A slightly different kind of update...

Ladies and Gents, I'd like to take this opportunity to provide a quick Link to my Deviantart Gallery. I've been very... writey, for a lack of a better word, and have been updating it with a lot of stuff. The most recent pieces you'll see is a pair of Allegories I wrote, and, of course, the beloved Magipedia. Well,the parts I was able to find in the Royal Library, at least ;)So, go check it out!

And also, so I don't look like I wrote this post only for my own selfish gain... here's a few updates from CDP:

Since we SERIOUSLY need one more female voice actor for our game (To play the part of everyone's favorite ninja girl, Dimona!), I'm going to make a bit of a deal with you all. I am going to offer a REWARD to anyone with the guts to step up and take this job. At the moment, it's 6:28 PM and I am sitting happily at home, so I still have to talk with the team about what this reward will be. Will post later once we get that. If you're interested, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Also, since Eternity's End's release date is probably going to end up sometime during the summer, we may have time to put in some nice CGI cutscenes. But we need the software and experience to do so. Right now, we have Mmykle in charge of that, but I'm sure he won't mind having a bit of help. If you'd care to donate any software program that can render CGI animations (Like 3ds Max, or Maya [Maya CAN make animations, right?]), and/or already have these programs, as well as some experience in using them, and would like to do these cutscenes for us, once again, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Oh, and also... The Magipedia. Check it out above at my dA gallery, or head to Our official site and check it out there.

5/18 The Apology pgs 61-70

For the third time in a row, the assignment is as follows:

Mark the text by highlighting or underlining two sentences that strike you as interesting and/or directly significant for the trial. Directly significant for the trials means something that can be used by the prosecution or the defense to make their case.

ON YOUR BLOG (You should also print this out and keep it with your notes)

Indicate one sentence that you highlighted or underlined (give page number and section number) and write a short paragraph (at least 4 sentences) that explains why you underlined it or highlighted it. Be prepared to share this in discussion.

"But I suggest, gentlemen, that the difficulty is not so much to escape death, the real difficulty is to escape from wickedness, which is far more fleet of foot." (Page 67, section 39a)

I rather like this quote. Socrates expressed several times throughout this reading that he did not take death as a bad thing, since nobody really knew much about it. However, Socrates has experienced suffering several times over, and thus he knows much more about it. Plus, one experiences wickedness in his life more often than death.

END OF LINE.

Now, the obligatory CDP update:

If you haven't done so yet, check out The Magipedia. We worked really hard trying to get it up, and it's quite a good read.

Also, since Eternity's End's release date is probably going to end up sometime during the summer, we may have time to put in some nice CGI cutscenes. But we need the software and experience to do so. Right now, we have Mmykle in charge of that, but I'm sure he won't mind having a bit of help. If you'd care to donate any software program that can render CGI animations (Like 3ds Max, or Maya [Maya CAN make animations, right?]), and/or already have these programs, as well as some experience in using them, and would like to do these cutscenes for us, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Oh, and we still need voice actors (Especially females)! Once again eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

SHUTTING DOWN...

"Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two."

5/17 The Apology pgs 51-61

Today's assignment is the same as yesterday's, but in case you forgot...

Mark the text by highlighting or underlining two sentences that strike you as interesting and/or directly significant for the trial. Directly significant for the trials means something that can be used by the prosecution or the defense to make their case.

ON YOUR BLOG (You should also print this out and keep it with your notes)

Indicate one sentence that you highlighted or underlined (give page number and section number) and write a short paragraph (at least 4 sentences) that explains why you underlined it or highlighted it. Be prepared to share this in discussion.

Hmm... I picked quite a long one. It starts page 55, section C, and ends slightly after section E. Please forgive my for not typing it out, but it'll be hard to discriminate quote from assignment XD

Anyhow... I rather like this section. It shows his determination towards his god-given mission. However... I wouldn't use this in the trial. It could easily be taken the wrong way as a sign of defiance to the law.

END OF LINE.

EXECUTING OBLIGATORY_CDP_NEWSPOST.BAT...

If you haven't done so yet, check out The Magipedia. We worked really hard trying to get it up, and it's quite a good read.

Also, since Eternity's End's release date is probably going to end up sometime during the summer, we may have time to put in some nice CGI cutscenes. But we need the software and experience to do so. Right now, we have Mmykle in charge of that, but I'm sure he won't mind having a bit of help. If you'd care to donate any software program that can render CGI animations (Like 3ds Max, or Maya [Maya CAN make animations, right?]), and/or already have these programs, as well as some experience in using them, and would like to do these cutscenes for us, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Oh, and we still need voice actors (Especially females)! Once again eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

5/16 The Apology

Today's assignment:

Mark the text by highlighting or underlining two sentences that strike you as interesting and/or directly significant for the trial. Directly significant for the trials means something that can be used by the prosecution or the defense to make their case.

ON YOUR BLOG (You should also print this out and keep it with your notes)

Indicate one sentence that you highlighted or underlined (give page number and section number) and write a short paragraph (at least 4 sentences) that explains why you underlined it or highlighted it. Be prepared to share this in discussion.

Let me see...Page 44, section 21d: "Well, I am certainly wiser than this man. It is only too likely that neither of us has any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something which he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance"

I underlined this because it shows not only how humble Socrates is, but how conscious he is of making sure he does NOT mislead anyone (contradictory to what many accuse him of). While other people will go on ranting about something they only have half a mind about, Socrates is very careful with what he says. If something is fact, he will clearly state it as such, and if something is his personal opinion or assumption, he will clearly state that as such. He does not claim to know anything, but instead points out holes in other people's thinking, and giving them a new point of view.

END OF LINE.

*Sigh.* I'm really disappointed that we're finally back to Plato and Socrates, and I have so little to say. Ah, well. Time for the obligatory copy-and-pasted CDP update:

If you haven't done so yet, check out The Magipedia. We worked really hard trying to get it up, and it's quite a good read.

Also, since Eternity's End's release date is probably going to end up sometime during the summer, we may have time to put in some nice CGI cutscenes. But we need the software and experience to do so. Right now, we have Mmykle in charge of that, but I'm sure he won't mind having a bit of help. If you'd care to donate any software program that can render CGI animations (Like 3ds Max, or Maya [Maya CAN make animations, right?]), and/or already have these programs, as well as some experience in using them, and would like to do these cutscenes for us, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Oh, and we still need voice actors (Especially females)! Once again eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

5/15 Pericles Funeral Oration

It's been a while, eh? Haven't posted here since the Magipedia went live. Anyhow... Today's assignment...


Make a list of some of the Athenian values that you encountered in the text. Choose one a write a couple of sentences (or more) about why it might be good for the trial of Socrates.

• Athens tries to be a role model for the rest of Greece. Sort of hypocritical, then, that they kill Socrates for expressing a few opinions.


• They believe in the right to speech (Or, more accurately, everyone minding their own business). Again, sort of contradictory to Socrates' trial


• Understanding consequences before taking action is important. Just like what Socrates was trying to teach!

END OF LINE.

And now, the obligatory CDP news post:

If you haven't done so yet, check out The Magipedia. We worked really hard trying to get it up, and it's quite a good read.

Also, since Eternity's End's release date is probably going to end up sometime during the summer, we may have time to put in some nice CGI cutscenes. But we need the software and experience to do so. Right now, we have Mmykle in charge of that, but I'm sure he won't mind having a bit of help. If you'd care to donate any software program that can render CGI animations (Like 3ds Max, or Maya [Maya CAN make animations, right?]), and/or already have these programs, as well as some experience in using them, and would like to do these cutscenes for us, contact us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Oh, and we still need voice actors (Especially females)! Once again eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

CDP Update: Magipedia!

Hey everyone, Justin here

Well, since alot of people have been implying confusion about how Kakana's magic works, I've decided to sneak into Kakana's Royal Library and borrow a book our very own Fenrir Flameseeker wrote, "The Magipedia." It's rather short, but pretty detailed and pretty extensive. With permission from our legendary warrior, I have posted an online version Up on the site! (Hmm... maybe I can bribe him into putting it up on creative commons :D)

The only thing is, some moron decided it'd be funny to rip out the last page, so I had to exclude that from the online version. If anyone could find it for me though, that'd be great!

Oh, and a second update, this time about a book of my own that's going into the Kakana library: The Disneyland Allegory That I seemed to have promised. Yes, sorry for the delay. I've been doing a lot of chores, and I really want to write it on a very boring, workless weekend, so that my train of thought isn't interrupted by something stupid like having to dust the house. So, be on the lookout for that!

4/25 Jigsaw Activity

1) Give a quick explanation of the topic and propose a debate resolution of the topic. (a couple of sentences)

This section is about flag burning, and whether banning this act is a threat to Liberty in America or not. A good debate resolution would be whether this shouldn't (Con) or should (Pro) be allowed.

2) Explain why it is an important topic. You choose what to write about, but here are some suggestions if you are stuck: How does it impact your constitutional rights? Can it impact your daily life? Does it empower or disempowered you as an individual? Does it promote or inhibit public discussion? Does it help or hurt people getting along with one another? (short paragraph)

Although burning an American Flag does show the exact opposite of patriotism, every man, woman, and otherwise is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how unethical that opinion is. As the saying goes, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." If that is so, then surely, the government need not bother with such trivial matters, especially since their own First Amendment allows them to anyway.

3) Write one or two sentences that explain a good point made by the con side and one or two sentences that explain a good point made by the pro side (2-4 sentences total).

Con side:

The con side made a very interesting point about how banning flag burning was a contradiction to the war efforts the US makes. The author of this point (A Vietnam veteran) says that banning this act does not support freedom of expression, and that it would "Be the ultimate irony for us to place ourselves in harm's way and for my family to sacrifice to gain freedom for other nations and not to protect our freedom here at home"

Pro side: Flag burning is rarely a symbolic act. It is more for gathering attention, and thus not a form of speech.

END OF LINE.


Obligatory EE plug (Sorry there hasn't been any real updates in a while. We're already hard at work on the next demo, and that's been eating most of our time, so we don't get the chance to daydream much):
I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

Also, if anyone is good at designing towns, I really need help in that. I'm horrible at it.

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

4/24 The press in a time of crisis

Ach. Today's post is a day late since my internet company refuses to be smart. Bleh. Computer industry these days. Smart ideas always seem to be the least popular, and idiocy seems to sell.

But I digress. Today's assignment:

1) Indicate whether your reading selection is pro or con for the above resolution and write three things that support the pro or con position on this issue.

I am reading the con section of this resolution.

Supporting ideas:

1. Several people being jailed for suspected terrorism attempts, and government being very secretive about it. (The people have a right to know why!)

2. The press has an obligation to be on guard when an administration claims that national security requires repression.

3. Government is threatening constitutional values, and the media should be ble to report on that.


2) Write a paragraph where you state your opinion on the issue. It should include some evidence from the reading, but it does not have to follow each viewpoint to the letter. You can also include ideas and evidence from other sources or individuals.

I think that the press should not be censored during times of crisis. The First Amendment's goal was to keep a freedom of the press, so there is no point in going back on that. In the modern day world, I doubt anything threatening will leak out, anyway. As sad as it is, people are more interested about Brittany Spear's newfound lack of hair than something important, like the war on terror. I assume it's because people would rather have something funny to talk about 'round the water cooler, or something of the sort. Ignorance IS bliss, after all.

Then again, just because Ignorance is Bliss, doesn't mean we should force the country to such a state. Even if the masses will not listen, that information should still be out there for the few who realize this.

On the Presentation of Media

I originally posted this on the Eternity's End devlog, but I thought it'd be fun if I shared it here, too:

Hey all. Illy here. No updates today, instead, I'm giving you a little peek into the life of a game developer ;)

Well, first off, I just got a Wii today, and I should be ordering a trio of books by next week (Gamer Theory, Simulacra and Simulation, and the Disgaea Manga.)

And I've been watching Discovery Channel's ever-so-sublime "Planet Earth" series (Against my will, oddly enough.)

So, as you can see, I've been intaking a lot of media as well as outputting it. As such, I've come up with a few conclusions about media in general, and how it's presented:

To me, there seems to be four ways to present media: There is interactive media (Games), printed word (Books, comics, newspaper, etc.), non-visual (Radio, music, etc.), and non-interactive (Movies, television, etc.)

Now, of course, the highest form of media, is of course, interactive. It simply is the most immersing, since one not only listens to the story, but takes command of it.

Next up comes printed word, the second-most immersing form of media. Although it is both the most technologically un-advanced as well as a passive media, I find it that it is almost as immersive as a game for one reason: One has to use his own imagination to visualize the scene the words portray.

Now, in dead-last comes everyone's beloved television and movies, AKA non-interactive media. To me, a great story portrayed by television and movies (Like Planet Earth, for example,) is easily ruined because it's portrayed through this form of media. It's like going to a dirt-biking stadium with training wheels. Sure, you can still get some thrill out of it, but it's just not the same.

(You'll notice that I left out non-visual media. I simply did this because it's too reliant on content to generalize.)

Now, another thing I've seemed to notice is how media seems to deteriorate when passing between certain mediums, even if it's going up in the ladder. The biggest one's I've noticed are:

Printed Word into Non-Interactive (Example: The Harry Potter movies. Sure, they're interesting for first-timers, but to hardcore fans of the series, there are a lot of disappointments)
Non-Interactive into Interactive (Example: Games based on cartoons or movies, like Spongebob or Spiderman. These are often horribly made in order to make a quick buck, and are never quality pieces of media)
Interactive into Non-Interactive (Example: Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. I, personally, found the movie rather interesting, but I've never played the game. I'll take the word of the hardcore fans for this one.)
Interactive into Non-Interactive, then back (Exapmle: Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, again, and it's offspring: Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus. Horrible game, even for a Vincent fan like me.)

Strangely enough, any other transition between two mediums is acceptable. Thoughts, anyone?

4/23 Viewpoints

Hmmm... Today's homework is about Censorship, something I have rather... mixed feelings about. But I shall speak of those later on in the assignment. First, let us get the ever-so-boring comprehension questions out of the way:



Assume that our next debate will have the resolution, "There should be limits to free speech."


1) For chapter 1, write three things based on the reading that supports the above resolution. This is the "pro" argument.

1. There are a lot of things that ARE indeed censorship, but people usually don't think of them when debating censorship. Examples include banning porn from places children can easily access, and copyright laws.

2. The Founding Fathers and the First Amendment itself weren't against censorship. The First Amendment is a prohibition against the federal government restricting free press.

3. There are several types of censorship that people don't think of as censorship, but as "responsible policy." Trying to ban stealth advertising, for example.

2) For chapter 2, write three things based on the reading that goes against the above resolution. This is the "con" argument.

1. "If only popular ideas were protected, we wouldn't need a First Amendment.

2. Government is more apt to use censorship to prosecute minorities than protect them.

3. Freedom of Expression is Essential to a Free Society.

3) Write a paragraph where you state your opinion on the issue. It should include some evidence from the reading, but it does not have to follow each viewpoint to the letter. You can also include ideas and evidence from other sources or individuals.

Hmmm... at this, I am rather torn. There are certain types of censorship I wholeheartedly believe in, like copyright (especially now that the genius idea known as Creative Commons is now in effect), but me being the game developer I am, there's a lot of censorship in media that I don't quite agree with (Like the mindless drivel Jack Thompson tries to pass). The problem is, the media (and lawyers) tend to hype up the tiniest of subjects, just so they can make money out of it. The most popular, of course, is either

1. Anything that can be connected to people murdering people, no matter how bewildering the connection
2. Any Racist, Sexist, Slanderous, and otherwise mean-spirited things said on air. Apparently, the old adage "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me" only applies to minors.

I would go on to explain my reasoning to this, but I'm sure you'd all find that rather boring. Instead, I shall post a quick excerpt of a chat I had with a friend of mine today. I'm very sure that it's easier to understand a person as you watch him in action, as opposed to him trying to dissect his own thoughts:

(This chat was slightly edited. Don't worry, all I did was clean up some spelling errors, and remove a few out-of-context bits from what we were talking about earlier ;))

"Veronica: so, are you for or against censorship?
me: I'm for certain kinds of censorship
not all of it
I mean, I believe in copyright in stuff
(Especially now that they have creative commons!)
Veronica: lol
me: But not like, y'know, certain kinds of censorship in media
Veronica: what about censoring things that could raise national panic?
me: Well, that depends
Veronica: on what?
5:52 PM me: Give me a situation
because a lot of things people say will raise national panic
but not all do
Like... if I could find it in the packet...
the Pentagon Papers, for example
The papers that were leaked back in the Vietnam war
5:53 PM that explained why they were in the war
5:55 PM everyone said those would cause a bunch of panic
but they didn't
5:56 PM Veronica: hmm... lemme think up a situation...
5:57 PM umm... hmm...
pictures of the war in Iraq, or of soldiers dieing
5:58 PM if people saw those, they could press stronger against the president in trying to stop it
your opinion?
5:59 PM me: Well...
Sure, that causes some... unrest in some people
but they throw those out already, and I see no riots in the streets
well...
not often.
Veronica: point taken
6:00 PM do you think the government should allow the photos to be printed?
me: Of course!
Veronica: mhmm
what about slander?
6:01 PM me: Hmmm...
Veronica: or anything that can make the president look bad, even if it's true?
me: That's a tough one
For sure, false statements shouldn't be allowed if they're slanderous
but the true ones...
hmmm...
6:02 PM Veronica: because, obviously, false statements aren't protected by the first amendment, but those that are true are
me: mhmm
Veronica: so by trying to keep the president's image, aren't the Bill of Rights being violated?
6:03 PM me: I suppose, yes.
Although, my knowledge of such politics is... lacking XD (EDITORS NOTE: Apparently, America has become so media-driven that a man has to waste his life in front of some passive medium, like a television, just to keep up with the modern day world, eh?)
6:04 PM Veronica: but on the other hand, people want to be able to trust their president, and isn't there a saying "Ignorance is bliss"? some people think what they don't know wont hurt them, but is that really a good reason to hold potentally thought provoking information?
6:05 PM opinions?
me: Ignorance IS bliss, true, BUT...
Knowledge IS power, no?
6:06 PM So I suppose, if you don't like, don't listen.
Veronica: but should the information be available?
me: yes
6:07 PM Hey, do you mind if I use this chat as part of my homework today?
I'm sure a few people would find it rather interesting :D"

END OF LINE. STANDBY FOR OBLIGATORY EE PLUG:

So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

Also, if anyone is good at designing towns, I really need help in that. I'm horrible at it.

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

4-19 Don Imus controversy

What? No Plato? Shocking.

Instead, we shall be speaking about a recent controversy, the Don Imus controversy. Once again, this blog may be less... interesting than usual, since I don't quite keep up-to-date with this "Television" device you people speak so fondly of. As such, please forgive me if I don't have all my facts straight, and please don't hesitate to correct me.

1. According to the NAACP, why should Imus be silenced?

According to them, Imus should be silenced because of the racial slur that he threw out over the air.

2. According to Frank Rich, why should Imus not be silenced?

According to him, Imus shouldn't be silenced because when he makes fun of people, he makes fun of everyone. As such, he's not showing any hatred towards any particular race (and thus, not being "racist"), but instead is poking fun at the human populace in general.

Long Answer: Write a short essay, w/ intro, body and conclusion, about 4-5 paragraphs with at least 4 sentences each.


3. Do you think Imus should be silenced? Why?

Wait... an essay? Maybe this blog shall not be as short as I thought.

It's foolish how Imus was silenced. Although the NAACP does has some moral reasons for getting rid of him, their views are vastly unfair. I am unsure if this is because they simply have their facts wrong (As seems to be the case in a lot of legal issues involving the media. If anyone has ever heard of Jack Thompson, you should know why I say such things), or if they are merely distorting the truth to cause controversy (Which, sadly, also seems to be the case quite often when it comes to media. If anyone has ever heard of Jack Thompson, you should know why I say such things). Then again, the NAACP isn't fully to blame, either. The broadcasting companies were the ones that fired him, after all. And, while they pretend to agree with the NAACP, I do have a strange feeling it is for other reasons.

I have the strange feeling that the broadcasting companies didn't exactly fire him for moral reasons. I wonder if the only reason they're firing him is because of monetary or reputation reasons. Maybe CBS and MSNBC caved in to the 5 or 6 angry calls they are sure to have gotten? Maybe they kicked him out so he wouldn't drive away African-American viewers? In today's society, such things happen quite often, and I wonder if this is one of those cases.

The NAACP, on the other hand, can only complain for moral reasons, due to the nature of their organization. I do understand that they are trying to protect the basketball team, but now that Imus has apologized and the team has accepted, any further action is really just trying to blow it out of proportion. Why? Maybe the NAACP is looking for attention. Maybe it's the media blowing it out of proportion, and they're just trying to defend themselves. In any case, Imus and the team have already kissed and made up, so there's no real reason to continue arguing.

It seems every time someone makes a racist joke in the public's eye, someone has to go about and make a big deal of it. I do remember that in kindergarten, they taught us that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me." Do adults forget that as they grow older?

END OF LINE.

Now then, time for the obligatory EE post:

So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

Also, if anyone is good at designing towns, I really need help in that. I'm horrible at it.

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

4/18 Plato Reading

Hmmm... let's see... todays prompt:

1. Why should plays, and acting in them, be regulated? What is potentially beneficial or harmful from acting in a play?

Ach. Please, do excuse me if today's entry is shorter than normal. This section really didn't strike much of a chord with me. It sounded more like Socrates being paranoid than it did him being a philosopher. If it makes up for it, I'll be sure to make my obligatory plug for EE longer.

Acting in plays should be regulated because, when one is acting in a play, one is imitating the character he is trying to portray (And, as Plato's Theory of the Forms dictates, the only thing worse than an imitation is an imitation of an imitation)Atop that, were a Guardian were to act in a play, he should not be allowed to portray anyone immoral, for fear of the character's habits to rub off on them. If a Guardian were to act in a play, then he should only be allowed to act as a Guardian, or a character Guardian-like in nature, and that character must do nothing that the ideal Guardian should not.

END OF LINE.

OBLIGATORY EE PLUG TIME!


So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

Also, if anyone is good at designing towns, I really need help in that. I'm horrible at it.

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Helpful comments

Well, then, ladies and gentlemen, today's assignment is to share some helpful comments I've received from our classmates here on my blog, and analyze them about exactly why they were helpful. Sounds simple enough, so let's get to it.

Going backwards in chronological order, Austin Jones' comment on my entry "3/22 prep for Socratic Seminar" is the first to be reviewed:

"Your reading is true in many ways in my opinion. It is right that if there was no right or wrong, there would be chaos. It's just that some people don't seem to see it as clearly as some other people do. For example, on the day of the Socratic seminar when you were talking to me about my sample about how ants are not that different than humans. If you kill an ant and you say it's like a human, most people will say it's just an ant. Think about it harder. Think about it from our view, consider that the ants are a society (which they are). I'd like to talk about this more with you."

I do suppose that to understand this, one needs a bit of context. In the Socratic Seminar we had, Mr. Jones here made a rather interesting comment about murder. He stated how it was rather obvious that killing a human is murder, but what about other species? We may kill some animals to eat, but what about insects, like ants? We're not killing them for any particular reason. Is that murder?

This really got me thinking, and helped me to better understand human nature.

Continuing to go back, we have Kit Haggard's post:

"Justin,

I am so sorry that we have gotten off debating. I think that I never responded to your last comment. Oh well, we can start a new thread now.

Ok, to education. I think that it is absolutely true that young children are some of the wisest people that the world will ever see. I honestly do. I think that part of this is because their minds are very clear on what they think is right or wrong. I think that 80% of the problems in the world today would have never happened if we brought in a load of fourth graders to run the government.

Unfortunately, there is that other 20%. Children (and I know this from personal experience, I have a little brother) are very frivolous, sometimes selfish, and often just very unaware that the choices that they make have an impact on people other than themselves. They don’t realize that they can hurt someone by something that they say, it doesn’t even occur to them. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

I also have to agree with what you said about adults. Most of them are ALSO very selfish. They get very caught up with things like, as you said, getting from point a to point b. Of course, children don’t have this problem. As a whole, children look more at the world in a day, that most adults do in most of their adult life. Children will look out the window of a car and point at a kite in a tree, or flowers in someone’s garden, or a man sitting at a bus stop. Just little things that most would never notice, and that IS one of the things that makes children so wonderful.

However, the world cannot be run on observations alone. As you said, children don’t worry about profit or statistics; some wouldn’t know what those words mean. Decisions that are made in this country that involve things like passing a bill for stem cell research, or abortion, or even fishing rights in Michigan. A child would never have enough experience, enough education, to make a decision about something like that.

As a rule, I’m not fond of the people who run the world today. If they did their jobs a little bit better, I think that there would be far fewer problems. Darfur, for example. The UN should be doing something about it, it’s been classified as genocide for nearly two and a half years, and yet they still send no troops in to save people. Why don’t they do anything?

But despite this, I don’t think that we could just replace all governments with children. We need people who have enough knowledge to make good decisions and be able to look into the future, so that they can predict any problems that may arise. Children live too much in the present.

And last, yes, I do think that Plato was a little egotistical. Socrates too. He was, after all, the one that said there was no one to rule but philosophers. After reading some of his ideas on justice, though, I might be persuaded to that opinion. I especially like the conclusion that he draws at the end of part two. That a good man will hurt no one, therefore a just man will hurt no one, and only his opposite, an unjust man, will cause harm. Pretty good if you ask me.

Alrightly, enough rambling.

Kit
PS. I had to delete the last comment due to a posting error. I always hate it when people delete things form my blog so I thought that I would explain."

She and I have been debating on a few things for quite a while now, and I found this one a bit interesting. Usually, when I write about the world and the humans that inhabit it, it's often mostly based on my observations, and is thus somewhat influenced by who I'm around. Usually, I don't get to hang around the lil'uns unless I'm on VMK, which has gotten rarer as school gets harder. This post was a nice reminder that people do grow, and aren't static.

And, of course, it's always fun to have a nice debate about something every now and then. Especially with someone like Kit, one of the rare few that tend to think a lot about their posts, and have some rather interesting thoughts (As opposed to what others tend to do, simply posting a two-word long comment that doesn't really say anything other than "OMG PWNAGE." *coughcoughdanielrodriguezcough*) ;)

Finally, we have Matthew McCauley's comment on This post:

"Nice ending man! Tight essay! I liked the fact that you made this as a third person kind of view. Hey, was this the fight with Ariana or Alana or whatever name was (I forgot)? If it is, I remember that time. It started over a video game, and then the whole class split into two sides. I can kind of relate to the fact that when you said she wouldn't stop arguing. I know what your saying because sometimes when me and somebody else is arguing, I'll just say "Cool, I agree". But then they want to get mad because I dont want to argue anymore. Pfft.

*No suggestions*"

It's always nice to have some throwbacks to the good ol' days. It also struck me as a little interesting that such a silly argument actually split the entire class in two. To my knowledge, it was a one on one fight.

And, although the assignment only limited me to my classmates, I'd like to give a bit of a shout-out to my teacher, Mr. Jana, for his post on an (extremely rough) draft of a philosophical piece I proposed a while back:

"Justin,

Thanks for pointing me in this direction. As usual, I find your writing thought provoking; you have the makings of a philosopher. I will respond by listing things that have resonated with me and point out some possible lacunae.

I strongly suggest that you look into a French philosopher named Jean Baudrillard. Here is a wiki link to a book of his that makes an appearance in the movie The Matrix. If you take up Baudrillard, I strongly suggest you read secondary sources first, because his writing is notoriously opaque. Your interest in representation and reality will eventually take you to postmodern philosophy, and Baudurillard is related to that type of thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacra_and_Simulation



1. Time. Your comments about time are particularly striking. I think you are on to something with Disneyland as a utopia without time, and this is worth following up. I wonder if timelessness, or at least a particular way of looking at time (i.e. history), is a characteristic of other utopias that we have seen in philosophy and literature. “Time is violence” is great line, but what do you mean by it?

2. Enlightenment. In your second paragraph you write about the cave-in caused by blindness and bumping into things. When I first read this I interpreted the people in the cave as analogous to the type of people who click off the camera at splash mountain and make sex jokes on the kiddie rides. Is this what you meant? It seems that if they are looking for the exit their motives are well intentioned because they are searching for Enlightenment. What exactly causes them to block off their own path to Enlightenment? I think this aspect could be better developed and clarified.

3. If you would rather “voyage deeper in the cave” aren’t you saying that ignorance is bliss and you would rather live in a world of self-delusion and illusion than in the real world? Disneyland might have its place as a getaway, but if you stay there, in the cave/Disneyland, aren’t you just another sorry fool whose shackled like everyone else. Maybe you have a longer chain that allows you to “voyage deeper,” but you are still enchained.

4. Maybe the way to go with this is to say that all is illusion. In other words, staying in the cave is not so bad after all because there is no outside. The idea that there is an outside is just another illusion or shadow. Even if the outside existed and we went there, we would be confronted with another series of shadows.

5. You portray Disneyland as a type of oasis from the world. It is a world apart. But what happens when the world outside of Disneyland becomes more and more like Disneyland. I think one could argue that the outside world is just another type of Disneyland, a world of crass consumerism and fantasy escape, as exemplified by what people watch on T.V. and check out on the internet.


Mr. J"

(By the way, "Time is Violence" is a quote from Gamer Theory :D Do excuse me if it didn't make sense the way I used it. I could not resist)

Thanks for that, Mr. Jana. Although I haven't gotten started on that Disneyland allegory yet, (I want to make sure I feel good and ready, to insure quality ;) Maybe this weekend or the next) this really inspired me to write The Allegory of the Clock. Maybe that should clarify a few things ;)

END OF LINE.

Now that that's done... I haven't plugged EE in a long time, so...

So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Afterthought: Gamer Theory

Well, since I promised I'd do it, (And since McKenzie Wark himself commented on that post. Gasp :O If you're reading this, let me tell you that you made my spring break a whole lot better) here's my afterthoughts on Gamer Theory.

All in all, it was rather enjoyable. Being both an novice game developer AND an absolute "Allegory of the Cave" nut, it was bound to strike my fancy. Good think I watch "This Spartan Life" often, or I'd have never found out about it!

I really found it interesting how, even though I have never played any of these games before (Except for the demo of Katamari Damacy that came with SoulCalibur 3), he still was able to easily relate the game to gamespace without losing the reader.

My two favorite segments were "Analog on Katamari Damacy," and "Battle on Rez." Let me address the former first: While I was reading this, we just happened to be reading Homer's "The Illiad" in class, so it was sorta interesting to see the reference he made to the Illiad's sequel, "The Odyssey." The other part was that, while most people concentrate on how weird the game is, or how your Katamari keeps growing until it turns into a large ball of sticky death, he focused more on how the Prince rolls said Katamari. It sorta reminds me of something Katamari Damacy's designer, Keita Takahashi, said in an interview once: "It's not about picking things up. It's more about the feeling of rolling." (To which the interviewing magazine comically replied with "Ummm... riiiiiggghhhhtttt...") Gamer Theory really took that idea and made it sound... well... sane.

Battle on Rez was another interesting concept. Rather than focusing on "Video games are violent and teach kids to murder and sell drugs!" (Which, sadly, the media has FORCED me to expect every time I see something about battle and video games in the same sentence) or the opposite of said statement, he took another mundane and overlooked concept, the feeling of aiming and targeting, and expanded it. And, as corny as it may sound, it actually changed the way I play Halo. I use the Battle Rifle (The very pinnacle of targeting prowess in Halo, even more so than the Sniper and Beam rifles) more, or I avoid aiming in general and abuse my grenades. And, as crazy as it may sound, my kill rate has doubled :D

Now, back in this post, I did mention that I found the section "Complex on Deus Ex" (Which was about Deus Ex's multiple endings, and the ways you get them) unnecessarily boring. After some reflection on that, I think that saying that was both a bit to harsh and biased. I guess I just found it boring because it promised that it was about complexity, and yet I found nothing complex about it. What I forgot to take into account is that I thought so because what makes my OWN game (Which, for an unnecessary plug, is found here,) so special is the unlocking of the multiple endings. Much like Deus Ex, my game has multiple endings that are judged by the player's actions. In fact, one may say mine may be even more complex, since Deus Ex's judged actions have some relevance to the storyline, whereas mine are just (seemingly) random interactions with the other characters that (seemingly) have no relevance to the story, like hanging out at a restaurant, or talking about making video games (teehee). What the gamer seems to find out at the end is that all those tiny little things you've been doing with the other characters have caused them to develop a bit of a fondness for you, and the character with the most fondness for you acts as a bit of a Deus Ex Machina in the final battle. One Drop raises the sea, I presume.

Buuut... Enough about my game. Back to Gamer Theory: Apparently, (If Amazon isn't a bunch of lying thieves) it comes out in about two days time. I'm definitely buying it.

3/28 Plato Assignment

1. Short Paragraph – Personal Reflection: Before reading the selection from Plato write at least one full paragraph on this question: Why do you think Plato (or anyone else) would want to censor Homer? Think about Achilles as a "hero," and why or why not his personal characteristics are something that should be promoted, or not.

I think that Plato would disapprove of it because of how Achilles acted towards his leader. He is supposed to be the hero of the story, but he was rebellious against Agamemnon and fought only for his own pleasure. These are the qualities of a bad hero and a bad influence.

2. Then read pp. 76-85 (Section b). Secondary or Literary Education)
In Process...

3. Short Answers – Text based questions. Answer both questions, answers can be just a few sentences

a. According to Plato, what are some aspects of poetry that should be banned and why? In other words, how can poetry undermine the education of a Guardian?

1. He believes we should not describe the afterlife as a dark and gloomy place, for it will teach our guardians to fear death.
2. We should not allow lines that encourage our Guardians to be rebellious or witty.
3. Characters should not be obsessed with material things.

And

b. What should poetry “teach” and why?

Poetry should teach our guardians to be strong, brave and obedient. Otherwise, they would not do as well in their job of guarding, and would be much like Achilles in the Illiad: Rebellious, secluded, and protecting nobody but himself.

4. If you were talking to Plato what would you say to him? Do you agree with his ideas? Do you think poetry, or literature in general, should be put to the purposes that he says it should?

At this, I am torn. I do agree that these are not things we should be teaching our guardians, but at the same time, I do not think we should stifle the creativity of the writer, either. In fact, at one point, Plato even states that "The better a piece of literature is, the more harmful it is to our guardians."

My belief is that we should let the writers write and the guardians guard, and simply tell them during their training that, although these may be heroes, not all their qualities are good.

DISCUSSION TERMINATED. END OF LINE.

Now, before I get into the copied and pasted Clan Darkterror Productions updates, I have a slightly more academic announcement/request to tell you all. I was speaking with one of my acquaintances online, and she brought up how silly my love of Disneyland is, and how I make such a big deal about this being the first time in a long time I haven't visited it over the summer, and how it's silly that I had to go and "make a big deal out of material things like that." In response, I posted this:

'My Disneyland withdrawal... it's not about "[making] a big deal out of material things like that," It's about the feeling that comes from Disneyland. You are a fine example of why the world is in the horrible state it's in: You all focus on the bad times in life, and thus the world reflects your thoughts. You all use it as an excuse to say "My life sucks more than yours," as if it's some sort of honor. Disneyland is where I go to get my mind off of that stuff. I've practically spent a fourth of my entire life there, I've seen just about everything there is there. Atop that, everyone says I've already "grown out of things like that." But I still go anyway. Why? If I may quote from an episode of The Twilight Zone, that episode being the "Passage Aboard the Lady Anne," "All people know now adays is hurry, hurry, hurry, quick, quick, quick, rush rush, why? They've scrapped our beautiful boat, what's to say they won't scrap the world next?" Time is violence. Time is infinite, but there is never enough of it. You'll never have "Time enough at last." In Disneyland, there is almost no sense of time. You only realize it exists when you realize it's already 10 at night, and you didn't even notice that the sun went down. With the state that the human population is in, I may never live to see utopia, but at least in Disneyland I can emulate that feeling, if only to a very small magnitude. That's why it always pisses me off when I hear people my age gloating about how they flicked off the camera on Splash Mountain, or made sex jokes in one of the kiddie playgrounds. Disneyland has gone so far as to grow a FOREST around it to block out the outside world, and people try to bring the evils of that world inside anyway. They ruin my utopia.

You all blindly run about Plato's cave, some of you unshackled, some of you unknowingly still tied by the feet to your prison. But you all share some similarities: You all try to search for the exit, for the outside, and you all don't seem to realize that you've caused that exit to cave in from all your blindness and bumping into things. Me? I need not the sunlight. I'd rather voyage deeper into the cave, and see what treasures I can find. If ignorance is bliss, then knowledge can be damned."


Now, I've suddenly grown quite an attachment to this post. I was really just following a train of thought, I didn't purposefully mean to use Disneyland as an allegory for utopia, but now that I have... I'm thinking of taking this and turning it into a complete philosophical piece to post on My Deviantart (The tentative title, of course, being "The Allegory of Injun Joe's Cave" XD). So, I do ask this of everyone who reads this: Please, read through aforementioned post, and critique it. I would really like an emphasis on logic and/or lack of, since this really was not written to be a literary piece...yet. Thanks!

Now, for your regularly scheduled CDP update:

So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

Republic assignment 3/27

1. Short Paragraph – Personal Reflection: Before reading the selection from Plato write at least one full paragraph on this question: Why do you think Plato (or anyone else) would want to censor Hesiod? Remember that Hesiod was the poet who wrote about the fight between the gods and the titans.

Plato believes that the "Guardians," or in this case the gods, should show knowledge, courage, and strength. In Hesiod, the Gods are shown as fools, killing each other off in the pursuit of power, and cowering in fear from those that may do the same to them. Sure, they showed immense strength, but they lacked all the other, more important qualities of a good guardian.

2. Then read pp. 67-76 (Section I. Secondary or Literary Education)

In the process of doing that right now

3. Short Answers – Text based questions. Answer both questions

a. What are Homer and Hesiod guilty of?

Homer and Hesiod are gulty of "Misinterpreting the nature of gods and heroes, like a portrait painter whose portraits bear no resemblance to their originals"

And

b. What are the two main characteristics of “god” and what are the laws/principles of story telling based on those characteristics?

The two characteristics of god is that he is the ultimate good and can cause no bad, and because of that he cannot be responsible for everything, but only a small portion of human life. Because of this, we should not inaccurately portray him. Since he is the ultimate good and thus can cause no bad, we cannot say he is "the dispenser of good AND evil."

4. Compare what you wrote in your personal reflection above (#1) with what Plato wrote. How close were you to what Plato wrote?

I think I hit it rather close to the mark. My only false assumption is that Plato was referring directly to the gods when he spoke of the "Guardians," and not just inspiration for said guardians.

DISCUSSION TERMINATED. END OF LINE.

Now, before I get into the copied and pasted Clan Darkterror Productions updates, I have a slightly more academic announcement/request to tell you all. I was speaking with one of my acquaintances online, and she brought up how silly my love of Disneyland is, and how I make such a big deal about this being the first time in a long time I haven't visited it over the summer, and how it's silly that I had to go and "make a big deal out of material things like that." In response, I posted this:

'My Disneyland withdrawal... it's not about "[making] a big deal out of material things like that," It's about the feeling that comes from Disneyland. You are a fine example of why the world is in the horrible state it's in: You all focus on the bad times in life, and thus the world reflects your thoughts. You all use it as an excuse to say "My life sucks more than yours," as if it's some sort of honor. Disneyland is where I go to get my mind off of that stuff. I've practically spent a fourth of my entire life there, I've seen just about everything there is there. Atop that, everyone says I've already "grown out of things like that." But I still go anyway. Why? If I may quote from an episode of The Twilight Zone, that episode being the "Passage Aboard the Lady Anne," "All people know now adays is hurry, hurry, hurry, quick, quick, quick, rush rush, why? They've scrapped our beautiful boat, what's to say they won't scrap the world next?" Time is violence. Time is infinite, but there is never enough of it. You'll never have "Time enough at last." In Disneyland, there is almost no sense of time. You only realize it exists when you realize it's already 10 at night, and you didn't even notice that the sun went down. With the state that the human population is in, I may never live to see utopia, but at least in Disneyland I can emulate that feeling, if only to a very small magnitude. That's why it always pisses me off when I hear people my age gloating about how they flicked off the camera on Splash Mountain, or made sex jokes in one of the kiddie playgrounds. Disneyland has gone so far as to grow a FOREST around it to block out the outside world, and people try to bring the evils of that world inside anyway. They ruin my utopia.

You all blindly run about Plato's cave, some of you unshackled, some of you unknowingly still tied by the feet to your prison. But you all share some similarities: You all try to search for the exit, for the outside, and you all don't seem to realize that you've caused that exit to cave in from all your blindness and bumping into things. Me? I need not the sunlight. I'd rather voyage deeper into the cave, and see what treasures I can find. If ignorance is bliss, then knowledge can be damned."


Now, I've suddenly grown quite an attachment to this post. I was really just following a train of thought, I didn't purposefully mean to use Disneyland as an allegory for utopia, but now that I have... I'm thinking of taking this and turning it into a complete philosophical piece to post on My Deviantart (The tentative title, of course, being "The Allegory of Injun Joe's Cave" XD). So, I do ask this of everyone who reads this: Please, read through aforementioned post, and critique it. I would really like an emphasis on logic and/or lack of, since this really was not written to be a literary piece...yet. Thanks!

Now, for your regularly scheduled CDP update:


So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

By Jove, I've done it.

I just finished Gamer Theory. It was rather interesting. Granted, I skipped half of the section on America on Civ 3 (Politics is not really my thing.) As well as half of Complex on Deus Ex (I'm a gamer. I know what multiple endings are. And if I didn't it doesn't take the entire section save one paragraph to explain.)

I'll probably share my experiences with this on a later blog. For now, I'm pooped, and off to watch Bo-bo-bo-bo bo-bo-bo.

But before I do, quick update on CDP:

So, throughout the production of Eternity's End so far, I've been really experimenting with the concept of a virtual office (Partly inspired by Tom Clancy's talk of it in "Teeth of the Tiger"). Until now, I've only been recruiting classmates and close friends, so I can still meet up with them in person if the Virtual office fails.

Well, I feel confident, and feel like stepping up this concept to the next level. Now's the time to, ah, "overcome topography through the use of the topological plane", as McKenzie Wark's "Gamer Theory" would probably put it.

I've decided that I MAY be publicly hiring for the last main voice-acting job, the voice of the younger of the two princesses of Kakana and the mercenary team's only Kunoichi, Dimona. However, I'm going to be a lot more strict. You gotta go through an audition, of sorts. In reality, that just means email us, I'll send you back a little script, and you send me back the soundclips.

I warn you though, since this is a REALLY BIG test on the concept of a virtual office, you gotta be serious about this. That doesn't necessarily mean putting in 16+ hours of work a day (Although I would love it if you do ;)), but just that you don't fall behind too much.

Oh, there are also a bunch of little jobs up for grabs, too. These are only a few lines or so, so these aren't as serious ;) For all genders, too!

So, if anyone is interested, mail us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com

3/22 prep for socratic seminar

Today's prompt:

10) If you act justly, will you find happiness? (Socrates)

Well, to that, you must first discover what justice is. For this prompt, let us assume that Justice is the opinion I have been expressing the past few blog entries: the idea that justice is living life as to avoid conflict, and if conflict arises, to make sure it does not happen again. If that is so, then one may be able to find happiness easier, but if everyone were to follow said justice to the letter, it is very likely that it would turn into a hellish nightmare. Much like in the Twilight Zone episode, "A Nice Place to Visit," man would become so bored from all the peace, that they would eventually go insane. Not everyone may be a "Glutton for Punishment," as the saying goes, but it is definitely part of human nature to despise monotony, even if that monotony is an absence of conflict.

However, it's rather unlikely that such a utopia would occur, sad as it is. If one were the only man in the area to participate in what we call "Justice," then it would still rely on those around him. Were those around him kind souls, then they may accept justice, and peace will reign until monotony destroyed it. Were those around him not as kind, some may take in Justice into their own lives, some may shun it and cause more conflict. From there, it is all dependent on how good the followers of Justice could uphold it.

**3/21 Republic Assignment

Once more, philosophy. Revel in it's glory. Let's see the assignment today... oh, this looks interesting:

As usual you can develop your own prompt. If you do, keep in mind the guidelines I have written in the previous blogs.

Yes. I think I shall go with that today. Here goes nothing!

So then, my prompt for the day is as follows: On the first paragraph of page 37, Plato talks about how justice is still an undefined concept. If possible, connect this idea to anything you are currently reading.

Hmmm... let's see... what am I currently reading... How about McKenzie Wark's GAM3R 7H30RY? One of the main arguments McKenzie Wark makes in Gamer Theory is the idea of Analog vs. Digital, and how video games always have a defined set of rules, or an "Algorithm," if you will, and how the modern-day world tries to replicate said algorithm. As Wark puts it,: "Work is a rat race. Politics is a horse race. The economy is a casino. Even the utopian justice to come in the afterlife is foreclosed: He who dies with the most toys wins. Games are no longer a past time, outside or alongside of life. They are now the very form of life, and death, and time, itself. These games are no joke. When the screen flashes the legend game over, you are either dead, or defeated, or at best out of quarters."

Now, at first, one may think that that is a paradox. You may be thinking "But Justin... Video games are supposed to replicate reality, not the other way around. Video games are not but the shadows upon the wall, your computer room a cave, the outside world the light. Much like in the Allegory of the Cave, you act like one of the prisoners who were set free. And yet, despite your freedom, why do you decide to stay within the Cave, instead of head towards the light?" Wark makes the same connection between the Allegory, too, and here's what he says on it: "Suppose someone, a parent maybe, a teacher or some other guardian, drags you back out into the light and makes you stay there. It would still be blinding. You could not look directly at things. Maybe the guardian prints out some pics of your family or maybe a map of the neighborhood, to acclimatize you, before you can look at things. Gradually you see the people around you, and what it is that they do. Then perhaps you remember the immense, immersive games of The Cave™, and what passes for wisdom amongst those still stuck there. And so you return to The Cave™, to talk or text to the other gamers about this world outside. You communicate to fellow gamers in The Cave™ about the outside world of which The Cave™ is just a shadow. Or try to. Plato: “And if the cave-dwellers had established, down there in the cave, certain prizes and distinctions for those who were most keen-sighted in seeing the passing shadows, and who were best able to remember what came before, and after, and simultaneously with what, thus best able to predict future appearances in the shadow-world, will our released prisoner hanker after these prizes or envy this power or honor?”1 You bet! The Cave™ is a world of pure agon, of competitive striving after distinction. But suppose you are that rare, stray, thoughtful gamer who decides to try this new game of getting beyond the game again? Suppose you emerge from The Cave™ and decide to take stock of the world beyond? You find that this other world is in some curious ways rather like The Cave™. The pics of family, the map of the ‘hood, seem made of the same digital stuff as your favorites games inside The Cave™. If there is a difference, it may not be quite what it seems." Once again, the outside world is not all to different from the video game world. In fact, it may even be better. Everything has an algorithm. A set definition. An AI pattern. Do the same actions, you'll get the same results every time. Everything is digital. It's not at all like the real world, where everything is analog. Everything is a mess. Kick a soccer ball one day, it may head straight. Kick it within the last five seconds of the grand championship, and it may curve to the left and miss. Nothing is set. Nothing is defined. In the end, the video game world may be one shadow upon the wall, but the analog world is a light that is built from hundreds of thousands of shadows all congregating together. It's like a quilt. If you find a loose thread and tug on it long enough, eventually the entire thing falls apart.

DISCUSSION TERMINATED. END OF LINE.

Now, as always, here's the latest news from Clan Darkterror Productions: After some talk with the team, we're thinking that, if there is enough interest, we may start selling some Eternity's End merchandise once the game is out. The two most likely possibilities at the moment are artbooks and soundtracks, although if anyone can hook us up with a way to produce them, we may start selling items such as T-shirts, figurines, replica weapons (Made out of our favorite non-lethal material, plastic!), and... dare I say it? PLUSHIES. But if nobody is interested, it probably won't come to fruition! So, if you would like them, or if you wanna hook us up with a way to make this swag, either email us at eternitysendrecruiting@gmail.com, or head over to our forums and post in This topic!

Next up on the list: The demo of our first game. All the cool kids are playing it. Go check it out ;)

Third off: Voice acting and other oddjobs. Unless you want to be listed in the credits as "Additional voices," there's only one spot left (One specifically reserved for a female). So, better be quick!

Finally, The Devlog. Check it out to see what Clan Darkterror Productions is up to!

3/20 Republic Assignment

Once again, philosophical goodness ensures. Let me warn you, though, that I'm in an unusually good mood today. Sometimes that means that you'll see my optimistic side, sometimes that means you'll see my more deluded side. Sometimes both. Sometimes neither. So, be warned ;)

1. Notice that our reading on Thrasymachus is divided into two parts. The first part is entitled – “First Statement and Criticisms”. In this first part, what are Socrates’ main argument(s) against the idea that justice is whatever the strong (i.e. the government) says it is?

-If it is right to do what is in the stronger party's interest, and the stronger party sometimes makes rules that are not in their interest, then it must be right to go against the rules not in their interest. However, this contradicts his other idea of right, where one is obedient to the stronger party.

-The rules the stronger party makes are always in the interest of their subjects, not themselves, the same way a doctor's actions are in the interest of their patients

2. In the second part – “Second Statement and Final Refutation” – what are Thrasymahcus’ two main points and what are Socrates’ two main points in response?

-Justice is what is good for someone else, mainly the stronger party
Socrates' response: This contradicts what he said earlier, where a doctor (Stronger party) will always help his patients

-Injustice is just as good as justice
Socrates' response: There is punishment for injustice

In your opinion, is it ever right to harm somebody? Why or why not? What would Socrates and/or Thrasymachus say in response to your answer?

It is only right to hurt someone if it is in self-defense, and even then only as a last resort. This is so because, in my opinion, justice is a way to live by that avoids conflict. Were conflict to arise, one should always try to negotiate things out before resorting to violence.

Socrates' response: Really, now? Wouldn't the just man always be able to find a non-violent way to solve everything?
Thrasymachus' response: Pffft. It all depends on your opponent. Were he stronger than you, it would be in both of your interests to simply submit to him. Otherwise, by all means, kill him.

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the additional characters!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog! Also, (Although I still gotta talk to tivicus about it,)there's a possibility of Eternity's End merchandise that will be released alongside the game, such as soundtracks and the like. So be on the lookout for those!

3/16 personal reflection

Philosophy. Joy.

In one paragraph (or more) define what a friend is and how you should act towards a friend? Instead of that, you can write a paragraph (or more) that defines what an enemy is and how you should act towards an enemy. Of course you can also write about both if you like. These are topics that you will read about in the assignment below.

An enemy can be considered one that you hold a long-withstanding quarrel with. An enemy can also be considered someone who poses an immediate threat to progress in whatever task is currently at hand. It really rather depends on the situation you are in. As McKenzie Wark puts it in Gamer Theory, "The enemy has to be identified, localized, and highlighted in order to become a target." In any case, there are two ways to "tackle" an enemy, so to speak. The most popular option, especially with the youth, is to kill, kill, kill. It won't be a problem if it's blasted out of existance, right? However, as Socrates put it, violence is not justice. The more... ah... perferable alternative, the one more mature people take, are to try to negotiate, to make peace. Instead of eliminating the source of the problems and possibly spawning new ones, eliminate the problem itself, and the source will stop creating them. Of course, there are times when negotiation is ineffective, when the enemy will not listen. It is only then that one should take a violent course of action. As William Sherman once said, "War is Hell."

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the additional characters!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!

3/16 personal reflection and plato assignment

Once more, Plato assignments follow. Enjoy.

A) In your opinion, is Polemarchus definition of justice, derived from the poet Simonedes, an improvement from his father’s definition?

I think that the idea of helping one's friends is a far better improvement. It's not only easier to understand, but it covers more than just "pay one's dues and telling the truth" and such. However, much like Socrates, I don't think the idea of hurting one's enemies is the best.


B) What is Simonides definition of justice? Has Polemarchus interpreted him correctly?

Simonides definition of justice is to give everyone his due. Polemarchus interprets it as helping friends and hurting enenmies, which is somewhat true.


C) What problem does Socrates see in the phrase, “helping one’s friends and harming ones enemies”? Why is this not an accurate definition of justice?

Socrates sees that a just man would not hurt anyone, friend or enemy, for that is not justice.


D) What lesson do you think Socrates/Plato is trying to prove by having Polemarchus give in to Socrates when his father (Cephalus) would not?

I think he is trying to prove that wisdom comes with age


E) Whose argument do you find more convincing, Polemarchus or Socrates? Why? (This should be a longer response, short paragraph, about 5 sentences).

Socrates is more convincing. He understands that doing harm should not be a part of justice. Also, Socrates gives a few hypothetical examples, such as how hurting a horse makes it a worse horse, thus hurting a person makes him a worse person. Atop that, Socrates has a reputation for being a philosopher, while to my knowledge Polemarchus does not.

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the additional characters!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!

3/16 Republic Assignment

I. Answer the following questions – short answer (about a couple of sentences or more)

* Who are Cephalus and Polemarchus?

Polemarchus is a friend of Socrates, and the owner of the house in which this scene takes place. Cephalus is his father.

* What is the profession of Cephalus?

In section 330b, it mentions him as a money-maker, but it doesn't get any more specific than that

* What was Cephalus doing right before the discussion that took place?

Relaxing in his home

* According to Cephalus, what are the virtues of old age?

One should let their desires lose intensity if they are to live a peaceful life at an old age

* What are Cephalus’ view of justice?

Cephalus believes justice is telling the truth and paying one's debts

* What is Socrates response?

It is not always justice. For example, if you borrowed a weapon from a friend, and he were to become homicidal, it would not be justice to return the weapon to him.

II. Write a one paragraph response to the following question:

* Do you agree with Cephaus or with Socrates? Why? If you don't agree with either of them, write about which one you think makes the stronger arguement - even if you think it is not "right" - and why?

I agree the most with Cephalus. Even though Socrates' point about the homicidal friend was a good one, Cephalus' philosophy still remains as a general truth. Socrates is merely exploiting the idea that there is an exception to every rule. Of course, I don't think Cephalus' idea is the entirety of justice either. I think Justice is to avoid conflict, and if conflict is reached, to prevent it from occuring again.

III. Try to give this a shot, if you can’t answer it that’s okay: What do you think Cephaus represents? What is particular or unique about his view of justice compared to the others you have discussed in class?

I think Cephalus represents the more mature group of people, usually seniors, who would rather try to not worry about anything as opposed to try to gain and keep some form of power. I don't see much different about his idea of justice, though.

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the additional characters!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!

**3/15 Simile of the Cave reading reflection

Alas! If only I knew about this assignment a few months earlier, I would have saved what I wrote here for now! Pity.

Ah, well. I shall try my best to make this an addendum to my former post, as opposed to a simple restating.

SMALL EDIT: Just so I don't look like a hypocrite, let me simply say that whenever I go into "Philosopher mode", as it were, I tend to stereotype and/or address mankind as a whole. Let me simply say that I mean the majority of mankind, and that I understand that there are more than a few exceptions to the claims I make. In fact, I'm friends with quite a few of them ;)

. Compare and contrast what Socrates says in “The Simile of the Cave” with Fahrenheit 451. How are characters like Mildred similar to characters in “Simile of the Cave”?

After finally being able to read the actual text, as opposed to simple summaries, here are a few more observations I made:

Upon page 242, it claims that in order to get one of these prisoners outside he must be "...forcibly dragged up the steep and rugged ascent and not let go till he had been dragged out into the sunlight, [and] the process would be a painful one, to which he would much object." Much like Fahrenheit 451, and much like the real world, people seem to be happy right where they are, and downright object to change. For what reason? Are they scared they may lose their "Comfort Zone" which they have so snugly settled into over the course of their life? Is it a fear of the unknown? As King Whitney Jr. once said, "Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." So, if the entire world now resists change, what does that mean? Has the entire world become fearful? Has the entire world lost their hope and confidence?

Another important subject the Allegory touches upon is the difference between the real and unreal. In the Allegory, prisoners are chained to a wall and watch a shadow play their entire life, and they soon begin to accept these shadows as reality. When they then venture outside the cave and are shown that all they know is a lie, the world that they are shown seems less real to them than their beloved shadows. Once again, both in Fahrenheit and the real world, it is much the same. Fahrenheit has their beloved "families" within the Parlor Walls, and modern-day man has their beloved television, video games, movies, books, etc. etc. We may have slightly more sense than the prisoners in the Cave, and SAY we accept that the shadows we watch are naught but fiction, but much of the time, our actions do not reflect that. To Mildred in Fahrenheit, although she knew it was nothing more than an interactive TV show, she clearly showed much more affection for her shadows then for her own husband. With modern-day man, the youth in particular, we cannot help but long to be able to get the chance to at least TRY that which we see in the media. How many schoolyard killings have occurred because some weak-minded fool wanted to practice his Halo skills away from his Xbox? How many kids have been injured attempting to perform some form of stunt from The Matrix that involved running along or up a wall, and ended up either breaking their leg, or falling off and breaking their skull?

And finally, the ever so anti-climactic ending of the Allegory, in which the enlightened man returns to the Cave to share his knowledge with the other prisoners, and maybe even free them so they may see themselves, but instead the enlightened man wanders blindly through the cave, the prisoners mocking him since his so called "Enlightenment" merely ruined his eyesight. In Fahrenheit, when Montag is enlightened and understands the importance of books, he is branded as a madman and is eventually sentenced to a life on the run from the mechanical hound. In the real world, it is said that all geniuses are crazy, yet not all crazies are geniuses. For what reason is their knowledge branded as insanity? Because it goes against the beliefs of the majority. In the world, everything is decided by the majority. They are the judges of whether an idea is success or failure. If the general populace finds your idea amusing, then you are considered a genius. If the general populace either finds your idea folly or doesn't find it at all, then your idea is considered just another crazy idea.


END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the additional characters!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!

3/14 Personal reflection (Plato)

Since we are soon to start reading Plato's Republic (Joy!), Mr. Jana has assigned this small personal reflection:

Recall a time that you heard a statement of “fact” that was later found to be untrue. It can be from a parent, a teacher, a friend, a government official, a book, or a film. How did you find out it was untrue and how did it make you feel? Did it change your outlook on anything?

Well, in honor of the Republic, (Especially my all-time favorite, the Allegory of the Cave), as well as my return to the allegorithm known as Gamer Theory (Very good bit of reading, I highly recommends it. Especially if you're NOT a gamer), I shall share with ye all a story that I think relates to both of these philosophical pieces:

Some time ago, I was browsing Digg.com (A site where people share fun links they found), and I discovered a link to a supposed way to beta test one of Google's new features, Google TV. Of course, I had to try it. They even had a seemingly legit video, so I thought it must be true. I attempted and attempted it a hundred times over to no avail. I did some research on it, and it seems many experts agreed: It was a hoax. A fraud. Fake. Of course, this angered me, since I just wasted a few hours of my time for nothing, and it also made me realize something else:

It's amazing. In cyberspace, anything and everything is logical, everything is possible. Especially something like Google TV, something that brings the world closer to a "Topological Plane," as McKenzie Wark so puts it in Gamer Theory. Everything, connected. "The node may be a center, but there may not really be a center of centers. ...Every point connects through every other, every shape can be transformed into another. It can fold, stretch, morph and bubble. Time is constant, but space is not. It can pulse and bulge, warp and wobble. It is a network." How can one say no to that?

And yet...it's not real. Just a shadow on the wall. It's strange. In the real world, the line between reality and fiction is definite. But, in cyberspace, anything is possible, because everything is but a shadow. If that is so, can it even be considered real?

Finally, I learned that time wasted is time that cannot be regained. "Time is violence."

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the generic NPCs!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!

SUCCESS MACH 2

Well ladies and gents, the new user-friendly demo of Eternity's End is up! Revel in it's glory!

Success!

Aforementioned experiment was a success. A more user-friendly version of the demo should be up soon. There aren't any gameplay changes, just an easier way to install it. So those of you who already can get it to work need not re-download it.

Any... Volunteers? *Sinister laugh!*

Well then, ladies and gents, it is time for a little experiment, and I need lab rats.

A lot of people have been having problems with the extreme multitude of files found in the current setup of the Eternity's End Runtime Package, and are having difficulty finding which one to execute. So, I would like to try out a program I found, in which it will create an installer for the game, which in turn will compress everything into one nice, neat .exe file. Thing is, I do not know how compatible it is with my game, so I'll need volunteers to help me out with this.

Oh, and if you comply, let me warn you: The test area has no doors, and no windows, which offers you this chilling challenge: To find... A WAY OUT! HYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

Of course... there's always my way...

3/2 Personal Reflection

Write about a time that your pride had negative consequences (or related to that, your inablity to forgive). You can also write about someone else or write about pride in another book.

How was your pride, or the other person's, similiar or different to that of Achilles?

Well, in honor of the release of the demo of Eternity's End, I shall share with you all a little story about the troubles us game developers go through to keep you entertained. However, in order to avoid pointing fingers, I shall use the online names we use down at the EE forums. Gather round, children!

So, Neelpos and I were sitting around his laptop, and playing Need for Speed: Carbon (A game about illegal racing). He was in the middle of a pursuit, and doing pretty good. In passing, I told him about my infamous hour-long pursuit in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Julian took it as a challenge, and devoted a large amount of his computer time trying to beat my record (He even bought Most Wanted in order to match the circumstances of my pursuit!). Because of this, he began to ignore his duty as spritist for a rather long amount of time. He even began to send me messages saying that he would not work on them until he beat me. Seeing how he was trying to beat a past record of mine, there was nothing I could do except try to get a new spritist until he either defeated me, or gave up.

Eventually, the good man gave up, and all in the world was right once more.

I am curious... Is this how Agamemnon felt when Achilles abandoned him? His best soldier abandoned him to try to prove a point, and because of that, he could not make any progress in the task at hand. My best and (at the time) only spritist abandoned me to try to prove a point, and I could not make any progress in the task at hand.

Alas, though, it seems all stories must come to a happy ending sooner or later! My only regret is that, in my case, it wasn't sooner!

END OF LINE. Now, as always, here's the latest going ons with Clan Darkterror Productions: First and foremost, WE FINALLY GOT THE DEMO UP. REVEL IN IT'S GLORY. Once you are done enjoying that, be a pal and Help us finish the whole game, so that you may enjoy it too!(Better do it fast, though, because the main characters are being taken up rather quick! If you wait too long, you might end up as one of the generic NPCs!) And while your at it, see what we're up to At the new Eternity's End devlog!