke winners, but the PGA seems especially prone to it.  Part of the problem is that the PGA doesn't really have its own distinct identity.  The Masters has Augusta, it doesn't move from Augusta, instead, they change the golf course.  You'd think that for all the talk of hallowed ground they'd pause for a moment before ruining one of the greatest, boldest courses ever designed, but this isn't about the Masters.  The U.S Open plays tough courses with even tougher setups, and any scores significantly under par is bad.  Doesn't exactly make for exciting play, but it's their thing, and they've stuck with it for a very long time.  The British Open has links courses, and golf how it was meant to be played.  It also provides a refreshing alternative to the power game that dominates the tour and the other majors.  The past three British Open winners have been over 40, and just look at what Tom Watson did back in 2009.  A 59 year old should have won, I'm still bitter about that one.  Then you've got the PGA, which doesn't have anything to stand out.  It's a slightly easier U.S Open which plays worse golf courses.  Valhalla?  Come on.  It's going there next year, so that should be a real winner.  There are lots of ideas for invigorating the PGA, and I don't know if this particular idea has come up, but I'll throw it out anyway.  The PGA should be much, much more experimental with their course choices.  They should take it to an entirely new course every year, one that isn't on any regular rotation.  No more Oak Hills, Medinahs, or Baltusrols.  I want to see the PGA at places like the National, Bandon Dunes, Yale, places like that.  Courses with classic architecture that are off the beaten path.  The professionals might tear them up, but it would be nice to get a bit more exposure to some golf courses that deserve a bit more attention.  And it might be a good way to boost the PGA Championship's profile a bit.

Guitar Hero

It isn't a good game.  Not at all.  It isn't fun to play, or to watch, or anything.  I'm glad it's gone.  I just needed to say that.

Team Fortress Tuesday #3

I completely forgot about this last week, but TFTuesdays are back.  This time around, I want to talk about a controversial group that you can find in any game, but have a real onus in Team Fortress 2.  I'm talking about those players who are bad at the game.  I recall reading something on World of Warcraft that I think is all too true for any online game, "The only thing they hate more than people who don't play are the people who are new to the game."  I feel that sentiment works especially well for Team Fortress 2.  As you might know, the game became free to play a little more than two years ago.  This opened the floodgates for all sorts of people to download the game and give it a try.  I should know, I was one of them.  It also meant that any sort of bad player was labeled a F2P and vigorously insulted.  While that insult doesn't get tossed around as much anymore, I still see anybody who is bad at the game get abused for being bad at the game.  I see it a lot, because I play on the basic Valve servers.  I don't know, maybe it's because I've been there, but I just don't understand why it's so fashionable to dump on new players.  I see some guy whiffing every shot and moving in a completely incomprehensible fashion, I don't get mad, I laugh.  We have four Snipers on a team?  I'll join them.  If it becomes clear that we're not going to win because the other team is just better than us, it's not a big deal to me.  Sure, winning is fun, but I'm not going to break my back over trying to achieve something that isn't going to happen.  I mean, what sort of mean-spirited person doesn't crack a smile watching some laggy Spy waving their knife in an enemy Heavy's face? 

A Year of Curiosity

The Curiosity rover has been on Mars for a year now.  While the rover captured the public's eye with its exciting landing, I've been waiting for a while, watching the science roll in.  This article provides a good summary of everything that the probe has accomplished in the past year:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/08/curiosity-year-discoveries/?pid=9781&viewall=true

The confirmation that Mars had fresh liquid water at its surface is the most exciting piece of news.  The implications should be obvious, where there is water, life usually follows.  Unfortunately, Curiosity isn't equipped to look for ancient or current life, so we'll have to wait for the next rover to find the answer to those questions.  However, the prospects for current life on Mars do not look good, as Curiosity was unable to detect any methane in the Martian atmosphere.  Methane had previously been detected, and since methane almost always comes from an organic source, modern life on Mars seemed likely.  This result doesn't mean there isn't currently life on Mars, but the odds are against it.  The rover is still going strong, and hopefully the future will prove to be as productive as the past year for Curiosity.

The Old Spongebob

I grew up watching Spongebob.  Back in the day, I must have watched each episodes a couple dozen times each.  After the movie came out, the quality took a definite nosedive, and I stopped watching.  I grew up more, and I would go months without watching an episode.  However, I still had a very fond memory of the old show.  I can still quote off from just about each episode of the first three seasons.  Now, a big part of me wanted to chalk that up to nostalgia, that maybe they weren't as good as I really thought.  This really came about because most of my friends have been caught up in modern cartoons like Adventure Time, but I just can't get into it.  It just isn't funny at all.  It just seemed so much worse than what I was used to.  So, I've been watching old episodes of Spongebob, and let me just say, there's a reason the show became so popular.  They are still absolutely hilarious.  Something I notice with a lot of cartoons today is that the humor just seems lazy.  Nobody seems willing to take any extra effort, or to go that extra mile.  They go for the easy laugh.  I feel like this isn't the case with the old Spongebob episodes.  I don't know, maybe I just can't look at it objectively, but Spongebob just feels great.  It's absurd, but it doesn't lean on absurdity for its humor, utilizing verbal wit just as much.  I appreciate that.

Short Story Part 4

This is the final section of the short story I've been gradually posting.  Hope you've enjoyed it.

            “I can stop you,” I declared, stepping out into the open.

            The gang leader looked me over quickly, than chuckled.  “I doubt it.  You don’t look like you’re any kind of fighting man.”

            “Neither do you,” I retorted.  “Now, leave these people alone, or else.”

            “Or what?” he sneered.  “What are you going to do?”

            “You don’t know who I am, do you?” I said.

            “No, I don’t.  Well, you’re a moron standing in front of a gang, but I presume that’s not what you mean.”

            “Does the name Smithsfield ring a bell?” I asked.

            “Smithsfield?” the gang leader looked confused now.  “Yes, of course the name of the company that supplies our revolution rings a bell, how stupid are you?  And what does that have to do with anything?”

            “Perhaps you’re aware that the Smithfields had a son,” I said.

            “Of course,” he glared at me.  “But he’s a recluse; no one’s seen him since the Smithfields died in the Philadelphia riots.  And that was a year ago.  Where are you going with this?”

            “Their son isn’t a recluse,” I let a triumphant smile spread across my face.  I was enjoying this.

            “What…how could you know that?  And why are you grinning at me?”

            I was enjoying this, I really was.  “Because my name is Eric Smithsfield, and I own Smithfield, Incorporated.”

            “What?” the other man exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.  “No, that…that can’t be!”

            “My parents were fools!” I said.  “You hear that!  Fools!  They’re not heroes, they’re not martyrs, they were wrong about everything!  All they cared about was saving the planet, no matter what the cost was.  And you know what?  It has cost us.  The things that they made, the things you all use, the way of life you want us all to live…it just isn’t right.  There’s no soul, no passion, it’s all just cold-hearted technology.  That life you lead, the life you want people to lead, and the life I used to lead, it’s just so empty.  It’s no fun.”

            “But there are more important things than fun,” he protested.  “The planet!”

            “I know,” I sighed.  “And in the end, I’m sure you’ll end up winning argument.  We’ll all lead boring lives ruled by boring machines, because it’s good for the planet.  But I ask you; give us some time to enjoy our freedom while we can.  I know you hate cars, but just look at these things.  Every last one of them is a work of art, and they all mean something to us.  The open road; and a freedom that I don’t think is long for this world.  That’s why I’m out here, that’s why I left my company behind.  I want to enjoy this while I still can.  Now, all of you; get out of here.  Go back to your cities where you belong.  Go back, or I’ll make sure you never get any technical support for your stupid cell phones ever again.”  That last threat did the trick.  Utterly defeated by my completely airtight logic, the gang slowly went back to their cars.  With one last vindictive look, the gang leader followed suit, and the Priuses drove off together in what was surely the quietest convoy of all time.

            The patrons of the bar came up to me, thanking me profusely.  That night, I had a place of honor among the citizens of Cimarron.  It felt good, it had been a long time since I had belonged.  As the clock ticked by and the people left, I was left with a dilemma.  Even after just two days, I knew that I could make a life here.  I knew I would be welcome.  Most people would see what a good thing I had here.  Except me.

            The next morning, I had made my decision.  It wasn’t that hard.  I packed my bags and dragged them downstairs and out to the car.  I walked back inside to the bartender.

            “Suppose I should return this,” I said, handing over the key.

            “You don’t need it anymore?” he asked.

            “No, I don’t think I do,” I said.  “I hope you understand.” 

            “I understand,” he paused.  “Son, that was a noble thing you did, standing up for us like that.  We won’t soon forget it.  If you ever come back here again, we’ll make you feel at home.” 

            “Thank you,” I said.  “This is a great town you’ve got here, don’t let it anyone spoil it.” 

            “We won’t,” he said.  “Whatever it is you’re looking for, I hope you find it.  Goodbye, Eric.”

            “Goodbye,” I said.  I turned and walked straight to the Jag.  The engine roared into life and I tore out onto the highway, racing with the morning light.  The man at the bar thought I was looking for something, but I already knew what it was.  As I left the town of Cimarron behind, I felt truly at home.

Firestone Country Club

The PGA Tour has been playing at Firestone for quite a long time, first at the World Series of Golf, and now as part of the World Golf Championship series.  Now I must admit, even though I've never played the course, I have fond memories of it.   The first golf video game I ever played had only one golf course, Firestone.  This was a very long time ago, back in the 90's.  It was on my grandparents old computer, which was running on Windows 95.  I remember that it was one of the greatest things I'd ever seen, and to this day, I can still remember the game fondly.  That said, I know quite a lot more about golf than I did when I was seven, and it has to be said, Firestone is a terrible golf course.  It's the ultimate expression of one of some of the worst trends in golf.  The routing of a golf course is extremely important, a poorly routed golf course can never reach its fullest potential.  If you look at the Firestone's South Course from an aerial view, you'll notice that virtually every hole runs in straight lines, parallel to each other.  This is the worst thing a golf course could do.  Every hole will look the same.  It doesn't help that every hole is pretty much the same.  The par 3's are all around 200 yards, and the par 4's have very little variation.  Ideally, you could have almost 200 yards between the longest and shortest par 4's, but Firestone has less than 100.  I'll grant that the par 5's are a little interesting, and the 16th is justly famous, but it only has two of them.  So here we have a golf course that looks and plays in the most boring fashion possible.  Perhaps it's little surprise the professionals love it there, since everything is right in front of them and there's no surprises.  Maybe Tiger will do something interesting so that the week won't be a complete bore.

Update: Tiger shot a 61 today.  After two days, he's ahead by seven shots.   He did something interesting.

Super Smash Brothers: Melee Versus Brawl

When it comes to Smash Bros, I've always been a Melee fan.  It's what I learned on, and for quite a while my roommate in freshman year and I went head to head for many an hour.  He was very good at the game, and he only got better as we went along.  I'll admit, he and another one of my friends are really good at the game, about as good as a casual Smash Bros player will be.  I'm not quite at their level, but I put up a decent fight, they actually have to try to beat me.  I play Falco, and my friends play Sheik and Falco.  The action is intense, and honestly, I had trouble playing as other characters because of how slow they fell.  Falco falls fast, and I got used to that.  Now, I've been playing Brawl in recent days, and I'm still not used to the slow falling in that game.  I'm sitting around waiting to hit the ground, it really does mess up my timing.  Everything in Brawl feels slower, and while I do like the game, I feel that Melee was overall better.  The arenas are less chaotic, the action is faster, and some of the items in Brawl are a little ridiculous.  I hate to say that Brawl is oriented towards more casual gamers, but it just isn't as focused as Melee.  So, if you want to have a serious fight, play Melee, if you want to goof off with friends, play Brawl, turn all the items off except for the various bombs, set the drop rate to high, and watch everything explode.  The cluster bomb thing is ridiculous.