Over in kate's blog, I got a whiff of the Interview game. Taking up the challenge, here's the set of five questions that she's put up for me to answer.
1) If you can change any ONE part of Philippine History, what/which one will it be and why? (Just one!)
I'd change the fact that we weren't able to find economic stability after Ramos. Somehow, whatever momentum that was started during the Ramos administration vaporized really, really fast, leaving us back again, if not further in debt.
2) If given a chance to speak to one of the Gods in any religion, who would it be and why?
Hmm... I'd speak with the Judeo-Christian God. He seems to be the forgiving sort right now and is one who encourages a lot of dialogue. Besides, it should be fun to go and give Jesus a couple of high fives and talk about our favorite movies or something.
3) In relation to number 2, if you had 3 questions, what they be?
Three questions to ask God... hmm...
- "What can we do to unite Protestants, Muslims and Catholics?"
- "Did you really expect technology to expand and change society the way that it's doing now?
and finally
- "Won't you forgive all of mankind, for they do not know what they do?" (hey, if I was gonna talk to the big man upstairs, then I might as well use it to win a few people a chance at redemption)
4) Name 3 of your greatest treasures (no people please).
Are these singular items? Umm... the watch given to me as a Graduation Gift, the heart shaped locket given to me for safekeeping and my RPG collection. The watch and locket is with me for sentimental value, both gifts from the people that I consider to be most dear and most understanding in my life. My RPG collection is something I've spent considerable time and effort on to go to waste. :p
5) Chocolates or beef?
Chocolate. Definitely. I'm not eating beef for religious reasons, and I can have as much Chocolate as I want. Hence, realistically speaking, chocolate is more accessible, more satisfying and a hell of a lot more fun in the right ways. ;)
*************************************************
Here are The Official Interview Game Rules:
1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "“interview me."”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each personÂ’s will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
If you don'’t have a blog, I will still ask you 5 unique questions and you can post your answers here.
Any takers?
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Intelligent videogame design.
I was just thinking of what would make a good blog topic today, when I stumbled upon this Penny-Arcade webcomic that pretty accurately sums up what I think of the way videogames are being made. Go ahead, click in the link and check it out, I'll wait.
Back? Great.
Now that you've seen the webcomic, let's get to the topic of discussion. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia talking, but for some reason, not a lot of games nowadays have something to back them up after the snazzy graphics.
But rather than going about bashing things, I'll take the positive approach. Let's go and take a look at the games which have shown more than their fair share of intelligent design, and story that extends to beyond pretty graphics.
Gameplay & Experience
In terms of gameplay, few people can resist the experimental, and highly immersive world of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the latest in the MGS series. The game excels in the field of gameplay and user experience, pushing the envelope of immersiveness. Aside from running around and sneaking, there's a host of other actions that Snake can do, like hanging off ledges, switching camouflage, carrying bodies around, engaging in close quarters combat and hunting for food. The beauty of Metal Gear is that it's one of those games that really takes the player and makes you forget that you're holding a controller.
I guess their TV Ad gives you a pretty good idea at how the experience feels. [please note that it's streaming video]
----
Take note that I was just talking about gameplay and experience up there. For story, you need something else. So far, the Baldur's Gate series and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic have been very pleasant surprises in that aspect. Some games can do without story... like Doom, but some games need story, especially cRPGs. Sadly, I can't really discuss the story of these much without giving away huge chunks of spoilers that can (and will) annoy potential players.
However, I think that there's one game that deserves special mention, and that's Planescape: Torment. Few games that start off with you as an amnesiac play to a good level of satisfaction, but Torment leaves them all in the dust. The player assumes the role of a nameless, hideously scarred, immortal zombie. The itself game revolves around finding out who you were, as well as helping the people that you meet along the way, who may or may not have remembered you from before. The individual stories you encounter are all fascinating, and your own history keeps the player stuck to the keyboard way into the night.
If you're bored and you can't find a copy of Torment (which I don't blame you for, it's a fairly dated game) check out this novelization, I doubt if it's official, and I haven't read it (yet) but it might be worth checking out.
Anyway, I'd go on and on more about this, but I think I've exhauste d my reader time limit by now.
Still, I'm curious, what videogames have you guys played that truly hooked you, and why?
Back? Great.
Now that you've seen the webcomic, let's get to the topic of discussion. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia talking, but for some reason, not a lot of games nowadays have something to back them up after the snazzy graphics.
But rather than going about bashing things, I'll take the positive approach. Let's go and take a look at the games which have shown more than their fair share of intelligent design, and story that extends to beyond pretty graphics.
Gameplay & Experience
In terms of gameplay, few people can resist the experimental, and highly immersive world of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the latest in the MGS series. The game excels in the field of gameplay and user experience, pushing the envelope of immersiveness. Aside from running around and sneaking, there's a host of other actions that Snake can do, like hanging off ledges, switching camouflage, carrying bodies around, engaging in close quarters combat and hunting for food. The beauty of Metal Gear is that it's one of those games that really takes the player and makes you forget that you're holding a controller.
I guess their TV Ad gives you a pretty good idea at how the experience feels. [please note that it's streaming video]
----
Take note that I was just talking about gameplay and experience up there. For story, you need something else. So far, the Baldur's Gate series and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic have been very pleasant surprises in that aspect. Some games can do without story... like Doom, but some games need story, especially cRPGs. Sadly, I can't really discuss the story of these much without giving away huge chunks of spoilers that can (and will) annoy potential players.
However, I think that there's one game that deserves special mention, and that's Planescape: Torment. Few games that start off with you as an amnesiac play to a good level of satisfaction, but Torment leaves them all in the dust. The player assumes the role of a nameless, hideously scarred, immortal zombie. The itself game revolves around finding out who you were, as well as helping the people that you meet along the way, who may or may not have remembered you from before. The individual stories you encounter are all fascinating, and your own history keeps the player stuck to the keyboard way into the night.
If you're bored and you can't find a copy of Torment (which I don't blame you for, it's a fairly dated game) check out this novelization, I doubt if it's official, and I haven't read it (yet) but it might be worth checking out.
Anyway, I'd go on and on more about this, but I think I've exhauste d my reader time limit by now.
Still, I'm curious, what videogames have you guys played that truly hooked you, and why?
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Happy, happy, joy, joy
Hey guys,
Not much going on today, aside from the silent satisfaction of watching the days go by, inching ever forward to the day I wrap my hands around a copy of Legend of the Five Rings 3rd edition. Work's been good to me, and I'm learning a lot about HTML, Javascript and Dreamweaver. Hopefully if I keep this up, I can actually make some improvements on this blog.
Anyway, as you can tell by the title and the unnaturally happy looking pair of electrons today, I'm not in much of a Zen mood, or a Rant mood, which is a good thing, because it can only mean that I'm having a good day.
It's also the first day of the New Worlds Alliance Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention 2005 at the Ayala Activity Center. Tomorrow's the next day, and it sucks that I can't go because it's a work day. But then again, given a choice between two days of toiling in a thankful post in a geek convention and securing finanical stability, I can live to see next years convention. ;)
Gaming wise, I didn't get to hold Mage again this week, and I'm working my way out of a slump. At least I'm rediscovering the joy that is Neverwinter Nights, and I'm playing through it the first time with my default character in D&D computer games: My Paladin.
I don't know why, but every D&D game I've played in the computer always ends up being a Paladin, with a Great Sword and Full Plate. Kicking ass for the divine has never been so much fun.
Anyway, that's it for today's update, I'll probably be back to my more... sober moods tomorrow, so if anyone's looking for meaty updates, try then. :)
Have a great day everyone!
Friday, May 20, 2005
It's about damn time...
Finally, people are coming to realize that the gaming industry is going to remain stuck in it's current size if it doesn't learn to expand it's market.
As explained in this BBC article Videogames are mired by the fact that they are designed primarily for a male audience. In order for the industry to grow, they have to learn to extend their appeal to the other half of the market, the women who comprise a great portion of our population.
Few videogames exist that have unisex appeal. Sure you've got some women who play Quake, but more often than not, they're exceptions rather than the norm. Thankfully some games do exist that cater to both sexes.
One of these would be The Sims. I'm sure everyone has heard of this game, and it's often the only game that some girls I know of play at all.
Another outstanding game that fits the bill is Harvest Moon, the addictive Farm Sim that has everyone enthusiastically talking about tomatoes and turnips while some people obsess about bovine acquisition. ;)
Why am I so concerned about this? Well, for one thing, the pen and paper RPG gamer population of the Philippines is not making much headway, gender-wise. Sure there are a great gamer chicks that show up but that's 1 out of every 10 or so male gamers.
So, I'd like to hear from the gamer girls out there. What made you guys take up gaming, and what did you like/ dislike about the current situation, and how do you suppose we can improve it?
As explained in this BBC article Videogames are mired by the fact that they are designed primarily for a male audience. In order for the industry to grow, they have to learn to extend their appeal to the other half of the market, the women who comprise a great portion of our population.
Few videogames exist that have unisex appeal. Sure you've got some women who play Quake, but more often than not, they're exceptions rather than the norm. Thankfully some games do exist that cater to both sexes.
One of these would be The Sims. I'm sure everyone has heard of this game, and it's often the only game that some girls I know of play at all.
Another outstanding game that fits the bill is Harvest Moon, the addictive Farm Sim that has everyone enthusiastically talking about tomatoes and turnips while some people obsess about bovine acquisition. ;)
Why am I so concerned about this? Well, for one thing, the pen and paper RPG gamer population of the Philippines is not making much headway, gender-wise. Sure there are a great gamer chicks that show up but that's 1 out of every 10 or so male gamers.
So, I'd like to hear from the gamer girls out there. What made you guys take up gaming, and what did you like/ dislike about the current situation, and how do you suppose we can improve it?
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Thriving on the Drama
Last night, while fiddling around with the Registry Entries of my home PC, I overheard the dialogue and basic plot of my mom's newest fixation. It was a local TV drama centered on the misery of a group of children who were left out into the streets, taken in by cruel adults and generally subjected to all sorts of abuse.
I wasn't paying too much attention to it, as most of the dialogue and plot seemed to sum up as:
Evil Situation 1 happens.
Kids Cry.
Evil situation 2 happens, making things worse.
Adults get angry, beat up kids.
Kids Cry.
Evil Situation... well you get the point.
Given a chance to mull about the situation while watching the a status bar counting percentages, it occured to me that given the nearly religious hold that Media has in this third world country, is this a factor in the lack of motivation displayed by the common Filipino?
It's hard to say what is the cause and what is the effect. But to put it in Mage terms, something becomes real only when enough people believe in it. Given this possibility, it scares me to see what's been going on.
There are no TV shows here that actually show a competent police force, oftentimes relegating them to the role of deus ex machina when they are in need of somehow freeing a kidnapped group of teenages for example. Otherwise, the police are extras, showing up only to oppress the poor or to generally act incompetent.
The poor are never shown to improve their lot without an act of deus ex machina or crime. There is no progress, no means of working your way out of the slums. The poor are portayed to be happy to wallow in their situation, to be thankful to God that they have not suffered this particular day.
The rich are always evil. To have money is to be a self-serving and evil individual. There are no stories about good rich people, and even if there are, these are exceptions. The only good rich people, are those that fall in love with poor people. Everyone else is a spineless old man with no ability to chastise his evil heir who tortures poor people.
After all of this, is it any wonder that people here don't have any hope? They get brainwashed by images of hopelessness, messages of trusting their fatalism and passive acceptance over self improvement. Rather than learning to plan for the long term, they are reduced to being happy about their hand to mouth subsistence.
There are victories in life, and it isn't in dwelling in the drama. There are things that can be achieved, and dreams fulfilled. We all know that life sucks, but it's not an excuse to stop and feel sorry for ourselves.
I wasn't paying too much attention to it, as most of the dialogue and plot seemed to sum up as:
Evil Situation 1 happens.
Kids Cry.
Evil situation 2 happens, making things worse.
Adults get angry, beat up kids.
Kids Cry.
Evil Situation... well you get the point.
Given a chance to mull about the situation while watching the a status bar counting percentages, it occured to me that given the nearly religious hold that Media has in this third world country, is this a factor in the lack of motivation displayed by the common Filipino?
It's hard to say what is the cause and what is the effect. But to put it in Mage terms, something becomes real only when enough people believe in it. Given this possibility, it scares me to see what's been going on.
There are no TV shows here that actually show a competent police force, oftentimes relegating them to the role of deus ex machina when they are in need of somehow freeing a kidnapped group of teenages for example. Otherwise, the police are extras, showing up only to oppress the poor or to generally act incompetent.
The poor are never shown to improve their lot without an act of deus ex machina or crime. There is no progress, no means of working your way out of the slums. The poor are portayed to be happy to wallow in their situation, to be thankful to God that they have not suffered this particular day.
The rich are always evil. To have money is to be a self-serving and evil individual. There are no stories about good rich people, and even if there are, these are exceptions. The only good rich people, are those that fall in love with poor people. Everyone else is a spineless old man with no ability to chastise his evil heir who tortures poor people.
After all of this, is it any wonder that people here don't have any hope? They get brainwashed by images of hopelessness, messages of trusting their fatalism and passive acceptance over self improvement. Rather than learning to plan for the long term, they are reduced to being happy about their hand to mouth subsistence.
There are victories in life, and it isn't in dwelling in the drama. There are things that can be achieved, and dreams fulfilled. We all know that life sucks, but it's not an excuse to stop and feel sorry for ourselves.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Mage: the Awakening Preview 1
Hey guys,
I'm really interested in how White Wolf will redefine the new Mage, and so far their first
preview of the Setting History seems to be pretty cool.
It's not the same as Acenscion but I'm still hyped up to getting it. From the history alone, I'm getting vibes of a lot more pulp and wizardry than the Matrix of the previous edition.
For those interested in checking it out without clicking on the link above, I've copied it below:
-----
Mythic History
The sea of time grows murky as one approaches the distant past. Ruins, artifacts, cave paintings—all this evidence of history tells an incomplete tale. Even master mages cannot part the curtains of time so far back to see what truly occurred. The magical orders have a mythology about their beginnings, the legend of a fallen civilization and a war for the throne of reality. The names for that civilization are many, most of them lost over the years, but even the Sleeping know one of them and seek evidence of its truth: Atlantis.
In the far distant past, mortals suffered at the whim of monsters, hunted by spirits and preyed upon by bloodthirsty revenants. Beset by creatures stronger than they, culled by howling beasts whenever they migrated into territories whose borders they couldn't possibly perceive, mortals found it nigh impossible to advance above their need for survival, to envision ways of living outside of fear.
Then came the dragon dreams. Certain mortals, in lands scattered far and wide, began to dream of an island, a lonely land jutting from a windswept sea far from any known coast. A spire rose from the center of the isle, pointing at the pole star; it seemed to the dreamers that this was the axis of the world, the pole upon which the bowl of the sky turned. And upon this pole, at its apex, nested the dragons.
In the dreams, these great worms of legend would rise up into the winds, one by one, circle the spire with their beating leathern wings, and set off toward the infinite horizon, to places the dreamers could not imagine. No other creature stirred on the isle and no spirit hunted there; no being dared intrude upon the dragons' lair. As the dreams progressed, the dreamers came to realize that the dragons never returned. Each night, another dragon would leave, so that the remaining numbers grew small. Finally, the last dragon took wing and glided away, to the west, never again to be seen. The dreams continued to come, but now the isle was empty; nothing moved there. For many nights the dreamers saw the isle, abandoned and forlorn, and knew that it waited for them. The island had called to them, compelling them, seeking new inhabitants.
----
Oh, and from the WW boards regarding more information on the new origins of the mages:
----
The magical orders have a mythology about their beginnings, the legend of a fallen civilization and a war for the trhone of reality. The names for that civilization are many, most of them lost over the years, but even the sleeping know one of them and seek evidence of it's truth: Atlantis.
For many years, uncounted in the far distant past, mortals suffered at the whim of monsters, hunted by spirits and preyed upon by bloodthirsty revenants. Beset by creatures stronger than they, culled by howling beasts whenever they migrated into territories whose borders they couldn't possibly percieve, mortals found it night impossible to dvance above their need for survival, to envision ways of living outside of fear.
Following visionary dreams of a distant island free from strife, small bands of mortals set out to sea from many different lands, each following the vision given to them in dreams. When they arrived at this promised land, their bodies entered deep slep while their minds traveled to far astral realms beyond the ken of other mortals.
There they met the others, the daimons of their own souls, the hidden twin of each soul traveler. These judges challenged them to prove by what right they came on astral roads to the Realms Supernal, and set them to a series of tests. The victors returned wit htheir souls aglow, lit by a celestial fire. They could see into the Realms Invisbile and ken the secret workings of creation, the principles and substances from which everything was wrought. With the Realms Supernal, and this knowledge they gleaned from studying realms visbile and invisible, they could calld down the ways of heaven, the higher principles that ruled over the lower realms of matter and spirit. They made their very thoughts real, imagination rendered inot matter and flesh.
The loose confderation of immigrants to the island soon organized into a city-state led by the magi: Atlantis. Over time , the enlightened founded seperate orders to fulfill the roles of governance, from mystical militia to scholars to a priesthood of mysteries to guide them all.
The power to warp the very skein of creation soon outstripped the wisdom of those who wielded it. The hubris of the magi rose unchecked. Many generations after the first had established Atlantis, their legacy turned sour, Mage turned on mage and so was born the first wizard's war.
The victors claimed atlantis as theirs and drove the losers to the far corners of the earth. Then, combing their power, they wrought a great spell and erected a ladder to the Realms Supernal. The spurned the traditional astral paths by which a sorcerer could approach the higher realms by means of a soul journey, for they sought to walk the celestial reachers in their own bodies. They stormed the heights and cliamed the thrones of the gods for themselves. Ruiling from on high, no longer bound to the earth, even their petty dictates and whims became real, for they stood over the lower arealm and influenced it with their very thoughts. The subtle veils were rent and the higher and lower worlds came together - the pure miexed wit hthe impure and the universe trembled.
Spurred by the imminent desruction and corruption of the world, the exiled mages banded together and assaulted Atlantis, climing the star ladder and wrestling with the celestrial mages in their heavenly palaces. Their struggles were terrible. The two sides clashed in a chaos of realms and the losers - sorcers on both sides - were flung from on high back into the lower realm.
The ladder shattered, disintegrating into dust, leaving the victors beyound the reach of teh earthbound mages. Where the ladder had been, reality cracked and fell into itself, creating a rift between the higher and lower realms, a terrible void that sucked life and energy into itself. The Abyss divided the realms once more, keeping the high, pure realm from the taint of the low. But this was no subtle veil, permeable to returning souls. It was a gulf of unreality, an abberation that was never meant t be. What was before a single world became two worlds - the Supernal World and the Fallen World with a vast Abyss between them.
----
Interesting stuff...
I'm really interested in how White Wolf will redefine the new Mage, and so far their first
preview of the Setting History seems to be pretty cool.
It's not the same as Acenscion but I'm still hyped up to getting it. From the history alone, I'm getting vibes of a lot more pulp and wizardry than the Matrix of the previous edition.
For those interested in checking it out without clicking on the link above, I've copied it below:
-----
Mythic History
The sea of time grows murky as one approaches the distant past. Ruins, artifacts, cave paintings—all this evidence of history tells an incomplete tale. Even master mages cannot part the curtains of time so far back to see what truly occurred. The magical orders have a mythology about their beginnings, the legend of a fallen civilization and a war for the throne of reality. The names for that civilization are many, most of them lost over the years, but even the Sleeping know one of them and seek evidence of its truth: Atlantis.
In the far distant past, mortals suffered at the whim of monsters, hunted by spirits and preyed upon by bloodthirsty revenants. Beset by creatures stronger than they, culled by howling beasts whenever they migrated into territories whose borders they couldn't possibly perceive, mortals found it nigh impossible to advance above their need for survival, to envision ways of living outside of fear.
Then came the dragon dreams. Certain mortals, in lands scattered far and wide, began to dream of an island, a lonely land jutting from a windswept sea far from any known coast. A spire rose from the center of the isle, pointing at the pole star; it seemed to the dreamers that this was the axis of the world, the pole upon which the bowl of the sky turned. And upon this pole, at its apex, nested the dragons.
In the dreams, these great worms of legend would rise up into the winds, one by one, circle the spire with their beating leathern wings, and set off toward the infinite horizon, to places the dreamers could not imagine. No other creature stirred on the isle and no spirit hunted there; no being dared intrude upon the dragons' lair. As the dreams progressed, the dreamers came to realize that the dragons never returned. Each night, another dragon would leave, so that the remaining numbers grew small. Finally, the last dragon took wing and glided away, to the west, never again to be seen. The dreams continued to come, but now the isle was empty; nothing moved there. For many nights the dreamers saw the isle, abandoned and forlorn, and knew that it waited for them. The island had called to them, compelling them, seeking new inhabitants.
----
Oh, and from the WW boards regarding more information on the new origins of the mages:
----
The magical orders have a mythology about their beginnings, the legend of a fallen civilization and a war for the trhone of reality. The names for that civilization are many, most of them lost over the years, but even the sleeping know one of them and seek evidence of it's truth: Atlantis.
For many years, uncounted in the far distant past, mortals suffered at the whim of monsters, hunted by spirits and preyed upon by bloodthirsty revenants. Beset by creatures stronger than they, culled by howling beasts whenever they migrated into territories whose borders they couldn't possibly percieve, mortals found it night impossible to dvance above their need for survival, to envision ways of living outside of fear.
Following visionary dreams of a distant island free from strife, small bands of mortals set out to sea from many different lands, each following the vision given to them in dreams. When they arrived at this promised land, their bodies entered deep slep while their minds traveled to far astral realms beyond the ken of other mortals.
There they met the others, the daimons of their own souls, the hidden twin of each soul traveler. These judges challenged them to prove by what right they came on astral roads to the Realms Supernal, and set them to a series of tests. The victors returned wit htheir souls aglow, lit by a celestial fire. They could see into the Realms Invisbile and ken the secret workings of creation, the principles and substances from which everything was wrought. With the Realms Supernal, and this knowledge they gleaned from studying realms visbile and invisible, they could calld down the ways of heaven, the higher principles that ruled over the lower realms of matter and spirit. They made their very thoughts real, imagination rendered inot matter and flesh.
The loose confderation of immigrants to the island soon organized into a city-state led by the magi: Atlantis. Over time , the enlightened founded seperate orders to fulfill the roles of governance, from mystical militia to scholars to a priesthood of mysteries to guide them all.
The power to warp the very skein of creation soon outstripped the wisdom of those who wielded it. The hubris of the magi rose unchecked. Many generations after the first had established Atlantis, their legacy turned sour, Mage turned on mage and so was born the first wizard's war.
The victors claimed atlantis as theirs and drove the losers to the far corners of the earth. Then, combing their power, they wrought a great spell and erected a ladder to the Realms Supernal. The spurned the traditional astral paths by which a sorcerer could approach the higher realms by means of a soul journey, for they sought to walk the celestial reachers in their own bodies. They stormed the heights and cliamed the thrones of the gods for themselves. Ruiling from on high, no longer bound to the earth, even their petty dictates and whims became real, for they stood over the lower arealm and influenced it with their very thoughts. The subtle veils were rent and the higher and lower worlds came together - the pure miexed wit hthe impure and the universe trembled.
Spurred by the imminent desruction and corruption of the world, the exiled mages banded together and assaulted Atlantis, climing the star ladder and wrestling with the celestrial mages in their heavenly palaces. Their struggles were terrible. The two sides clashed in a chaos of realms and the losers - sorcers on both sides - were flung from on high back into the lower realm.
The ladder shattered, disintegrating into dust, leaving the victors beyound the reach of teh earthbound mages. Where the ladder had been, reality cracked and fell into itself, creating a rift between the higher and lower realms, a terrible void that sucked life and energy into itself. The Abyss divided the realms once more, keeping the high, pure realm from the taint of the low. But this was no subtle veil, permeable to returning souls. It was a gulf of unreality, an abberation that was never meant t be. What was before a single world became two worlds - the Supernal World and the Fallen World with a vast Abyss between them.
----
Interesting stuff...
Monday, May 16, 2005
No wonder Akodo wanted to Duel her...
Matsu is teh Win!
Seriously though, I've always liked the Matsu family from Legend of the Five Rings.
Forgive me if I haven't been posting anything meaty word-wise. I'm too giddy waiting for the 3rd edition to hit the shelves over here in the Philippines to think straight.
L5R Third Ed
On it's way here overseas
Oh! I want it now
Haiku courtesy of a fanboy... :p
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Bag inspection Equality!
If there was one thing that irked me about the bag security inspection in the malls, it would have to be the fact that some people blatantly ignore this security measure.
I'm more than a little annoyed when:
People barrel through the lines for the opposite gender. I would understand if they were members of the third gender, but these are perfectly rational, hopefully literate and well dressed members of society who que up on the wrong line because it's shorter.
What the hell? The very reason the lines were segregated by gender is to avoid any uncomfortable incidents when the guards frisk you for firearms or hidden weapons.
People which decide to que up in the wrong lines should be treated with the same disregard. Women should be thoroughly frisked by the male security guard, while men should be frisked by the women security guards.
Security takes priority over your personal space. If you feel degraded, humiliated or just plain embarrassed when the guards frisk you down, then you can only blame yourself.
Maybe if we make this mandatory for everything that all members opposite gender that que in the wrong place must be frisked, we'll have fewer incidents, and more cooperative people.
I'm more than a little annoyed when:
People barrel through the lines for the opposite gender. I would understand if they were members of the third gender, but these are perfectly rational, hopefully literate and well dressed members of society who que up on the wrong line because it's shorter.
What the hell? The very reason the lines were segregated by gender is to avoid any uncomfortable incidents when the guards frisk you for firearms or hidden weapons.
People which decide to que up in the wrong lines should be treated with the same disregard. Women should be thoroughly frisked by the male security guard, while men should be frisked by the women security guards.
Security takes priority over your personal space. If you feel degraded, humiliated or just plain embarrassed when the guards frisk you down, then you can only blame yourself.
Maybe if we make this mandatory for everything that all members opposite gender that que in the wrong place must be frisked, we'll have fewer incidents, and more cooperative people.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Do you hate RPGs? Sit down and let's talk.
One of the most important resources for a roleplaying game player today is the Pulling Report by Michael A. Stackpole. This comprehensive analysis of how RPGs were unfairly linked to the suicide of a certain Irving Lee "Bink" Pulling on June 9, 1982 (wow, I was just about to turn 2 years old then... anyway).
This spurred his mother, Patricia Pulling, to take up a massive disinformation campaign to destroy the hobby's credibility to the market, and painting RPGs (and gaming in general) in the worst possible light.
Her influence is still felt today, with every headline dedicated to associating the hobby with demons and evil.
*sigh*
Not that she's the only one. There are also others... like our favorite comic book Propagandist, Jack Chick, author of the popular tract of sheer unadulterated ignorance and paranoia knowns as Dark Dungeons.
It warms my heart to see that Catholics have had a chance to review his work and come up with a suitable, respectful and decent answer to his work regarding a myriad of issues. What scares me is that these Chick tracts are being sold in a certain local school.
Anyway, that's it for today's dose of reading. I hope that the links I've put up will be something that will enlighten and educate, though I've got a fire extinguisher ready in case I get flamed for it.
This spurred his mother, Patricia Pulling, to take up a massive disinformation campaign to destroy the hobby's credibility to the market, and painting RPGs (and gaming in general) in the worst possible light.
Her influence is still felt today, with every headline dedicated to associating the hobby with demons and evil.
*sigh*
Not that she's the only one. There are also others... like our favorite comic book Propagandist, Jack Chick, author of the popular tract of sheer unadulterated ignorance and paranoia knowns as Dark Dungeons.
It warms my heart to see that Catholics have had a chance to review his work and come up with a suitable, respectful and decent answer to his work regarding a myriad of issues. What scares me is that these Chick tracts are being sold in a certain local school.
Anyway, that's it for today's dose of reading. I hope that the links I've put up will be something that will enlighten and educate, though I've got a fire extinguisher ready in case I get flamed for it.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Tired of your job?
If you think you're having fun, why don't you try out The Worst Jobs in History. I'm sure you'll feel much, much better.
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