Category Archives: My Word

iPadding

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This thing is a true test to consumer stupidity.

When Steve Jobs comes out and says something akin to this being the notebook killer, he is insinuating that this thing is a computer. Technically, a calculator is a computer, so let’s be clear here.

This is tech-bling, plain and simple. This is that device you pull out of your backpack at the Bistro in downtown Manhattan while you sip your gourmet coffee and tap away on your sheet of glass you call a tablet. Yes, you are sure to attract the attention of passersby as you feign interest in some NY Times article you’re reading on your iPad while you passively adjust your turtleneck ever so slightly for maximum neck coverage.

It’s a toy. That’s all. An over-priced toy. I think people just have a fascination with moving colorful icons around on a piece of dark reflective glass.

I’m sorry Mr. Jobs, while I thought the iPhone was a cool idea, this time you’re just insulting my intelligence. I never did like Apple, and while my opinion of them might have started to change slightly, once I saw the iPad and Macbook Air, my opinion was locked down. I’ll stick to using real computers, Mr. Jobs.

Sundered

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Foundations solidified by a blistering time, sand driven deep by winds of tempest speed make not a crumbling shift, but a mass unmoved by gods nor the very time to which birth rites are doled. Not third but first the stars that shine do compete for the crown deserved by whom is seated, not so arrogantly, but humbly upon a throne shaped from generosity; a monarchy only befitting the traits of virtuous souls seated in pairs.

But to what is unmoved may be changed, not by time, but by truth. A truth challenged where generosity thrived shakes ground upon those who are seated, moving violently and mercilessly, sundering that which bore witness to eternity first hand. Forever, such is changed but irreversible and cursed, incapable of regressing to safer times, prohibited from progressing past, trapped and broken.

Now two, breaking the harmony which permitted its existence, smaller and meeker facing the pestilence of time, will not erode, but will outlast the sanity of men, standing as a reminder, incessantly screeching a song of madness. A perversion of perfection, sullied, sundered, does not go unpunished; a sin beyond the reach of redemption.

Silencing the Opinion

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I’m going to go off on a small tangeant than my normal context for this site for just a moment. I’ve been noticing another hideous trend in the social fabric of the United States and, frankly, it’s getting a little tiresome. Well, actually, there are a few trends, but they seem to intersect on some level so I’ll bring up each one seperately.

First, there is this notion that people have the right not to be offended. I know this isn’t anything new, but this is just getting out of hand lately. Someone please tell me where in the Constitution does it say you have the right to not be offended. I looked. I couldn’t find anything. People have this crazy sense that somehow it’s legally wrong for someone else to make them feel bad. It isnt! Is it rude? Sure. But no one has any legal protection from having their feelings hurt. For example, if I said something like, “All Mexican people are stupid” I have the right to say that anywhere, anytime I want without regard to anyone’s feelings. Is it insanely ignorant and a gross generalization? Of course it is, but the last time I checked, being ignorant or rude is not illegal.

This leads to people having this false sense of entitlement. Whether through their upbringing or too used to having their hand held their whole life, self-important people seem to think that the only view point, opinion, or need that matters is their own. They are free to think that of course, but don’t be offended when I laugh in your face.

There’s also this perception that anyone who isn’t a democrat is a stupid redneck hick racist bigot. Of course, this perception largely comes from people on the left conveniently. Yet, these are the same people who will be the first to tell you that it’s wrong to generalize or use a stereotype for a group of people. What they really mean to say is that they don’t like it when you make fun of them, but it’s perfectly alright for them to make fun of you simply because, well, you’re not from the left and therefore stupid.

This double-standard has persisted for decades and in just the last five years has become a real problem. There is an arrogance about the left that I think even they can’t see anymore. They have a false sense of superiority over those who disagree with their views.

I’m not trying to stick up for the right here. It’s just that over the last five years the left has become much more vocal and have drawn far more attention to themselves and thus making themselves look like pompous asses. I don’t take kindly to anyone telling me what I should think, what I should do, or how I should do it, no matter which side of the fence they sit. If you try and talk down to me and wave your college diploma in my face as a trump card to the argument, I’ll wave a document much older, far more credible, and written by men far smarter of which no arguement you can ever make will win.

Gamers’ Rights

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Recently, Activision Blizzard has taken a new stance on their character restoration policy in their number one game in the world; World of Warcraft.  As with most MMO’s, account theft is a byproduct of carelessness on the part of the customer.  Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have had their accounts hacked or hijacked and were in need of a character restoration to recover whatever was lost from their accounts.

These restorations were completely avoidable, however, if the customer had only taken the time to follow some basic internet caveats: Don’t give your password out to anyone, don’t download strange programs, don’t click on suspicious links, etc.  Of course, people follow instructions, even if for their own safety, as if they were somehow immune to any of the dangers that plague the internet.  Of course, it’s not the consumer’s fault these dangers exist.  But it’s common knowledge that you take responsibility for your actions.

Despite the frequent warnings, even from Blizzard themselves, people still found themselves with stripped characters.  For these unfortunate people, Blizzard did character restorations which usually took one to three days to complete.

However, now Blizzard is telling it’s customer service representatives to dissuade people from getting character restorations and instead to take a care package to help them re-gear their characters.  Of course, the customers are now outraged by Blizzards reluctance to restore their characters

A note from the author:
Here’s where I get a little pissed off.  Blizzard does not have to do anything to help, not even to acknowledge you lost your gear in the first place.  In fact, they could easily tell you to piss off and to not get hacked next time.  The fact that they listen at all, not to mention do full restores for your stupidity, is a miracle.  This over-entitled mentality running through most people has put a major strain on most companies.  You pay a monthly fee to play the game, not for a personal ass licking from Blizzard (or any company for that matter) whenever you feel like you need a little rectal tickle.  If you were to pay for a magazine subscription, the only thing that guarantees you is that a magazine will show up on the 15th of every month.  It does not mean you can call up the editor and tell him what to print next month, how they should hold off on delivery until you get home from vacation, or to send you another because someone stole it out of your mailbox.  Take some personal responsibility for a change and stop your fucking complaining.

The End of PC Gaming?

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It seems with the growing power and popularity of gaming consoles, PC gaming has taken a backseat to development for games.  By backseat I mean in the trunk, tied up and gagged.  A vast majority of games released for the PC are usually console games modified to work on a computer.  The problem with this is that these ported games usually don’t utilize the full potential of the medium on which they are being played.

Historically, PC games are more advanced than their console counterparts.  Consoles like the NES and SNES were popular and had many fun titles to play.  But if you wanted to play something more advanced than Super Mario World, you needed a computer.  Computer games would include complex flight simulators, heavily detailed first person shooters, and addicting online real-time-strategy games.

Game developers seem to be moving away from the computer as a viable medium lately to placate the ‘safe’ market of Xbox, Playstation, and Wii consoles.  They make quickly rushed titles with little or no quality assurance and mass produce these games just to offset the cost of production for the profit from sales.  Granted, companies are obviously in business to make money, but computer games have always been a place to experiment with new technologies.  Without computer gaming conventions, Xbox and Playstation would never have had online play, or at least not in the incarnation they do now.

PC gaming is expensive, sure.  You need the hardware to play these games and it can be quite costly if you want some super gaming rig.  Companies need to stop ignoring this medium, however, and start experimenting again.  Stop trying to design games for safe overly-saturated markets (do we really need another first person shooter or ‘Gears of War’ knockoff?) and start trying to think up something new, inventive, and fun to play.