6/30/2013: If the PRISM facility’s purpose is to secure the nation, how does this building prove more useful than what they currently work with? In various Embassy assaults and even 9/11, it was reported that our government was alerted to but didn’t “realize” how serious the threats were. They had the info. Also, homegrown terrorists (like in Fort Hood, Oklahoma City, or even ALL of our school shootings) are unlikely to divulge their rampage in a tweet or email. Why the monitoring? How is Snowden a “traitor” exactly?
6/29/2013: Contrary to Julian Assange’s breadth of leaks, Edward Snowden alerted us to the mere presence of the secret PRISM facility, which our government will use to harvest internet and phone transmissions. Thing is, terrorists have long figured out NOT to use these devices and often deliver messages in person. If we can’t keep digital records of guns sold nor process veteran disability claims, why the flying fuck would we dutifully record every call and email into the annals of an expensive facility?
6/28/2013: I’m playing EVE online’s trial…. to remind myself that society isn’t my thing. Within two hours, I had accumulated a 500,000 ISK bounty (which I’m told isn’t much). You might wonder how a simple miner [in training] managed this. Well when a “Wanted” user sidled up to my ship, I evacuated and asked the Newb channel for the appropriate action. I was promptly answered, but then had my own warrant issued by two other players. My focus for the next hour was to match that amount on THEIR heads.
6/27/2013: “A Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”…. But if they were called “Stink-Blossoms” the name, alone, might influence how sweet it -reportedly- is.
6/26/2013: While reading video comments (I’m a sick individual), I ran across some poignancy that made my brain stumble: “It’s pathetic to see people screaming bloody murder over trivial issues, but could they scream the loudest for things they feel capable of influencing?” Could be. Personally, I don’t feel disenfranchisement impacts this, and that they fight against changes to easy, familiar functions. Long-term effects falling domino-style are difficult for them to discern so it doesn’t illicit as visceral of a reaction.
6/25/2013: In essence, nearly all video games are “Role-Playing” since the user is technically assuming the role of a character or, in the very least, directing their actions. Even if you build and manage a base of warriors as an omnipresent, invisible overlord, you’re assuming responsibilities as General. In Black & White you role-play as a God; in Diner Dash you’re a waitress; and in the fantastic Kerbal Space Program, you’re a NASA administrator. It’s incredible. There’s a game for every player.
6/24/2013: I remember the religious up-bringing that I endured. I remember looking at faces like Bill Maher’s and changing the channel quickly, so as not to be “corrupted” by his heathenistic ramblings, his existence surely being a joyless one of finding fault in the dark world he described. After maturing, I can see the merit in asking tough questions, in digging to the root of problems. I know why the loudest message isn’t always accurate and that the Active Majority can be grossly inconsiderate or even wrong.
6/23/2013: In the expected Bill Maher brand of irreverancy, a bit of HBO programming called Vice explores the starkly bizarre and sometimes shameful conditions that civilization operates under. Episodes about the LFSD polygamist cult, the hermetic ways of North Korea, Indian poverty, Chinese scarcity of women, political armies in the Phillipines, and European riots are all concisely explored in “mini-documentary” format, piquing my interest through opposing viewpoints that I wouldn’t have considered before.
6/22/2013: Gamer’s Lament #223: I bought The Dark Spire, a frill-less dungeon crawler hearkening back to days where instant-death rooms flipped you the bird and random dice determined your HP increases upon leveling. It was difficult at first, but I’ve hit a rhythm to my terrified excursions into the “near text-based” presentation of an 8 floor maze. You aren’t shown equipment stats and you can spend hard-earned EP on [possibly] useless skills like Knitting. Despite it all, I love it. Atlus is an abusive spouse.
6/21/2013: There’s a parasite that latches itself onto a fish’s face and inches its way towards the gills, from which it attaches to the host’s mouth and becomes a functional tongue, a prime spot to glean nutrients. The wife saw one in Cozumel actually. We also saw a documentary on parasites while hanging in the hotel…. and I’ve decided to never visit Africa. Ever. That continent’s critters can swim in your holes and take residence in your blood, eyeballs, and even brain, eventually birthing a spaghetti nest of worms.
6/20/2013: Microsoft’s new console is currently being called the “XBox 180” by detractors of its “revised” marketing plan. Even pre-release, the backlash by those seeking a system free of constant DRM and draconian game policies was vocal enough to cause the software giant to stumble and push back its public date as it is no-doubt fighting to maintain relevance among consumer options. Kudos to gamers for flexing their market power! We’ll see if either XBox or PS4 delivers on promises.
6/19/2013: A good vacation is long enough to forget your pile of responsibilities, but not so long that you forget how to do your job. It’s good to be back. I was “this” close to not remembering the 7 sets of logins I use for my work applications.
6/18/2013: Given enough time, the primal forces of erratic plant growth, wind, rain, and burrowing insects could demolish my home. I’m reminded of the complacent dominion we exert over our immediate proximity. Two weeks of an untended lawn can swallow a dachsund, let me attest, and I’m constantly battling the disintegration of wooden planks, weakened shingles, and roof flashing. I’ve spent about 15 weekends pulling out weeds to no avail, so the steady progress of man can be shunted quite easily if neglected.
6/17/2013: 145 million lbs. of radioactive waste, including fuel rods and other types of spent uranium, are stored across 35 states. The waste is harmful to most forms of life and much of it will not be safe for millions of years. A sophisticated storage facility under Nevada’s Yucca Mountain bags and tags its waste, sealing it in the best bins that humanity can afford, and then buries literal signs in the hope that future civilizations don’t get irradiated archaeologists. It’s similar to us planting mines in a timeshare.
6/16/2013: Office co-workers are vultures. You leave for five days and someone switches your chair for one that has a period stain. When someone gets shit-canned, the carrion-pickers swap cables, monitor mounts, and even mice in lieu of ordering or cleaning their own faulty equipment. It’s pure bedlam when you aren’t looking, akin to the Grinch ransacking a particular holiday. At least the green meanie gave stuff back.
6/15/2013: People from Mexico are by far the worst drivers I’ve ever witnessed. Here I thought Houstonians were bad. Imagine a two lane road with cars parked along the side. Their doors open haphazardly and clouds of mopeds swerve around them, your own taxi veering left due to wheel alignment and straddling both lanes, shouting at friends at intersections while checking his phone. Oh, and there are potholes, speed humps, and people lugging a full-sized door perpendicular to the parade of traffic.
6/14/2013: Iguanas in the wild will crawl up and poop next to swimming pools. It’s very odd. You won’t see them through half the day, but the seven-foot monsters will leave a fist-sized pile of shit right there for tourists to step in. Like, right there. It’s a huge “Fuck You” to people attempting to appreciate nature and hope for majestic wildlife shots.
6/13/2013: Are women truly offended by large boobs on video game characters or is this viewpoint acknowledged out of a reflexive concern for Political Correctness? Men are represented as thick-necked, cigar-chomping slabs of meat, a “hyper-sexualized” fantasy version to role-play as, so I’m not certain why there’s concern over hot women who kick ass. Many real women HAVE those kinds of proportions but the fairer sex [in general] isn’t half as tough/capable as our mythical heroines. Why the complaints?
6/12/2013: I’m told that Road Rage is unique, that we wouldn’t cut people off, honk, and flip the bird if we were only pedestrians on the street. I disagree. If Sunday Driver was blocking a sidewalk with her Rascal scooter, the giant doctor-prescribed sheets of plastic sunglasses masking a face of sheer terror as she inches white-knuckled down the pavement, blinker lazily indicating a phantom turn for the last mile, I would honestly circumvent her in the crowd and audibly mumble, “Look at THIS fucking lady.”
6/11/2013: Between the new XBox’s Orwellian monitoring and USA’s phone-tapping Prism facility, my data-mining protection helmet is going to see some good use. It’s not that I want to hide, but that I don’t want anyone looking. It feels like stumbling through a dark room while a creeper sits in the corner with night-vision goggles. If they can explain why XBox One legitimately needs a permanent camera that senses up to four people, eye movement, and heart rate, then I’ll just bend over and let Microsoft fuck me.
6/10/2013: I’m not certain why, as an adult, I can still be motivated by stickers. But there it is. Sue and I made a “chore-chart” that will encourage us to work on either exercising or “art stuff” which includes writing, practicing music, art, comics, and our respective photo projects. If you do an hour, the rules have the opposite person approve and put a sticker on the grid. Each month we’ll treat the other to something special, equal to the value of 50 cents per sticker. It’s just a fun little way for a visual tool to keep us active.
6/9/2013: So Microsoft acquires Skype and forces its previous Messenger users to migrate. Similar to how my nice-and-free Windows Live page was jettisoned, I’m forced to use this bulky, intrusive, and cumbersome program in my workplace. Not only can I not reduce the amount of screen it takes up, but I can’t configure my groups’ interactivity on a case-by-case basis, nor can I disable ads and tweak visual themes. Additionally, copying/pasting from the field is a bitch and dragged links NEVER work properly.
6/8/2013: If you turn a Butterfinger vertical, it creates a distinct, spikey pattern on the yellow wrapper. Was it intended to resemble the profile of its advocate, Bart Simpson?
6/7/2013: Navenna Shine, a hippie-person in Seattle, is conducting a bold experiment, testing if humans can survive on only Light and Water. She is reportedly attempting to command her body to absorb the essential nutrients from the air. I don’t want to steal her thunder, but many children in Africa should be credited if there is any credit to be had. Hooray for her scientific endeavor and for the reaffirmation to sane people that, yes, we’re not bamboo. The community will soon be forced to find a spot to plant her.
6/6/2013: The House of Cards series is like a politician’s wet dream. I imagine the entire Senate gluing their faces to a screen if only to jot notes on how to bamboozle the opposing side and honey-coat their speeches and demeanor to be both assertive and convincing. It’s too bad that the majority of representatives are bumblingly ineffective, invoking the laughable image of two old folks’ attempt at a dry, jittery, ill-coordinated peck on the lips. Spacey’s suave brand of scandalous manipulation has to be rare.
6/5/2013: If someone can’t understand a person, it’s generally due to limitations of the thinker’s effort and not the complexities of the subject. Empathizing is my unwanted gift and I often argue both sides…. even for people I truly hate. Understanding doesn’t equal approval, but knowing where others come from can be done by acknowledging their path instead of just the event in question. It’s easier to be obliviously egocentric, but there’s comfort in the world not pivoting around me specifically.
6/4/2013: Human reproduction is pretty terrible. Not the sex part; that’s the incentive to even thinking about engaging in the messy and bizarre growth process of implanting an alien gestation into a female’s torso. I guess in terms of alternatives, we should be happy with what we’ve got. Bacteria split into two identical beings, marsupials have half-formed fetuses crawl back into their pouches, and alligators carry the vulnerable youth around in their mouth. Birds may have it pretty easy, I think. Eggs seem manageable.
6/3/2013: Vigilante “justice” is a tricky subject. On the one hand, you don’t want people to play cop and to even act on misinformation. On the other, vigilantes might actually represent the true feelings of a people, punishing beyond what the law is capable. Think of it like a jury-trial, but with more chaos. Mob-rule is an inherently scary concept, but I believe both superheroes and hacker-group Anonymous represent best-case scenarios. The Sea Shepherds, even, can be vilified or heralded dependant on your point of view.
6/2/2013: Some assholes in San Antonio strangled, stomped, and threw a duck’s limp body into the Riverwalk. Naturally, the internet would be furious if this was any creature, much less one that frequented restaurants and tugged on pant legs for bread. Hunting and eating animals is acceptable, but senseless torture is not. I’m all for the perps’ balls to be cut off and shoved in each other’s throats, as this cruelty probably summarizes their “contribution” to society. I didn’t know you, George, but RIP.
6/1/2013: Pope Francis has surprising views. Who knew that Godless heathens were capable of doing good with their lives? Pffft! Everyone knows that people who don’t believe in a thing, obviously worship the evil version of that thing, wreaking Satan’s dark wrath in all they say and do. His Papalness didn’t outright open Heaven’s gates to atheists, though it’d be a hollow gesture anyways. Simmer down theists, no one’s crashing your imaginary party. He’s merely acknowledging our humanity. Thanks.