tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6975423994811424322024-03-21T17:20:09.004-04:00The Inner LifeAnime, pro wrestling, and especially video games. But wait, there's more!ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-54323311117569771132016-03-09T12:33:00.001-05:002016-03-09T12:47:26.934-05:00The Amazing Atheist: "NUANCE IS DEAD (AND SJWS PISS ON ITS GRAVE)" (Partial Transcript)<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don't agree with everything The Amazing Atheist says at all times, but in many ways, we're on the same side: the side of "nuance". He covers this in the first part of the video, noting his increase in conservative, religious subscribers. There are people on both sides who are interested in really exploring the issues, really digging into the truth of things, and there is an opposite side--mostly Social Justice Warriors and third-wave feminists--who simply is not, and wants to not disprove any opposing ideas but straight up silence them by virtue of the strength of accusations.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Feel free to watch the entire video here, which begins with an impassioned argument for the importance of nuance in any discussion:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjndBbLDZc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFjndBbLDZc</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But if you'd prefer text (as I do, and some of my friends; this was written up for their benefit, and I hope The Amazing Atheist doesn't mind!), the real meat of it begins below. I attempted to transcribed it verbatim, omitting only filler words (um, uh, et cetera). Added emphasis is mine.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Transcript begins at 13:51</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
...I can finally bring this video back
to the subject of SJWs, this time in the form of third-wave
feminists.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of my most popular quotations on
the subject of feminism is "Feminism attempts to make both sexes
equal by focusing on the issues of only one of them." Now I
might have butchered my own quote there, but this statement was
originally a tweet, and a very popular one at that.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now is it nuanced? Well, it was a
tweet, so no, it wasn't. Not all feminists are the same. Not all
feminists believe in equality. Some believe in female supremacy.
It's just a fact. Not all, some. Not all feminists focus only on
women's issues. Some do care about men's issues.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There isn't room to explain all of that
in one little pithy statement on Twitter!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That doesn't make the statement
invalid. That just means that it's incumbent on the audience to
understand that statement in the context of the current debates
between various incarnations of feminism and various incarnations of
anti-feminism.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But here's a problem: there is one thing
that almost all feminists share in common. That all SJWs in general
share in common, and it's this: they put forth ideas but they do not
care whether or not there ideas are understood. That's very strange.
There's a reason though that Anita Sarkeesian disables comments on
all of her videos.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And I speculate that is has nothing to
do with harassment or bullying, as she claims, and upon further
reflection, I think, perhaps, that it's not even to do with silencing
dissent as I and others have claimed. I think that she disables
comments because she doesn't want to answer critics. She knows that
dissent against her opinions exists, and that it's actually quite
popular. She knows that criticisms about her work and ideas abounds,
and that she can never, ever stop it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But she doesn't want to confront it. I
think the reason is not even so much that she can't, but that she
doesn't want to. The scariest thing about SJWs is that they don't
lack nuance because they're too stupid to see nuance, but rather
because they actively oppose it as a concept. Their worldview is
such that nuance frightens them, because if they say there's a racist
patriarchy that oppresses women and minorities, they don't just want
you to not challenge that, they don't even want to permit the
smallest caveat to that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Lemme provide some evidence: just look
at how they approach rape. The mantra is that men need to listen and
believe. If Kesha accuses a man of raping her, it's automatically
viewed as true by the SJWs, as evidenced by the recent #FreeKesha
hashtag. If a girl says she was raped, that's good enough for
Rolling Stone to print an article about it and to vilify an entire
frat house and make it seem as if rape is part of their initiation
rituals. Even when that story was demonstrated to be false, the SJW
narrative was unfazed. Their primary concern was that such a
prominent story about false rape would make people less likely to
automatically accept rape claims.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In other words, they were scared of
people becoming more skeptical. They were afraid of nuance.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For more on this subject, you can check
out my videos: "Feminism & Rape: Belief without Evidence", and "Feminist Assumptions and the Great UVA Rape Hoax".</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
More evidence of the pathological
aversion that SJWs have towards nuance is their abiding hatred of the
phrase "not all men", which I explored in my video "'NOT
ALL MEN!' - Three Words Feminists Hate (And Why They Should Be
Said)".</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The only reason they hate the phrase
"not all men" is because it attempts to inject unwanted
nuance into their worldview. For some reason, they think that if
some men harass them on the street, then ALL men should be implicated
in that. If some men rape, then we need to teach men not to rape.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They hate the phrase "not all men"
because it subverts the narrative that all of the problems of sexism
are systemic. The last piece of evidence that I will offer that most
SJWs actively revile nuance (though certainly nowhere near the last
piece of evidence I could offer to this effect), is this:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've made extremely popular videos
against SJWs of all types: feminists, race baiters, language police,
et cetera, and it's clear that they hate my stinking, rotten, fucking guts.
Any chance they get to attack my character they take it. They've
called me a micro-dick, a misogynist, a shitlord, an edgelord, a
dudebro, a mansplainer, a neckbeard, a fedora-wearer. They hate that
hat for some reason!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A pedophile, a rapist, a
rape-apologist, a rape-supporter. They took my comedic series of "Banned From" videos seriously, and some of them to this day think that
I was literally banned from numerous restaurants. They're quick to
cast on me any aspersions that they can muster, so you know they know
about me. You know they hate me.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But you know what they never do, with
only a very small handful of exceptions? They never address my
arguments. Why?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Well, their spin is that my arguments
are so self-evidently wrong and without merit that they don't even
warrant a response. I don't agree with that narrative. It's my
opinion that they abstain from actual responses to my criticism
because by even replying to it, they're forced to confront nuance,
and they truly have no argument against nuance.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How could they? Looking at the world
without caring about details or context is completely indefensible as
a position unless the argument is simply "ignorance is bliss".
Maybe they should say... "ignorance is feminism".
"Ignorance is politically-correct language-policing bullshit".</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, the reason I have conservatives
following me, the reason liberals are getting their good-guy badges
revoked from other liberals for being too offensive, the reason a
flamboyant gay-man named Milo Yiannopoulos is a hero of the
conservative new media, the reason why all of the battle-lines are in
the process of being redrawn is because there are those who want
nuance in the debate, and there are those who don't.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And due to the aforementioned human
predilection for favoring easily-digestible,
immediately-comprehensible information, the side that eschews nuance
is winning. Make no mistake about it, there's a reason every
mainstream media story about Anita Sarkeesian is positive. There's a
reason why college campuses are overrun by political correctness and
cry-bullying. There's a reason why almost all of social media (with
the exception of YouTube) is overrun by SJW-types, and why Anita
Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn get to speak to the United Nations and get
to help police Twitter.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
And there's a reason why
practically no mainstream voices rise up to challenge them: it's
because eschewing nuance <i>works</i>. It's rewarded. So, to my audience,
I say this: whether you are a believer or a non-believer, whether
you are liberal or conservative or reject both of those terms, whatever your race, whatever your gender, whatever your
sensibilities, let us all be united by this one thing: let us all be
united by our willingness to explore ideas and to both give and
receive legitimate critics. Let us be united in our ability to be
persuaded by evidence and by argumentation, let us be united be our
appreciation for nuance and our refusal to blindly accept dogma and
to explore the issues and decide for ourselves.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I am The Amazing Atheist. Peace the
fuck out.</div>
ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-46615354568710646932015-07-22T06:31:00.000-04:002015-07-22T06:41:39.239-04:00I Love the Kickboxer Movies; TWO New Sequels Coming!I'm stupidly excited for the new Kickboxer movies. There are two coming, and they're, in some ways, coming full circle for the series. Some spoilers for the originals below, and quite a bit of rambling.<br />
<br />
My appreciation for 2-4 might be partly sentimental. I first saw 2 and 3 when I was stationed on a tiny base in Cuba for 14+ months. The job was rough, and we couldn't leave base (because, well, Cuba). Maybe I just needed some of that simpler-time stuff from the 80s and 90s, some martial arts movies that made up a big part of my teen years, but I quite enjoyed them.<br />
<br />
Kickboxer 4 was the first Kickboxer I saw, and it was on over-the-air TV somewhere in the mid or late 90s, late at night (12-2? 2-4?) in my old bedroom (which I sorely missed in GTMO, and sorely miss now!). Something about it stuck with me.<br />
<br />
I saw Kickboxer 1 in Leavenworth. It was a somewhat happier time and my JCVD affinity was really kicking in. I was surprised at how much more lighthearted it was than 4. Between the name and that first experience (4 was dark and gritty), I just assumed...<br />
<br />
Anyway, it's a western martial arts classic, and Van Damme at his prime (I absolutely love the similar-timeframe, similar-content Bloodsport [also in the process of being remade!] as well; Paul Hertzog did the soundtracks for both that and Kickboxer 1, and they're a fantastic blend of Asian influence and 80s synth.).<br />
<br />
I picked up a collection GTMO, and then saw 2, 3, and 5. I really liked 1-4. I didn't care for Kurt and Eric being killed off, but David was a nice replacement, even if his introduction was a little silly: despite brotherhood being one of the main themes of Kickboxer 1, he was never mentioned!<br />
<br />
I was also glad to see Xian reappear, at least for 2 and 3. It was nice continuity.<br />
<br />
5... well, it starts off with David being killed of, and we had just spent three movies getting to know him! With all three Sloan brothers dead, it was a little disappointing. I've always liked Mark Dacascos (probably partly nostalgia speaking again, because my brother and I were big fans of the Double Dragon games, and we were, at around 9 and 12, respectively, quite happy with the movie at the time), but I didn't like it being a Kickboxer movie. No Sloans, no Tong Po... there's really no connection between 5 and the earlier four beyond David Sloan's death, so... you know... why bother killing him off?<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the two upcoming ones: Kickboxer: City of Blood and Kickboxer: Vengeance. Between the two of them, they bring the series full circle.<br />
<br />
Kickboxer: Vengeance is a remake of the first one. It brings back JCVD, but this time in the wise mentor role that Xian played the first time around. It's neat just to see JCVD back in a Kickboxer movie, even if he's no longer the main player. It looks to be the last out of the gate (somewhere in 2016), so the last Kickboxer movie we're going to get (as of this point) features the star of the original in a meta passing-the-torch sort of setting.<br />
<br />
But in some ways, I'm more excited for City of Blood. Not as much is known about the storyline right now, except that it's a spiritual Kickboxer 6. The "Kickboxer" name may, or may not, be dropped, and David Sloan may, or may not, become "David Anderson" to avoid licensing issues. Many sources reference it as Kickboxer: City of Blood, maybe as just City of Blood, so who knows?<br />
<br />
As you can guess by the returning Sloan/Anderson, Kickboxer 5's story is ignored, making it more of a Kickboxer 5. David is a UN peacekeeper tasked with protecting a young witness to some political murders, and, I'm guessing, will end up in a fighting tournament at some point.<br />
<br />
Dennis Chan will return as Xian, and Sasha Mitchell as David, making another case of full-circle. Xian appeared in the original, like JCVD, and will again appear in the latest. This also means that between the two of them only Vengeance doesn't have either Chan or Mitchell, with both of them clocking four Kickboxer appearances each. As a nod to 5, Mark Dacascos may appear, likely as the villain.<br />
<br />
To tally it up in terms of appearances:<br />
Dennis Chan: 1, 2, 3, City of Blood.<br />
Sasha Mitchell: 2, 3, 4, City of Blood.<br />
Albert Pyun (director): 2, 4, City of Blood.<br />
JCVD: 1, Vengeance.<br />
Mark Dacascos: 5, City of Blood.<br />
Michel Qissi: 1, 2. (His character, Tong Po, also appeared in 4, but played by a different actor.)<br />
<br />
Basically, between the two new movies, all the main players, save Tong Po, make returns in some fashion, either as their original characters/roles (David, Xian, Pyun), or as new players (Dacascos and JCVD). If they could fit in Michel Qissi somewhere, it'd be almost perfect!<br />
<br />
On that note, where's Haskell V. Anderson III? He survived the original unscathed and was never written off as dead (even Mylee, the love interest from the first one, couldn't escape that fate, despite there being no particularly good reason for her to be killed off!). So I take that back: bring back Michel Qissi AND Haskell V. Anderson III. I think I'd like to see Anderson in City of Blood playing his Kickboxer 1 character (Winston), and seeing how Tong Po escaped yet again in 4, I think a final showdown with David would make it perfect!<br />
<br />
Here's hopin'. Stoked any way it's sliced (roundhoused?)!ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-55454476687179235802015-05-20T17:41:00.001-04:002015-05-20T18:55:06.375-04:00Resident Evil Revelations Summary<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(This is semi-incomplete. I wrote this for my wife because I was excited when I beat the game, but wanted to keep it from getting too in-depth. Maybe I'll go back later and add in some of the missing details.)<br />
<br />
BSAA: Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. An international group specialized in fighting bioterrorism. Currently lead by O'Brian. Jill, Chris, Jessica, and Parker are all members.<br />
<br />
FBC: Federal Bioterrorism Commission. A US government group inexplicably given complete power and control, with no oversight, over any and all bioterrorism related events. Currently lead by Morgan. Raymond and Rachel are current members. Jessica and Parker are former members.<br />
<br />
Il Veltro: a terrorist organization that believes humans need to be wiped out to save the earth, lead by a guy named Norman and a “secret benefactor”.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Basically, the story jumps around, and
doesn't reveal important information until later. For example, we
don't know that Raymond is suspicious of Morgan until almost the end
of the game: we're to assume he's an FBC agent and loyal to Morgan,
but in the penultimate episode, we see he's doubtful of Morgan's
intentions well before the events of the game.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, I'm going in chronological order
for clarity, which removes a lot of the “twists” that are
revealed either by jumping around in the timeline or by revealing
their motives as this goes along, rather than as the game revealed
them over time.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were three identical cruise liner
ships decommissioned and handed over to Il Veltro by Morgan. Morgan
felt the world didn't appreciate the dangers of bioterrorism since it
had been quiet for several years, so he gave Il Veltro a bunch of vials of the
T-Virus (the primary virus in the series, T-whatevers are all
variants of it), and they gladly attacked an eco-friendly island city
(because even being a purely solar-powered city, he felt humans still did too much damage and
had to be eradicated).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With the city overrun, Morgan ordered
it destroyed. FBC members Parker, Jessica, and Raymond manage to
escape, with Parker saving Raymond' s life along the way. Raymond is
suspicious of Morgan, but has no proof.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Morgan then had the cruise ship with Il Veltro's leader sunk to cover up the evidence, but not before Norman
warns him that he has video recordings of all their dealings. Morgan
then has the other two ships wiped of terrorists, then replaced with
scientists working to weaponize the T-Abyss virus on the other two.
When the virus was completed (along with a cure), Morgan had the
scientists wiped out by their own creations.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
(It's unclear why the other two ships
were not destroyed. A possible theory—and this is just my
conjecture—is that O'Brian was getting too close for comfort, and
so Morgan had the scientists wiped out early. Jill finds a prototype
T-Abyss vaccine; maybe Morgan was hoping to get his hands on it
before sinking the Queen Zenobia.)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
BSAA's O'Brian and Raymond (still
employed by Morgan in the FBC, but working from within to bring him
down) believe Morgan is responsible for the attacks, but don't have
proof. With Il Veltro silent since the attack, O'Brian and Raymond
formed an alliance and hatched a plan: to bring back Il Veltro to
lure Morgan out. They set up a fake base and send Chris and Jessica
to investigate, where they find the coordinates for one of the two
remaining ships.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
O'Brian then tells Jill and Parker that
Chris and Jessica are lost, and gives them the coordinates to the
<b>other</b> ship. Morgan, meanwhile, sends Rachel and Raymond to
the ship Jill and Parker are on, and Rachel is killed not too far
into it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Parker and Jill stumble into an “Il Veltro” trap, set by Raymond and O'Brian (with Raymond dressed as
an Il Veltro terrorist). Chris and Jessica then head to the other
ship after Jill manages to make radio contact with them. Raymond,
dressed as a terrorist, attempts to tell them everything, but Jessica
shoots him.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Morgan, deciding the BSAA is getting
too close for comfort, attempts to destroy the ships. The second
ship is destroyed, but Jill and Parker save their ship. Jessica,
acting as Morgan's fail-safe, attempts to activate the ship's
self-destruct. O'Brian realizes there's a mole in the BSAA: Jessica,
working for the FBC. Parker corners her, and Raymond arrives
(bulletproof vest), telling Parker that Jessica is trying to destroy
the ship to cover up evidence that could incriminate Morgan. Jessica
fires a shot, Parker takes the bullet for Raymond, and Jessica
escapes, Raymond chasing after her at Parker's behest (but letting
her escape, unbeknowst to anyone else).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Chris and Jill manage to escape as
well, after fighting a huge boss monster while the ship sinks.
Raymond meanwhile goes back for Parker, and Jessica flees undetected.
O'Brian admits that Il Veltro's return was all a ruse to lure out
Morgan. The two ships are destroyed, but the BSAA learned that the
sunken third ship may hold video proof of Morgan's dealings with Il
Veltro.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Chris and Jill head into the sunken
ship, where they find Il Veltro's leader still alive, having injected
himself with the T-Abyss. They defeat him and secure the video
recordings that incriminate Morgan. With Morgan arrested, O'Brian
steps down for his part in the Il Veltro hoax, and the FBC is
“dissolved, with the majority of its agents and resources
transferred to the BSAA.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In a final twist, after the credits,
Raymond meets with Jessica and gives her a sample of the T-Abyss
virus, having been working together all along for an organization
that's neither the FBC, BSAA, or Il Veltro. According to
semi-official information, they're both working for TRICELL, a
conglomerate of “big pharm” (lol) companies who are behind the
events of Resident Evil 5 (which takes place a few years after
Revelations).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Where does that leave poor, dead
Rachel, the only non-monster causality in the game? I have no clue.
The only thing we know for certain is that she was (or felt) forced
into the mission, and that she was pretty certain she wouldn't
survive. She found the drone that had Il Veltro used to disperse the
virus on the destroyed city, and was then heading toward the bilge
with a pile of keys.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Apparently, she was alive when Jill left her for dead, because she had yet to turn into a zombie. Yet, Rachel's last words are written down describing the process. Perhaps she was indeed dead, but retained some of her humanity initially when the T-Abyss virus began to kick in?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Or poor Rachel just got the raw deal again, when Jill grabbed the key and forget all about the dead girl next to it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What, specifically, was Rachel's mission?
Was she knowingly part of Morgan's cover-up, and therefore a
terrorist? What exactly was her mission? To merely “investigate
the outbreak on the ship”, or to look for—and destroy or
recover—evidence that might incriminate him?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Most of my internet searches have turned up nothing helpful regarding anything further into her backstory:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"(S)he was an incompetent child that had no business being there to begin with."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"Earlier this month, Capcom (introduced) a character who didn't really fit the aesthetic of the universe. And by that I mean she had a stupid haircut and ridiculous cleavage."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"Capcom Kills Off Resident Evil's Blind Bimbo"</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"You have to admit, pretty good acting for a porn actress."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"Rachel, get a haircut."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 1;">
<span style="line-height: 18.2399997711182px;">"I think her TV Trope is 'Too Whorey to Live'."</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 0.19in; orphans: 1;"><br /></span></div>
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ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-79690265502918366442015-03-27T21:40:00.001-04:002015-04-06T22:42:32.128-04:00Digiland Tablets and "Insufficient Space" (Fix)<div>
This is specifically for the Digiland tablets that Best Buy has been selling for rather cheap (as low as $40 on the 7 inch and $70 on the 10 inch).</div>
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I'm a tablet/Android newbie, frustrated by how limited the amount of space for apps was on Best Buy's Digiland tablets, and it seems like a lot of people are. After a little bit of searching and combining a few different sources, I managed to resolve the issue using a Windows PC (sorry Mac users! :( ), and thought I'd put it all together in one place (just parroting what I found, really).</div>
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I did this on a Digiland 10.1, but I imagine the 7-inch version would work the same. And, of course, DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! I take no responsibility for what you decide to do with the words of an admitted Android newbie. :)</div>
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There are three parts total, and you'll need a micro SD card, probably of at least 2 GB for it to be worth it (I'm using a 32 GB card). You'll probably want something that's faster too (look for a "Class 10" card). You'll also need to download two free programs to your PC, and one free one to your Android.</div>
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On PC:</div>
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iRoot: http://www.mgyun.com/en/getvroot</div>
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MiniTool Partition Wizard: http://download.cnet.com/MiniTool-Partition-Wizard-Free/3000-2094_4-10962200.html</div>
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Android:</div>
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Link2SD from the Google Play store.</div>
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<u>Part 1: Root your Digiland</u></div>
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(Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKAzHl4cP9o">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKAzHl4cP9o</a>)</div>
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1) On the tablet, go to Settings > Developer Options, and checked the box marked USB debugging.</div>
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(If Developer options isn't there:</div>
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Go to Settings > About and then click
Build number seven times to unlock them. It sounds weird, but it works!)</div>
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2) Run iRoot.<br />
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3) Connected the Digiland to your computer.</div>
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iRoot will automatically look for drivers. It's a long process, and took a good ten or so minutes for me.<br />
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4) Once drivers are found, iRoot will display a button that says "Root". Click it, and iRoot will run another long process. During this time, the table may reboot.<br />
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<u>Part 2: Partition your memory card</u></div>
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(Source: <a href="https://awanstuff.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/how-to-partition-sd-card-and-use-link2sd-in-any-android-phone-with-screenshots/">https://awanstuff.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/how-to-partition-sd-card-and-use-link2sd-in-any-android-phone-with-screenshots/</a>)</div>
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(In the examples below, I used a 1 GB micro SD card, because my 32 GB card is already in use. :) )</div>
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In this step, you're going to be creating two partitions on your micro SD card (basically, splitting it into two parts). You'll need to decide how much memory to use, and this is up to you and the card you're using. Some sources say to only leave 1-4 GB for the second partition and that the first partition needs to be bigger than the second (so, for example, if you had an 8 GB card, you could split it 6 GB and 2 GB). I personally split my 32 GB card into 18GB for the first partition and 12 GB for the second partition (where the Android apps will go), and it seems to work fine.</div>
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1) Put the micro SD into the computer (you'll probably need an adapter, but most micro SD cards come with one) and fire up MiniTool Partition Wizard.</div>
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2) Find the listing for the SD card in the MiniTool Partition Wizard. Be absolutely sure it's the memory card you want to use, because your other hard drives will be listed as well! It will also erase everything on it, so back it up first!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLiFI5xuM7V4Fii0PpNAPzPeVniD_mzHYRpRAyKxQnVRJRHi0r-mzCqC_CtzkvGGwAf4eXL80DEDzhy6CIdbJoKSzNwCbwrxumNcDwMj8jI5QyPdpkSyaB1Xad3sJaKv2BatuWVFt0Ks/s1600/Partition1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLiFI5xuM7V4Fii0PpNAPzPeVniD_mzHYRpRAyKxQnVRJRHi0r-mzCqC_CtzkvGGwAf4eXL80DEDzhy6CIdbJoKSzNwCbwrxumNcDwMj8jI5QyPdpkSyaB1Xad3sJaKv2BatuWVFt0Ks/s1600/Partition1.png" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
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3) Right click on it and select "Delete".<br />
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4) Right click on it and select "Create". Choose "Primary" and set it to FAT 32
(for media files; readable by Windows), then choose the memory size for it depending on what you decided to go with/what card you're using.</div>
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5) Right click on the second "Unallocated' portion, click "Yes" on the pop-up, and set it to "Primary" and EXT4 (some sources said EXT2, but only EXT4 worked with my Digiland). Set the memory to the remaining space on the card for this.</div>
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6) Click "Apply" in the upper-left corner and it will begin to format the card. This process may take ten or fifteen minutes.<br />
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<u>Part 3: Set up Link2SD</u></div>
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<u>(</u>Source: <a href="https://awanstuff.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/how-to-partition-sd-card-and-use-link2sd-in-any-android-phone-with-screenshots/">https://awanstuff.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/how-to-partition-sd-card-and-use-link2sd-in-any-android-phone-with-screenshots/</a>)</div>
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1) Open Link2SD on your Digiland.</div>
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2) Put in the SD card. A window will pop up in Link2SD with several options. Select EXT4.</div>
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3) Link2SD should briefly flash a message that says something like "mount script created", and then it should ask you to reboot the tablet. Go ahead and click "reboot".</div>
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4) After rebooting, open Link2SD, click on the three dots in the upper-right corner, and then click Settings. In the Settings menu, check "Auto Link" beneath the Auto Link heading.<br />
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5) If you have existing apps on the tablet, they won't be automatically linked to the SD card. You'll need to click on each app within Link2SD and then click the "Link to SD card" button.<br />
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You're all set. All applications should now install to the SD card!</div>
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<u>Notes:</u></div>
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As of this point, I have nearly 5 GB of applications on the SD card. I have dozens of them now operational on my Digiland, including some games that are particularly big (Order and Chaos Online clocks in at nearly 2 GB in itself).</div>
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Apps will allegedly run slower off of the SD card than off the internal memory. Even so, I can run fairly graphic heavy games (see below for a few screenshots; you'll just have to trust me that they were a solid framerate!) without much trouble. I don't know if that's because it's a relatively fast card (Class 10), or if the slowdown was exaggerated. In my mind, being able to install way more apps is worth the speed trade off, but your mileage may vary if you actually see a difference.</div>
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You can always move particularly intensive or important applications to the internal memory, and leave lesser-used stuff on the SD card.</div>
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Sometimes the games on the SD card leave "obb" files on the internal memory, some pretty big. When you're looking at an app in Link2SD, it will show you if there's an obb file, and give you an option to "Link to SD card". I've been doing that, but I don't know the potential issues that might arise from that.</div>
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If you pay to unlock Link2SD, you can also move data files to the SD card. I've been doing that as well, but again, I don't know the potential issues that might arise from it.<br />
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ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-90982574028394838542012-06-18T11:20:00.002-04:002012-06-18T11:20:50.577-04:00Reading Conan: Shadows in the Moonlight and Queen of the Black Coast<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've finally started
reading my first Conan stories in a volume called "Conan the
Barbarian: The Original Unabridged Adventures of the World's Greatest
Fantasy Hero", published by Carlton Books/Metro Books in 2010.
I had briefly glanced over the interesting but somewhat dry and
exhaustive opening work, a long, textbook like account of the
Hyborian Age (set in a fictional historical setting on Earth) before
recorded human history) but never got beyond that.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This morning I sat down
with it and took in the first couple stories in the <span style="font-size: small;">compilation</span>. There are some spoilers below, bewar<span style="font-size: small;">e! I tried to keep them on the vague side (<span style="font-size: small;">I don't think <span style="font-size: small;">anything of not<span style="font-size: small;">e or too specific related to the stories are spoiled)</span></span></span>, but I take no responsibility for you here!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<u><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shadows in the
Moonlight</span></span></u></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This seems like a
fitting introduction for Conan. An enslaved noblewoman, sold off by
her own family, is saved from a brutal tyrant king by the barbarian.
They then flee to a dangerous island that appears to be haunted, only
to find themselves trapped on land by pirates.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the story is
actually told from the perspective of Olivia, the noblewoman. She's
unfortunately a painful stereotype of the old helpless princess, only
slightly redeemed as the story goes on. Watching her bumble about in
a pathetic daze is less than appealing, but through her we're
introduced to the noble savage. Despite the brute strength, there's
some genuine intelligence to Conan, as well as a warm humanity that
stands in start contrast to the earlier “civilized” king, the
petty pirates or the monsters on the island, perhaps an idealized
medium between arrogant, soft civilization and outright animalistic
barbarianism.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The writing itself is
fantastic in terms of description. It's a very enjoyable prose that
paints strong images. Even the slightly lacking story and uneven
pace don't hinder the text once Howard gets into his groove.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<u><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Queen of the Black
Coast</span></span></u></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm not sure if the
stories in this compilation are simply put in the wrong order, or if
Conan stories are typically <span style="font-size: small;">unrelated</span>, but this makes for a jarring
transition. No reference is made to Olivia, and Conan almost seems
to be a slightly different character. Gone are the noble roots, and
he quickly falls in with pirates, professing his love for the
lifestyle and caring not who he fights as long as he's fighting.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The female lead in this
one, Belit, the titular Queen of the Black Coast, is just as much of
a cliché. Sporting only a girdle, she's described as particularly
busty (titular indeed!) and attractive, and her personality is about
what you'd expect of your typical femme fatale. Her crew see her as
a goddess, she's above everyone and highly skilled, and only the
equally smitten protagonist can compare with her. Whereas Olivia had
a moment or two nearing the end that showed some potential for
character growth, Belit never struck me as anything but a blasé
pirate female fatale type.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Their meeting is even
more <span style="font-size: small;">embarrassing</span> and downright laughable. While the pirates are
slaughtering the crew on Conan's ship, he bounds over to their boat
and begins returning the favor. The merchant sailors are killed to
the last man while Conan is decimating the pirate crew. Then Belit
bounds up to him, and they profess their love for each other.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">No joke.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thankfully, he doesn't
describe in any significant detail their rough love shortly afterward
right on the deck in front of her crew.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After that rocky start,
things really pick up as they stumble across the ancient ruins of an
old city. Howard describes in vivid detail the city, Conan's
visions, and an inventive backstory to the race that once lived there
long before humans came into <span style="font-size: small;">existence</span>. The second half of the story
makes up for the first with wonderful prose that kept my interested
and excited for the next.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although I've written
more bashing this story than complimenting it, I can't stress the
above paragraph enough: even with the characters falling flat and the
opening being utterly absurd, the writing picks up to an exception
degree. The descriptions alone are worth reading, and Howard does a
great job of taking a somewhat meandering story and giving it some
tension and intrigue. Overal<span style="font-size: small;">l, I probably did enjoy Queen of the Black Coa<span style="font-size: small;">st a bit more than the previous story, <span style="font-size: small;">which I liked in itself.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /><br />
</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<u><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Other Thoughts</span></span></u></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The pacing of both
stories seemed a little off. The setup struck me as disjointed, but
once the stories arrived at their prime destinations (the island in
the former and the ruins in the latter), things picked up nicely on
two accounts. First, the stories began moving much smoother, and
second, with more stationary locales, there was more time for Howard
to work his magic describing situations, emotions and locations.
Both ended on an intense, satisfying note, particularly Queen of the
Black Coast.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the odd
transition between the two stories and the changes in Conan's
demeaner, I had to look up the chronology. According to Wikipedia,
there's no definitive one. After Howard, several writers (some of
significant note, like Robert Jordan) picked up the mantle. As
expected, between multiple writers, and with more Conan stories by
the original author emerging after his death, there's quite a bit of
debate and conflict. Writers piece stories before, around and <i>in
the middle of</i> existing Howard works. Still, it did clarify that
Shadows takes place after Queen, which may explain Conan's
personality shift.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I do wonder why then
they decided to order the stories in such a way. Perhaps they simply
thought Shadows was a better introduction to the character, and in
truth he did come off as more likable on the island than later <span style="font-size: small;">gallivanting</span> with pirates.</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is it a bit jarring to
see race blatantly referred to throughout both stories. The term
"negro" appears a time or two in Shadows, and "blacks"
is used instead in Queen of the Black Coast. To Howard's credit,
however, Conan treats every man the same. While explicit culture is
often referred to (Conan's Cimmerian heritage, the description of the
sailors as Argosean), skin color never seems to be anything more than
a physical description. I'm not sure if it was an explicit message on
the author's part or simply an aspect of the prehistory context of
Hyborian that lacks the racial component we give to skin color, but
it was refreshing to see from stories written in the 1920s and 30s
after the jarring use of the language.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Apparently
many Conan stories are already in the public domain, but it's just so
much more appealing to read them in book form. I'm definitely going
to keep reading from here (the volume includes seven other stories),
if only for the stellar prose (It's really very cool, I'm fairly
enthralled with his descriptions). My hopes for the rest: a bit more
personality and consistent likability to Conan, female leads that
aren't so vapid, and a smoother pace. We'll see how it goes!</span></span></span></div>ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-5849052250378921942009-08-28T16:01:00.000-04:002009-08-28T16:01:40.548-04:00Patience is a VirtueYesterday reminded me why patience is such a practical virtue - quite the money-saver.<br />
<br />
I've debated picking up Coldplay's album "Viva la Vida" for a while and never plunked down the cash. It wasn't terribly high on my album list, and I kept trying to remind myself not to be too impulsive. I hovered over it several times at the store, opting each time to not pick it up just yet.<br />
<br />
Last night I popped over to Amazon's MP3 store to nab Junior Senior's wildly infectious "Move Your Feet" after hearing it on a buddy's <a href="http://rtil.deviantart.com/art/move-your-feet-returns-79385376">inventive little flash video</a> for it. There on the front page, at a special price of $2.99, was Viva la Vida. And not just Viva la Vida, it was the Deluxe Edition, which features the Prospekt's March EP: eight addition tracks consisting of two remixes and six songs dropped from the original album.<br />
<br />
I got what I wanted and more, for about a fourth of the price, just by waiting several months. I need to use that as a reminder that I don't need the newest right now: that sixty-dollar 360 game will almost assuredly be rocking a twenty-dollar pricetag within a year, and that new album won't be more than a few bucks if I hold out a little bit.<br />
<br />
Of course, any points I garnered for being practical are lost by admitting that I like Coldplay.<br />
<br />
ChuckShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-67995400150084685942009-06-17T14:52:00.002-04:002009-06-17T21:25:44.827-04:00Why destroy the magic?I've long been a fan of fantasy author Terry Brooks, and his epic Sword of Shannara is still a personal favorite. In recent years my reading habits have moved away from his newer efforts towards more political, philosophical and classic writings, but something strange has come to my attention:<br /><br />The Four Lands, with it's elves and dwarves, magic and high fantasy, is Earth, far in the future after a nuclear holocaust.<br /><br />Seriously, was that necessary? Practically speaking, it doesn't add anything significant to the storyline, waving around in the air like some random, mutated appendage on an otherwise aesthetically pleasing creature.<br /><br />It reminds me of George Lucas using the Phantom Menace to explain that the magical powers of the Force were the result of a high concentration of microorganisms in the blood stream. Nobody was screaming for a rationale behind the Force; It's the answer to a question only Lucas asked. It instead caused a backlash, because fans like the mystery and mysticism, the spirituality behind it.<br /><br />This entry is a little bit disjointed, bore more out of frustration than any serious attempt at analyzing the trend of authors to turn their magic into the mundane. So it goes, I suppose - the Sword of Shannara remains my gold standard, even if I have to block the later absurdity out of my head.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-59804456865652269202009-02-04T18:23:00.003-05:002009-02-04T23:59:31.827-05:00The Chronicles of Narnia Deserve BetterI'm honestly finding myself a little torn on these new Narnia films. It's great to see Lewis' masterpieces (and my childhood favorites) receiving big-name Hollywood treatments, but at the same time, they're just not getting what they deserve. Much like the newer Star Wars movies, there's a part of me that almost would rather them not have been made, if only because the lower quality in turn sullies the original's legacy. <br /><br />Having finally seen Prince Caspian in it's entirety, I'm let down a little more than I was with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's not that either of them have been bad movies; in fact, they've definitely been "superior" movies. They're just not what they could be, nor what the stories are deserving of being. They just stray too far from the original works and suffer because of it.<br /><br />Those gifted with the honor of bringing Lewis' works to life through motion pictures just don't seem to entirely understand the source material. I've seen numerous quotes from the director, screenwriters and even the actors where they miss the mark Lewis laid out for them, and it's evident in the resulting production. It's terribly frustrating to see a mediocre student given a paint set when there are brilliant artists who could work wonders.<br /><br />That's all I'll say for now, but I may just have to delve further into this at some point. 20th Century Fox has taken over Disney's role as producer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and there's talk of revising the script, so with any luck things will steer back on track. It's hard to watch someone's fantastic creation twisted and altered to become something a little less magical.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-9001583147754888762008-12-20T16:20:00.002-05:002010-03-19T03:20:58.672-04:00TestTestShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-24072836652306783152008-12-14T21:46:00.000-05:002008-12-14T22:07:53.058-05:00Christmas Trees in GTMOI made the mistake of not pouncing on a tree at the Navy Exchange when they began putting up their Christmas section in, uh, October. I hadn't thought about just how high in demand they'd be on a tiny island with a single store, so I was fairly dismayed when November turned into December and they still didn't have anything that wasn't several feet tall and pushing two or three hundred dollars.<br />
<br />
It was with some luck that I stumbled onto a single four foot tree on Friday. Sitting alone on the shelf and sporting a rather high forty-dollar price tag, I snapped it up. I must have gotten lucky, since it appears to have been a display model, so I'm assuming it probably hadn't been on the shelf long. Thanks to a little cash advance from a friend, I was good to go.<br />
<br />
Although "pre-lit" takes away some of the fun (my fun, at least - I may have been the only one in our house who actually enjoyed putting on the lights), it's a perfect little fit for my room. All that was left was to grab some ornaments...<br />
<br />
...which apparently are now in short supply, rather than the trees themselves. Having gotten paid today, I excitedly headed to the store, only to find they had four packages - yes, a mere four - of the generic bulb ornaments. It would have been fine if they were multi-coloured, but the only two they had were, as far as I could tell, "Rust Brown" and "Shiny Rust Brown." I nabbed a single box of "Rust Brown" - excuse me, "Mustang Velvet" - just to have something, with the hopes that they'll throw some more on the shelves in the next eleven days.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the good folks at home had supplied me with a handful of unique ornaments, including a nice, big black English "D," the traditional symbol for Detroit (not for "Dallas" or "Denver" as certain elements would try to assert). And, of course, the numerous, carefully wrapped gifts rest under the branches, making the tree look all that much more appealing.<br />
<br />
Now that I think about it, the tree is looking pretty fantastic.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-140598004777557692008-11-27T12:36:00.000-05:002008-11-27T12:37:06.807-05:00My Blood Type is (Nintendo) "DS"I might as well be taking my Nintendo DS intraveinously. The short story is they told me I needed to bring all my equipment here (turns out I didn't), and on top of that they neglected to inform me it didn't count against my baggage limit on the planes. Space being that limited, all I brought was my tiny little DS case and some games, and it's been my gaming lifeblood.<br />
<br />
It's library is something of a mixed bag, mostly falling in to three catagories. The first and largest consists of shovelware, the cheaply made, often awful releases used to make a quick buck. Like the Wii, with a massive, mainstream audience, companies are quick to shovel on to shelves whatever crap they can get their hands on. Obviously, I don't bother much with those.<br />
<br />
The second is a frustrating group of titles: ports of popular PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii titles, stripped down to work on the DS's significantly less powerful hardware. They're almost taunting, like getting a slice of turkey and some mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving when there's a full course of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, freshly-baked bread, and a dozen other delights sitting just out of reach. It's hard to refuse a DS version of Smackdown vs RAW 2009 when it's my only option for some wrestling action, but it's ultimately not a very filling experience knowing there are home console versions that are several times deeper and more robust.<br />
<br />
Last, and best, are the titles tailored exclusively to the DS, making use of it's strengths and working around it's weaknesses. These are games like the medieval action adventures of Castlevania, the humorous and intense court-room drama Phoenix Wright, the warm simplicity of Animal Crossing or Nintendogs, and so forth. They also unfortunately make up the smallest part of the handheld's library.<br />
<br />
With the unique exclusives on the rarer side and quickly gobbled up, the second group is garnering a more prominent position in my little library. It's something, far, far better than having no games at all, but it's also a terribly far cry from what it could be. It leaves me a little torn, glad to have something but a little frustrated that the cranberries are just out of reach.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-11449908911684146892008-11-26T17:44:00.000-05:002008-11-26T17:51:25.200-05:00Normal or Hard Mode?The inevitable challenge facing me with all games is usually the one presented shortly after hitting the Start Button: Normal or Hard. I sometimes find myself agnozing for obscene amounts of time, sometimes even restarting a couple times till I'm finally content with - or at least resigned to - one of the options.<br />
<br />
I can handle "Hard" in most games, but that first hump when I'm still learning the mechanics can be pretty rough. Higher difficulties in games are typically geared towards players already well versed in the gameplay. Sometimes I find myself ready to toss a game to the wayside out of frustration because I began on the higher difficulty and quickly hit a wall, one I could probably surmount if I simply had a decent knowledge or grasp of the basics.<br />
<br />
There's always the option of starting on "Normal," logging a couple hours of gametime, and then restarting on "Hard." But it's a rather unappealing prospect to have to redo the levels or missions I already just completed, and even less so considering time is a hot commodity. That's not just talking long Club GTMO hours, either: that's life in general.<br />
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I really should just relax and try to enjoy my games a little more.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-63053932912283513852008-11-20T18:24:00.000-05:002008-11-20T16:27:11.704-05:00Change can be frustrating.I'm guilty of pushing new technology on my dad, but I really do understand when he says that he's content with 56k internet service despite far superior connections out there, or that he simply likes playing the original Animal Crossing game when there's newer versions with a lot more features.<br />
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Case in point: the Armed Forces Network hosts both WWE Raw and Smackdown! at varying times throughout the week. Working day shift and doing hours well into the double digits, I'd love to be able to record wrestling so I could see it on my days off. The Navy Exchange actually had a DVD/VCR combo for pretty cheap, so I thought my problem was taken care of. Then I realized the NEX doesn't stock blank VHS tapes.<br />
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It is a little frustrating. They have DVD recorders at the NEX, but I'm perfectly content using VHS tapes. They're simple, I know how to use 'em, and they do exactly what I need them to do. I really don't have any need or desire to change formats, but my hand will be forced if I want to indulge in any decent amount of pro wrestling while I'm in Cuber.<br />
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Sure, part of it's a mere financial issue. $300 is a lot to spend on some technology that I'm not familiar with, something I'm not positive that it will be exactly what I want. I do love playing with technology, new and old, and if it was cheaper there wouldn't be any hesitation on my part to snap a DVD recorder up.<br />
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But I genuinely do appreciate where my dad's coming from.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-27930822092319582002008-11-15T15:19:00.000-05:002008-11-15T15:21:14.437-05:00Christmas Movie DilemmaI found myself cringing, yet a little excited, when the Navy Exchange put up a section of Christmas movies in mid-October. The absurdity of Christmas stuff in October aside, it did get me thinking: which one should I pick up for the holidays? Desperately trying not to go overboard, I -figured a one-movie limit would be a good idea.<br /><br />Obviously, you can't go wrong with A Christmas Carol. Still, with that self-induced one purchase limit, I was debating downloading the text for the original story (it's copyright expired, it's free to download from places like projectguttenberg.com) and picking up an unrelated DVD. I figured I could enjoy A Christmas Carol and pick up another holiday flick, sort of the best of both worlds.<br />I was still on the fence, because while I'll still read it, I do like to watch it. I'm sure the Armed Forces Network will play it, probably multiple times, but with my crazy sixteen hour work days the chances of me being home and awake for it are slim.<br /><br />Then the NEX made it easy to have my cake and eat it too: discounted from $15 to $5, they had a DVD Special Edition of the Alastair Sim version. I assumed for the price it was a bare-bones, cheap production, but it's actually a two-disc feature-laden release that includes a remastered black and white version and the color version amongst bios, commentary, trailers, and so forth. It even has the 1935 Seymour Hicks version ("Scrooge").<br /><br />While I'm not sure if it needed to be remastered (there's some charm in grainy, old black and white productions), for the price it took care of my St. Nick movie dilemma - I think I can justify a second Christmasy video since I only spent five tax free dollars. The hard part now is holding off on watching it, because it's sitting on my shelf begging to take a ride in my DVD player.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-60655983118223980262008-10-29T17:06:00.001-04:002008-10-29T17:15:12.040-04:00I'm still waiting for my Street Fighter movie.Having seen most of the movie and anime versions of Street Fighter, I'm left with one nagging question: why do video game adaptions often deviate so much from their source material? While I liked most of the Street Fighter movie incarnations as reminiscent to varying degrees of the games I've spent years playing, not a single one of them follows the storylines laid out throughout the series.<br /><br />Some iterations portray certain aspects but fail on others. The Movie featured themes somewhat related to the actual Street Fighter II game, but the many of the characters were completely unrecognizable from their video game counterparts. Alpha did the opposite, with a fairly accurate portrayal of it's cast but a peculiar storyline unrelated to anything in the Street Fighter universe.<br /><br />Generations and II V missed the mark almost completely. The main characters (Ken, Ryu, Sakura and Akuma/Gouki in Generations and Ken, Ryu and Chun Li in II V) weren't too far off base, but the plots and most of the other Street Fighter characters were far removed from SF canon. Merely changing some names would've left anime that didn't resemble anything remotely Street Fighter.<br /><br />There is an American Street Fighter cartoon that, if I recall, takes place after Street Fighter the Movie. Despite that, the characters and the series itself are supposed to be closer to their original forms. I have yet to see it, but all indicators are that it takes several liberties of it's own (and it would have to, if it's based on the Movie's plot).<br /><br />That leaves Street Fighter II: the Animated Movie. Sometimes mistaken as a sequel to the live-action movie, it's a completely unrelated adaption of the same game as the movie (Street Fighter II). This is the closest they've gotten to successfully putting the game on the big screen, with fairly accurate character depictions and a plot somewhat reminiscent of the game of the same name. It's close in many respects, and certainly more true to it's inspiration than most, but not without taking liberties of it's own.<br /><br />Street Fighter isn't even the only victim. The Resident Evil movies have little to do with their electronic counterparts. The Mario Brothers movie is some peculiar mix of inspiration from the classic game and an odd, distinctly American Hollywood approach. And just about any game movie Uwe Boll touches becomes something almost unrecognizable (and pretty awful as far as any film goes).<br /><br />Is it really that hard to translate these storylines into moving pictures? All I want is licensed properties that stay true to it's source material; why would I want one that didn't? I want my Street Fighter to be Street Fighter: is that really too much to ask?<br /><br />Addendum: A friend just reminded me there's another live action Street Fighter movie dropping soon by the name of "The Legend of Chun Li." Here's hopin' my wish will be granted... but my breath is not being withheld.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-48654988294635618112008-10-23T09:14:00.000-04:002008-11-15T15:24:09.830-05:00Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skill - Rant/Spoilers"The Temple of Doom" is thrilled to no longer have to worry about being mentioned alongside the phrase "weakest movie in the series." Despite my excitement of a new Indy movie, I admittedly approached it with a bit of trepidation. The wait for the DVD to hit Cuban shores was painful, but when it was finally in my hands it took a few days to summon the courage to pop it in.<br /><br />I knew I was about to be treated to more of Lucas' overarching storyline when the first scene from the Crystal Skull took place inside the warehouse from the last scene of Raiders: the vault with all the government's curiosities, like the Lost Ark. Turns out the place is - straight from the barrel of old cliches - Area 51, marking a bit of a disappointment. The mystery of the warehouse's location was part of it's intrigue; now it seems just a little blas<span class="hw">é</span>.<br /><br />During the action that ensures, one of the crates is broken open, partially revealing what is clearly the Ark of the Covenant. It was sort of a cute reference all things considered, but it still harkened to the unnecessary connection to Raiders the warehouse stood for.<br /><br />Surprisingly, a little further into the movie Indy referred to some of his excursions with Ponco Villa, as shown in the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Up to this point I had thought the Chronicles had been more or less dismissed from Indiana Jones canon. I honestly don't mind well-placed references, when they flow naturally and aren't just examples of trying too hard to connect everything - it certainly felt less forced than the earlier Raiders references.<br /><br />Skipping further ahead, it turns out Indy and Marian had an extramarital affair. Call me old-school, but part of the earlier movies charm was it's innocence; it never needed to go there to make it's point. Whereas other action-adventure movies, like the Bond series, slap you in the face with innuendo, the Jones movies were much more subtle. The good guys were good guys and didn't fool around, and while there was some blood and guts from time to time, it was always the bad guys who got it.<br /><br />And while the whole storyline with "Mutt" wasn't horrible, it just seemed too much like a forced passing of the torch.<br /><br />As for the actual plotline? The movie is fairly exciting and keeps moving, but it suffers from being focused a little too much on the action. It gets even sillier towards the end, when (Spoilers! You've been warned!) it turns out the crystal skull has alien origins. And yes, we actually see the aliens in the waning minutes of the show. Seriously: aliens. They rejected Indy script after script and settled on one that revolves around aliens?<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible. It's fun and occasionally intriguing, it just doesn't match it's predecessors. It's certainly worth a watch for fans of the original, it's just always a bummer to end things on a low note (unless they decide they want to push out a fifth!).<br /><br />Indy IV really just seems like typical Lucas fair: some good ideas, but highly unnecessary. Whereas reviving a series is sometimes necessary to deliver a proper finale and farewell (as in the case of Rocky Balboa), the original Indiana Jones trilogy had done everything that needed to be done, wrapping it all up with a nice little bow. Even with my unyielding adoration for the original movies, IV is unfortunately more Indy just for the sake of more Indy. Indiana Jones already had his Last Crusade, and the Crystal Skull is just a little empty.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-64128572738686780352008-10-20T20:32:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:37:06.163-04:00Rethinking the Legend of Drunken Master<div style="text-align: left;">I originally saw The Legend of Drunken Master (Drunken Master II) in high school, and it may have even been the first time I saw a first run movie in the theatres. I had heard for years how amazing it was, the pinnacle of Chan's career. Naturally, when it finally made it's American debut, it was with rapt anticipation that I forked over the dough for an over priced movie ticket just to see it.<br /><br /></div>I was a little let down. I had seen so many Chan flicks by that time and heard so much praised being lavished on the film from other JC afficionados that I approached the movie with such a reverence that I think the only result could have been disappointed. I enjoyed it well enough, but in my mind it was just another halfway decent kung fu flick.<br /><br />Having recently watched it in it's entirety in the first time in years, I'm much more impressed this time around. With a mind freed from all the hype and a little less expectant, I found I thoroughly enjoyed the flick, enough so that it may have climbed drastically up my list of favorite Jackie movie.<br /><br />The Legend of Drunken Master is something of an homage to early kung fu entries, which I hadn't appreciated the first time around. While newer martial arts entries tend to be over the top special effects fests that almost seem to deviate or even shun what originally made the genre (including "tributes" like Kill Bill), Chan's tribute reveles in it's source material. The plot, the sets, and the music all adds to the feel of a vintage chop socky movie, with Jackie showing just how much you can do within the confines of the genre.<br /><br />There's some wiring used for the occassional spectacular fall, but the actual fighting is vintage Chan: impressive, real deal physical feats combined with that light-hearted humor that Drunken Master's 1970s ancestors were so fond of. In that regard, this may indeed be Chan at his best, at least in terms of amazing, traditional kung-fu action.ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-8871140557549333642008-10-14T18:50:00.000-04:002008-10-14T18:52:41.299-04:00The Return of VALIANT Comics(Or, "I timed that right!")<br /><br />It's with some irony that I decided to pull out my tiny collection of VALIANT comics somewhere towards the end of '06, mostly due to a wave of nostalgia and genuine curiosity as to their quality. I remembered the comics fondly, having purchased a bunch in three-for-a-dollar packs at a local dollar store, but I also knew my original indulgence was through a young teenage mind. Surprised by the strength of the storytelling and the art, and admittedly that nostalgia, I decided to hit the streets in search. After invading mostly the bargain bins of some local comic shops, my collection grew notably, and I found myself trowling about VALIANT forums.<br /><br />Of course, VALIANT hadn't had a new comic release since 2000. Rising up to rival DC and Marvel around '93 and '94, a string of bad business decisions combined with sheer bad luck (the comics industry hit hard times in the mid-90s). Acclaim, one of the most notoriously awful video game companies, took over VALIANT around '95 and went on to surgically remove the heart and soul of VALIANT comics, the slightly more scientific basis, the down to earth characters, the strong plots that connected the entire universe, and rebooted their comics line with mostly watered-down variations of their heroes that tried too hard to be hip and funny.<br /><br />And then, within half a year or so, a new company called VALIANT Entertainment secured the rights and promised new releases. Two hardcovers later, reprinting the first several issues of Harbinger and X-O Manowar, and less than a year and a half after returning to the fandom, a Harbinger movie backed by Paramount is announced, with a third hardcover based on Archer & Armstrong revealing itself shortly after.<br /><br />Sort of funny how that works out. My little collection lay dormant for probably close to ten years before pounce on it, probably tripling it's size, and shortly afterward the comics line makes it's triumphant return. Purely coincidental (no insider information here!), but it worked out rather well!ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-697542399481142432.post-41285430233702159122008-10-05T01:48:00.001-04:002008-10-05T02:07:12.920-04:00Street Fighter IV: Americans Unsurprisingly Love Abel<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/07/30/americas-favorite-sf4-character/">Americans prefer new SFIV character Abel over the others.</a></span><br /><br />You'd think this was some kind of shock: Street Fighter fans like their Street Fighter cast to look like Street Fighter characters! This sort of thing always boggles my mind. So many Japanese companies decide they need to make their games "American" to sell, when it's the original feel of the game that attracts people in the first place! Street Fighter II wasn't a huge hit because it was Americanized, it was a huge hit because it was a great game, no Americanization necessary.<br /><br />Time and again we see this happen. Games like Disgaea, a fantastic series of entertaining, deep strategy games, got overlooked for a US release until Atlus decided to "take a chance" on it. The game became so rare that it was selling for more than it's original price when it disappeared from shelves and other American companies swooped in to snap up other, similar titles from the same developer that were previously overlooked as being unmarketable to US audiences. The games we so successful that the developer shortly opened an American branch so they could cash in on distributing their own releases!<br /><br />That's not the only instance of such a thing happening. With the success of the wacky Guilty Gear, numerous over the top fighting games, again previously overlooked, are garnering North American releases. Schmups - "shoot 'em ups," long regarded as catering only to a tiny niche audience - are starting to reemerge through console releases and online downloads. More and more obscure (to us, at least) Japanese titles are being picked up, ranging from the long-running Fire Pro Wrestling series, the quirky kissing-based Chulips, and numerous role-playing games, from Magna Carta on down.<br /><br />So why does Capcom feel it necessary to tailor a character to the American audience, and why are they so surprised when gamers pass on the almost patronizing result for a fighter more akin to what you'd see in Street Fighter?ShinChuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18184725099267751757noreply@blogger.com0