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
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
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?
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?
Friday, April 20, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
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
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
Monday, April 16, 2007
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
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
Sunday, April 8, 2007
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.
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.
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