"Bum, Bum, Da', Da', Du', Du'!"
Are you ready to listen to some jams? If so, iTunes has it all! From, "Finnish Fiddle Folk Rock", to, "The Ultimate Disney Animated Movies Music Compilation".
Actually, it doesn't, don't believe the lies. iTunes is useful for us peeps who don't wish to *questionably* download our music from Limewire or other sites. But sadly, it doesn't rival the sheer mass of tracks available to those using fore-mentioned client programs. However... quality, if your willing to spend a few bucks, can be the winning factor in one's choice to hassle with clients, or paying cash. Thus comes, iTunes plus! Some music, an odd selection due to licensing issues, is available in 256 kbps quality, but... is it worth the 30 cents extra it costs for the "plussed" music?
Kinda. If it's offered, and you want the music, might as well, because if you ever want to purchase plus material you have to upgrade your entire library, that is "eligble" for "Plus". So yeah, when I wanted to upgrade my Sonata Arctica albums, I had to feel the pain as I DLed enhanced "Celtic Woman" albums. Now, if you have a brother that doesn't listen to Celitc Woman, then I guess your fine, but if you ever purchased an album that you found out you didn't care for, and it is now in iTunes plus, you have to upgrade it too. And it cost 30c for each song for the upgrade. I spent 20$ for about five albums and a handful of single songs. It was pricey indeed, but it sounds better. Still...
"Reckoning Night" the fourth studio effort from Sonata Arctica, was always a bit... muted? Thus it was my least favorite of all their albums. Strange thing too, considering the mixing quality on SonArc albums is usually so good. Well, I updated it with iTunes Plus, and I gotta say, it sounds much better. It all does. So if you got the extra buck, it's pretty cool feature from Apple.
By the way, it seems all songs in iTunes Plus are now the normal one buck at purchase time. You still have to pay the upgrade cost though. Oh well...
Nov 13, 2007
Nov 6, 2007
"Pop" Culture
“Pop”, the word… what does it mean? Easy. Popular, we just abbreviate it for kicks. Which means? “In relation to the general public/appealing or appreciated by a wide range of people”.
Pop culture is the waves that beat the shore. Every person just another wave, and slowly, by the waves conforming and beating the same place, they reshape the shore. No one act can truly change what is pop; it’s a wide range of variables that can hardly be tracked.
This pattern has been followed for thousands of years, from the masses in Rome looking up to their emperors and the court of their administrations, to Hollywood and Wall Street. We adapt our dress code, musical taste, habits, styles, and morality from them. People we deem more wise then us, even if it’s not justified admiration.
It’s a soup of variables, just waiting to boil over, and recreate the culture. Except those boiling points are few, and only a few times can we safely say one event reinvented “pop” culture. Even fewer that reinvented the masses at large. In fact, there could possibly be none that accomplished that massive feat.
One of the largest recent events to change culture in America would be that of the Hippie revolution. But it didn’t completely change it. A majority of the population didn’t support it even, and the election of Nixon in its height is strong evidence for this fact. Not to mention the revolution just didn’t happen of course, but was the sum of variables which placed a “radical” community together in a small portion of San Francisco. But it can still be safely said that the soup of culture boiled over at that point.
But the events described definitely show how the culture can change and how it does. But in my personal observations, the changes are much more subtle. The change would be to radical, as it was with the Flower Child Revolution, if each time the culture changed, it did so in a buildup that tore down so many other aspects of the old culture.
Now that I’ve established my thoughts on a working of a culture, I’ll do my best to describe our own.
The cons are pretty evident. It’s evidently confused as a whole. The core of it is a cuddly non-threatening eternal “American Idol” show. It remains respectful of communities that it must and if needed, a jab at those that are free targets, if inclined or profit is gained by the action (or a punch line). The core culture is one crafted by media elite and celebrities. Charity and tolerance are preached as a church of faith, and respect and sacrifice is admired. Sounds pretty good.
But the outer core is a wee bit on the darker side, a more threatening presence that condemns those that don’t strictly fall in the standards of its norm. It’s restrictive. Brutally so. Un-progressively so. A stifling presence on the voices of creativity and genius. Debates are called on by talking heads instead of voices of reason. On who can talk the fastest and throw out the fastest jokes. This is probably something though all cultures suffer from.
Strictly speaking, the core isn’t hardcore and the outer core is mean. And of course, the music is terrible.
Pop music is like the rest of the culture, an aspect ruled and crafted by the same forces. From cheesy 80’s metal to Nirvana induced emotism’, it’s all down hill. Music has evolved into a show. The popular bands probably don’t belong there because many of the lesser-known bands or songs or the ones’ with the better musicianship. It’s a trap. It rewards exposure, not skill. A game of chance. Much like the publishing industry, sadly.
The pros are that the main culture is breaching, and the smaller cultures are getting larger. The pop culture’s tolerance creed thankfully extends itself to all cultures in the best of circumstances and if your tired of Linkin Park, you can listen to Sonata Arctica. So the pros are indeed, that unlike in the 90’s, the world isn’t totally controlled by the million dollar starlets and talk-show hosts. At least, back then it seemed it was…
Being of the pop culture is following the crowd, conformism, and not thinking for yourself. Fooling yourself into thinking that you can’t decide important decisions for yourself. Maybe you can’t. But the talking heads can’t either.
I’m talking about the “hardcore” pop culture, that isn’t hardcore. That is touchy feely, instead of compassionate, and the harbingers of shallowness.
The pop culture is the oxymoron of praising individuality in a thousand Disney movies and destroying it at the same time with the peer pressure mechanic.
Just a little guy's opinion.
Pop culture is the waves that beat the shore. Every person just another wave, and slowly, by the waves conforming and beating the same place, they reshape the shore. No one act can truly change what is pop; it’s a wide range of variables that can hardly be tracked.
This pattern has been followed for thousands of years, from the masses in Rome looking up to their emperors and the court of their administrations, to Hollywood and Wall Street. We adapt our dress code, musical taste, habits, styles, and morality from them. People we deem more wise then us, even if it’s not justified admiration.
It’s a soup of variables, just waiting to boil over, and recreate the culture. Except those boiling points are few, and only a few times can we safely say one event reinvented “pop” culture. Even fewer that reinvented the masses at large. In fact, there could possibly be none that accomplished that massive feat.
One of the largest recent events to change culture in America would be that of the Hippie revolution. But it didn’t completely change it. A majority of the population didn’t support it even, and the election of Nixon in its height is strong evidence for this fact. Not to mention the revolution just didn’t happen of course, but was the sum of variables which placed a “radical” community together in a small portion of San Francisco. But it can still be safely said that the soup of culture boiled over at that point.
But the events described definitely show how the culture can change and how it does. But in my personal observations, the changes are much more subtle. The change would be to radical, as it was with the Flower Child Revolution, if each time the culture changed, it did so in a buildup that tore down so many other aspects of the old culture.
Now that I’ve established my thoughts on a working of a culture, I’ll do my best to describe our own.
The cons are pretty evident. It’s evidently confused as a whole. The core of it is a cuddly non-threatening eternal “American Idol” show. It remains respectful of communities that it must and if needed, a jab at those that are free targets, if inclined or profit is gained by the action (or a punch line). The core culture is one crafted by media elite and celebrities. Charity and tolerance are preached as a church of faith, and respect and sacrifice is admired. Sounds pretty good.
But the outer core is a wee bit on the darker side, a more threatening presence that condemns those that don’t strictly fall in the standards of its norm. It’s restrictive. Brutally so. Un-progressively so. A stifling presence on the voices of creativity and genius. Debates are called on by talking heads instead of voices of reason. On who can talk the fastest and throw out the fastest jokes. This is probably something though all cultures suffer from.
Strictly speaking, the core isn’t hardcore and the outer core is mean. And of course, the music is terrible.
Pop music is like the rest of the culture, an aspect ruled and crafted by the same forces. From cheesy 80’s metal to Nirvana induced emotism’, it’s all down hill. Music has evolved into a show. The popular bands probably don’t belong there because many of the lesser-known bands or songs or the ones’ with the better musicianship. It’s a trap. It rewards exposure, not skill. A game of chance. Much like the publishing industry, sadly.
The pros are that the main culture is breaching, and the smaller cultures are getting larger. The pop culture’s tolerance creed thankfully extends itself to all cultures in the best of circumstances and if your tired of Linkin Park, you can listen to Sonata Arctica. So the pros are indeed, that unlike in the 90’s, the world isn’t totally controlled by the million dollar starlets and talk-show hosts. At least, back then it seemed it was…
Being of the pop culture is following the crowd, conformism, and not thinking for yourself. Fooling yourself into thinking that you can’t decide important decisions for yourself. Maybe you can’t. But the talking heads can’t either.
I’m talking about the “hardcore” pop culture, that isn’t hardcore. That is touchy feely, instead of compassionate, and the harbingers of shallowness.
The pop culture is the oxymoron of praising individuality in a thousand Disney movies and destroying it at the same time with the peer pressure mechanic.
Just a little guy's opinion.
Oct 29, 2007
An Effort to Show Sincerity
Now normally, I post a "I'm back! Whee!," post and have done with it, right? Not so. Actions speak louder then words, and so I'm writing at least three posts post-"I'm Back! Whee!" tonight to really push myself back on the blogging bus. I just hope I don't forget my lunch. Or worse yet, get bullied out of it. Hate when that happens. Good thing I got my dew. I can last days on a pack of dews. A chug, chug here, a chug, chug there... "E" "I" "E" "I" "O"! Everywhere... everywhere... a chug, chug, and I'm good to go. And yes, the dew was wholly responsible for this starting paragraph. I plead the fifth, as I imagine me, the defendant taking the stand in a legal proceeding, and squeaking, "the Dew made me do it!"
I would leap in right, to some hard issues writing, in this post... but... for a more serious post on my perceptions on certain ideas or issues, I want a better title, especially for the next post. So I'll recap my literary and life goals. Yeah, that's always rich.
"I want to be a writer! An author!" I screamed it out on the "Anthony Patton & Gary Forester Show" and I'll say it again here. More on that little episode in the posts ahead. But anyway, time for a super recap of how I got here, which is pretty much the tale of my leap into existence, at least for little old me.
Three or four years ago I believe, I got this weird idea I wanted to be a writer. Or something, who knows, I was a weird kid. And yes, four years senior does allow me to comment from a different perspective on younger days. Eleven to fifteen is a huge maturity gap. And for me, a huge height gap.
Anyway, I'm horrible at spelling, penmanship, and grammar. Or I was. So I believe the first thing I wrote was about three pages of something about rabbits... yeah, I was a weird kid. Of course, it was total trash, so then I wrote some more things, as in a few pages that were at the *most*, utter dribble. I was twelve at the most bout' then, so I don't give myself too much of a hard time though. These little escapades though made me realize how bad my spelling and such was, which is a good thing, and really helped with my understanding of the English language. Made me hate it a lot more. For quite awhile I was pursuing the guitar, and music, as a career choice. Bad choice. I love the guitar though, and practice everyday now... So back then I think I officially swapped out my destiny.
So then I started on a story set in 42 AD. about two Celtic tribes duking it out, with Romans in the mix. Ah... sweet naive days, indeed... that was when I really started getting more interested though in writing, because it was an actual plot, for one. So anyway, first draft was... really bad. Second draft? Bad. I continued that for quite some time, perhaps a year or more, off and on. Good practice even though it was lacking in every single aspect imaginable. All this after I realized, you had to be a pro to make it in the music industry. Plus, I could never pull off power cords. Dang. I can now though. WHEEE!
By that time, my skills were kinda shaping up... barely passable? I wisely sacrificed this "Celtic" story though, after working to about half way through. And I also knew I always wanted to write fantasy. I think back then, I was wonder the impression that stories didn't need plots, or something, because it was pretty light in that area, speaking of the fantasy project I started shortly after the Celtic one.
So right. Here I was, fourteen, August 2006, writing a novella. About some band of youths aiding a village in the defense against the evil dude o' normal-stock villain. I wrote on that August-February. Then I callously abandoned it. Or so it seemed. I've said it in other posts, it's not dead, I just *had* to give it up due to the evolution of my writing abilities. I go back and read some... and cringe, for it's written badly, and the plot is cliche' to the point of drawing tears. I can't let that slip. I have ideas for it though. Like, adding plot. What good ol' "Main Project 1" taught me above all else, is how to *avoid* bad things. Uninteresting characters, pigeon-hole plots, and how to write bad scenes. I owe a lot to it's demise. Current demise. It'll be reborn, in a new form, like a rising Phoenix... rise'n from the ash of status quo and worse. Phoenix's are cool.
I casually call Main Project 1 "Bob". And I must say... Bob will be back, better then ever... oh yes, Bob will... be back... Don't ask what I call Main Project 4 (Yes, I'm up to four, but that's because I'm an idea freak, and not a finisher, and mind you, 4 is nothing more then hordes of collected ideas and a few paragraphs) all the other three though exist in substantial form though... to bad 1 and 2 need so much work.
Zoom to March, 2007. Actually... back a little. January was a good month for me. Back to other things... "Main Project 2"... It spanned from March-July 2007. Sadly it was doomed to failure. A task I couldn't complete due to it's expansive nature. It originally was just like thirty pages I was doing for kicks... but it spiraled into two-hundred p's. Got big. (Point at self, *idea freak*) It was a better plot and it pushed MP1 out of the way, for the better perhaps. MP2 taught me a lot... like how to write. Methods to use, plot hooks, interesting characters, more epic scenes. It's a full draft now. Or 90% draft. But it needs work. Everything does when your learning. You gotta polish things, and I didn't have the patience or something to do it... but that's what I tell myself. The truth is that it was more trouble then it was worth. It wasn't good. It wasn't worth reading. That's a vital part of a story. It will be completed however, and I already, like MP1, have lots of ideas how to improve it. It's a sure fire "one day, done" though because the events need to be told for other projects.
I stopped writing those two projects, because it had to be done. It was the evolution of my own skills, mind, and self. And I can honestly say, what I'm doing now is much more important then them. Books are like kids... you always burn the first batch. Sometimes the second, even.
"Onward! Press forth! To the Future I Go!" My anthem in a time of confusion. I picked up a load of writing books one night, and read em'. Turning point in my little life. The concepts instilled into me and I realized... everything? I sat down that night and typed up a shorty called "Ring" about two assassins. It was okay. I think. I mean the plot was skimpy, and some of the interactions were bad, but the writing... it was semi-good. It was coherent. Turning point.
I've changed so much in the last few months that it startles me. Just the whole plate seems to have been given, not the crumbs and I find myself making far less mistakes then before. To which I fully attribute to God, and my good friends, like you reader, who've given me an example to strive towards. Prideful to say it yes, but I just like myself better now. *Trip* Dang pride... seems though I can tackle whatever needs to be done. Kinda.
So that night, after reading up on writing, I launched a template. Three short stories, a compilation of sorts, that sampled content from the fantasy setting I had been working on for nearly two years, and had drastically changed twice, now coming into it's third change, thanks to this compilation. The original stories were "Ring", "?The Crimson Advantage?", and "The Dimiduim Ordeal". I'm not really sure what story two's name was... I think it was the crimson advantage... dumb name. Ring was done, and I started that night on whatever story two's name was at the time. Opening with the iconic lines, everyone has to love... "The man smiled as he washed the blood from his hands." Yeah, doesn't get any sweeter then that! I finished it. One month later. And my goodness... I liked it. It was a revelation that I could actually enjoy something I wrote. Good deal. I also changed it's name quite quickly from whatever it had been, to "For the Sake of Revenge." But that's taken by a really good Sonata Arctica song (About a relationship gone bad) so I had to change it. With a few tinkering switches, "For This Reason of Vice" was born. Nice ring, eh?
It told an original story, with an interesting main character, and an adulterer that you couldn't help but sympathize with. At least I did... but I'm biased. Because I'm it's author, not because I'm an adulterer mind you. :P Like I said a few posts back, email me for a copy. Tell me what you think. For any that got an early version, I've updated it *meaningfully* twice. Good deal...
So with something I deemed *decent* under my belt, I launched forth. My first strike? Ring. It died. Bitterly... muwahwahuh! I replaced it with another story, "The Beast", guess what it's about? I changed it to, "The Beasts", more recently, and then I actually changed the name again, because I thought it was too... quasi-dramatic. Thus, "Faux Pas", was born. Everyone probably knows this, but Faux Pas denotes a social blunder. Awesome. I'm 3/4 done that know. Busy, busy. The third story, "The Dimiduim Ordeal", didn't turn out well, I was almost done it, but decided to abandon it because of it's weakness. "Severed From My Sunrise Confessed Angel", was born, or SFMSCA. It needed a big ol' name because it's events are substantially more epic in size. Notice the progression, short to long, with the names. Their scope enhances with each story as well. From lone seeker, to public figure, to political engineer. Just gotta make story three *epic* enough so that it isn't undeniably cheesy. Maybe it already is... I have a hard time detecting the "cheese factor" in titles and words, sometimes.
So that's the literary tale of the last few years. I'm very much concentrated on finishing these stories, the compilation actually, by New Years time. Which also happens to be when I'm aiming on graduation of high school via the path of the GED. I've really set myself up to be ready for it by the end of the year, and that's made me quite the happier person. With such feats under my belt, compilation, and GED, my options will be quite open. My main focus is to get a job here in Folsom, which is, yes, legal at my age. I need to start raking in the cash.
Good bye folks, God bless you, and thank you for reading.
I would leap in right, to some hard issues writing, in this post... but... for a more serious post on my perceptions on certain ideas or issues, I want a better title, especially for the next post. So I'll recap my literary and life goals. Yeah, that's always rich.
"I want to be a writer! An author!" I screamed it out on the "Anthony Patton & Gary Forester Show" and I'll say it again here. More on that little episode in the posts ahead. But anyway, time for a super recap of how I got here, which is pretty much the tale of my leap into existence, at least for little old me.
Three or four years ago I believe, I got this weird idea I wanted to be a writer. Or something, who knows, I was a weird kid. And yes, four years senior does allow me to comment from a different perspective on younger days. Eleven to fifteen is a huge maturity gap. And for me, a huge height gap.
Anyway, I'm horrible at spelling, penmanship, and grammar. Or I was. So I believe the first thing I wrote was about three pages of something about rabbits... yeah, I was a weird kid. Of course, it was total trash, so then I wrote some more things, as in a few pages that were at the *most*, utter dribble. I was twelve at the most bout' then, so I don't give myself too much of a hard time though. These little escapades though made me realize how bad my spelling and such was, which is a good thing, and really helped with my understanding of the English language. Made me hate it a lot more. For quite awhile I was pursuing the guitar, and music, as a career choice. Bad choice. I love the guitar though, and practice everyday now... So back then I think I officially swapped out my destiny.
So then I started on a story set in 42 AD. about two Celtic tribes duking it out, with Romans in the mix. Ah... sweet naive days, indeed... that was when I really started getting more interested though in writing, because it was an actual plot, for one. So anyway, first draft was... really bad. Second draft? Bad. I continued that for quite some time, perhaps a year or more, off and on. Good practice even though it was lacking in every single aspect imaginable. All this after I realized, you had to be a pro to make it in the music industry. Plus, I could never pull off power cords. Dang. I can now though. WHEEE!
By that time, my skills were kinda shaping up... barely passable? I wisely sacrificed this "Celtic" story though, after working to about half way through. And I also knew I always wanted to write fantasy. I think back then, I was wonder the impression that stories didn't need plots, or something, because it was pretty light in that area, speaking of the fantasy project I started shortly after the Celtic one.
So right. Here I was, fourteen, August 2006, writing a novella. About some band of youths aiding a village in the defense against the evil dude o' normal-stock villain. I wrote on that August-February. Then I callously abandoned it. Or so it seemed. I've said it in other posts, it's not dead, I just *had* to give it up due to the evolution of my writing abilities. I go back and read some... and cringe, for it's written badly, and the plot is cliche' to the point of drawing tears. I can't let that slip. I have ideas for it though. Like, adding plot. What good ol' "Main Project 1" taught me above all else, is how to *avoid* bad things. Uninteresting characters, pigeon-hole plots, and how to write bad scenes. I owe a lot to it's demise. Current demise. It'll be reborn, in a new form, like a rising Phoenix... rise'n from the ash of status quo and worse. Phoenix's are cool.
I casually call Main Project 1 "Bob". And I must say... Bob will be back, better then ever... oh yes, Bob will... be back... Don't ask what I call Main Project 4 (Yes, I'm up to four, but that's because I'm an idea freak, and not a finisher, and mind you, 4 is nothing more then hordes of collected ideas and a few paragraphs) all the other three though exist in substantial form though... to bad 1 and 2 need so much work.
Zoom to March, 2007. Actually... back a little. January was a good month for me. Back to other things... "Main Project 2"... It spanned from March-July 2007. Sadly it was doomed to failure. A task I couldn't complete due to it's expansive nature. It originally was just like thirty pages I was doing for kicks... but it spiraled into two-hundred p's. Got big. (Point at self, *idea freak*) It was a better plot and it pushed MP1 out of the way, for the better perhaps. MP2 taught me a lot... like how to write. Methods to use, plot hooks, interesting characters, more epic scenes. It's a full draft now. Or 90% draft. But it needs work. Everything does when your learning. You gotta polish things, and I didn't have the patience or something to do it... but that's what I tell myself. The truth is that it was more trouble then it was worth. It wasn't good. It wasn't worth reading. That's a vital part of a story. It will be completed however, and I already, like MP1, have lots of ideas how to improve it. It's a sure fire "one day, done" though because the events need to be told for other projects.
I stopped writing those two projects, because it had to be done. It was the evolution of my own skills, mind, and self. And I can honestly say, what I'm doing now is much more important then them. Books are like kids... you always burn the first batch. Sometimes the second, even.
"Onward! Press forth! To the Future I Go!" My anthem in a time of confusion. I picked up a load of writing books one night, and read em'. Turning point in my little life. The concepts instilled into me and I realized... everything? I sat down that night and typed up a shorty called "Ring" about two assassins. It was okay. I think. I mean the plot was skimpy, and some of the interactions were bad, but the writing... it was semi-good. It was coherent. Turning point.
I've changed so much in the last few months that it startles me. Just the whole plate seems to have been given, not the crumbs and I find myself making far less mistakes then before. To which I fully attribute to God, and my good friends, like you reader, who've given me an example to strive towards. Prideful to say it yes, but I just like myself better now. *Trip* Dang pride... seems though I can tackle whatever needs to be done. Kinda.
So that night, after reading up on writing, I launched a template. Three short stories, a compilation of sorts, that sampled content from the fantasy setting I had been working on for nearly two years, and had drastically changed twice, now coming into it's third change, thanks to this compilation. The original stories were "Ring", "?The Crimson Advantage?", and "The Dimiduim Ordeal". I'm not really sure what story two's name was... I think it was the crimson advantage... dumb name. Ring was done, and I started that night on whatever story two's name was at the time. Opening with the iconic lines, everyone has to love... "The man smiled as he washed the blood from his hands." Yeah, doesn't get any sweeter then that! I finished it. One month later. And my goodness... I liked it. It was a revelation that I could actually enjoy something I wrote. Good deal. I also changed it's name quite quickly from whatever it had been, to "For the Sake of Revenge." But that's taken by a really good Sonata Arctica song (About a relationship gone bad) so I had to change it. With a few tinkering switches, "For This Reason of Vice" was born. Nice ring, eh?
It told an original story, with an interesting main character, and an adulterer that you couldn't help but sympathize with. At least I did... but I'm biased. Because I'm it's author, not because I'm an adulterer mind you. :P Like I said a few posts back, email me for a copy. Tell me what you think. For any that got an early version, I've updated it *meaningfully* twice. Good deal...
So with something I deemed *decent* under my belt, I launched forth. My first strike? Ring. It died. Bitterly... muwahwahuh! I replaced it with another story, "The Beast", guess what it's about? I changed it to, "The Beasts", more recently, and then I actually changed the name again, because I thought it was too... quasi-dramatic. Thus, "Faux Pas", was born. Everyone probably knows this, but Faux Pas denotes a social blunder. Awesome. I'm 3/4 done that know. Busy, busy. The third story, "The Dimiduim Ordeal", didn't turn out well, I was almost done it, but decided to abandon it because of it's weakness. "Severed From My Sunrise Confessed Angel", was born, or SFMSCA. It needed a big ol' name because it's events are substantially more epic in size. Notice the progression, short to long, with the names. Their scope enhances with each story as well. From lone seeker, to public figure, to political engineer. Just gotta make story three *epic* enough so that it isn't undeniably cheesy. Maybe it already is... I have a hard time detecting the "cheese factor" in titles and words, sometimes.
So that's the literary tale of the last few years. I'm very much concentrated on finishing these stories, the compilation actually, by New Years time. Which also happens to be when I'm aiming on graduation of high school via the path of the GED. I've really set myself up to be ready for it by the end of the year, and that's made me quite the happier person. With such feats under my belt, compilation, and GED, my options will be quite open. My main focus is to get a job here in Folsom, which is, yes, legal at my age. I need to start raking in the cash.
Good bye folks, God bless you, and thank you for reading.
Back... Again, and Planning On Staying
I'm back! WHEEE!!! From where you ask? Why, from my busy, busy, life, which is becoming more orderly, and thanks to such, I am able to post again. Plus I beat Halo 3... so that freed me up.
I've been really wanting to post for months now, ideas just popping in and out before I've had time to pen em' down, so another main objective is to not lose any of my perceptions by the destruction of time. So I figure I'll write em' here. Like a normal person.
Yes, I know, only a cold cynic would call me normal. Notice I said *like* normal, i.e one who has some semblance of normalcy. Self-proclaim in the method of saying it, I do consider myself to fit that bill.
On with the posting. Just gotta grab a dew... it's getting pretty late, and I sense my dew stream thinning with the resurgence of blood within my system. Pesky blood cells.
I've been really wanting to post for months now, ideas just popping in and out before I've had time to pen em' down, so another main objective is to not lose any of my perceptions by the destruction of time. So I figure I'll write em' here. Like a normal person.
Yes, I know, only a cold cynic would call me normal. Notice I said *like* normal, i.e one who has some semblance of normalcy. Self-proclaim in the method of saying it, I do consider myself to fit that bill.
On with the posting. Just gotta grab a dew... it's getting pretty late, and I sense my dew stream thinning with the resurgence of blood within my system. Pesky blood cells.
Oct 7, 2007
Halo 3: Review and Multiplayer Impressions
In the end I concur pretty much to the point with Gamespot. 9.5 out of 10. Editor's Choice. The Story isn't the Star Wars saga it was made out to be by Microsoft reps, but it was pretty good. And Multiplayer is very enjoyable. In a sense it is Halo 2.5. But the leap between the series concerning Halo to Halo 2 is much more evident.
One thing to note: Due to frame rate issues four-player co-op on local is not allowed. Only over Xbox-live. Otherwise the Multiplayer is more then I was expecting. More weapons, more options, and the new "equipment" items are quite enjoyable. So normal Multi is great.
The new Forge, Item Editor, is also a blast. Allowing instant drop in and out of players, the ability to turn into a monitor and create or edit any object, and a great aid to creating new map types.
And saved films are cool. It's nice to zoom around to the other side of the battlefield and watch the enemy fight you. Very cool.
Great game. Buy it.
One thing to note: Due to frame rate issues four-player co-op on local is not allowed. Only over Xbox-live. Otherwise the Multiplayer is more then I was expecting. More weapons, more options, and the new "equipment" items are quite enjoyable. So normal Multi is great.
The new Forge, Item Editor, is also a blast. Allowing instant drop in and out of players, the ability to turn into a monitor and create or edit any object, and a great aid to creating new map types.
And saved films are cool. It's nice to zoom around to the other side of the battlefield and watch the enemy fight you. Very cool.
Great game. Buy it.
Sep 27, 2007
Halo 3: Impressions Of Semi-Informed Nature
I was thinking of going for a review, but as one Gamespot user noted in a comment, "No one will know if this is the best game ever till Spring 08'". He's probably right. Not till the sales come in, the Xbox live games are played, and the dust clears, will Halo 3 be regarded as pure awesome. But as another program that aired on the Sci-Fi channel noted... who the frizz cares about anything about the game, if it isn't fun? Spot on, Homey. Good thing it's fun. Really fun. As in it's never been so enjoyable to clip a plasma grenade to a giant smack talking monkey and laugh manically as it burns and explodes into sprites and excess residue. Hey, it's for the defense of earth! Halo 3 has two sections, no denying it. Multi and Camp. We all know Multi owns, I mean new weapons, two new grenade types (Spike, think WWII German stick grenades, but with more "oofm!" to them, and Flame grenades, think... flameyness!) and new ordinance to which to wage combat, Spartan 117 style. And of course Elite style. I'll cover Multi later, and you'd do well to tune in then because I have as yet to see a review that *actually* states what is new in Multi. Heck, not until I got the game did I finally known that Brutes were not playable in Multi. Oh well... Story though, that's what most people will care about when they get home at 12:30 AM and want to smack some Covenant haunch. Does it live up?
Mixed bag. Hate to say it... but let me explain. There are two camps, Gamespot goes with "Awesome" and another more remote review site went with "Dismal." I believe the truth lies between. You know the CG clip we all saw on Monday night football, with the Master Chief as a kid (I still say it was him) then he awakens on the field of battle, grabs his Assault Rifle, and jumps off a ledge to kick some marsupial hide? That's not in the game. You know Halo 2's pretty lack luster camp mode? That ain't here either. It's right smack in the middle. And it's a 9/10 for'sho.
First, Graphics are good. Not insane, but good. Lighting, water, shadows, and textures are *miles* ahead of Halo 2. It's a big leap. But save for the ol' Master Chief, same can't be said for the models of NPC's. Yeah they look great, but look at the faces, and cringe. Not exactly cringe, but it's pretty Halo 2 there. Armor and weapons, and effects are wonderful, amazing even. Physics are awesome rag doll delicious. So if the faces are a but off-putting, the rest is good, and generally lives to the hype. Water is great though, and in the majority of spots, you get this wonderful sheen and transparency that makes you ask yourself "Where does the water meet the shore?" It's great.
Second, Level design: Awesome. Miles ahead of anything I've played. No more running in the same corridors, are trying to figure out where you are, cause every level is different. There are however, only 9 full levels, with a tenth level that is about a fourth the size of a normal. It's so hard though on Legendary, even in two-player Co-op, that it will seem to be big as any other. The game also ends with a familiar scenario, this time even better then before. But yeah, forest/jungles, complexes (not that much), Burning Cities, Corrupted Covenant Flagships, Snow tundra, Africa, it's all here. And yeah, you play in Africa. In fact they didn't mention it, but New Mombassa, is in Africa. Good stuff.
Third, Story: I just wanted more. Arbiter, after playing is story alongside the Master Chief in Halo 2, is thrown to the wayside. Player two in Co-op plays him though instead of another Spartan (nice touch) for Cut Scene continuity, but sadly, he doesn't even appear in the background of most of the cut scenes. His thread of the story is wrapped up by the end though, quite nicely. Besides, Mister-Mandibles is second awesome only to the Master Chief, himself. Some nice events spice it up, but you do really wish there was more plot, some betrayal, some plot twists, but it's pretty void of any Halo 1 "Flood Come" moments. There is a nice part *KINDA SPOILER* where you gain some unexpected allies against the local Monkey brigade. But it unfolds text-book Halo style, with conclusions to all threads of the style, expect a very strange ending, (Unlocked only if you bane the last map on Legendary) that makes you ask... "And Bungie says there isn't going to be a Halo 4?" But actually more aptly, Bungie said, they were tying up the story arch, and this was the definite end. Watch the clip though and wonder yourself. The generally ending is pretty good though. The story-telling overall is O.K, but can be a bit confusing, but no where near as bad as Halo 2. There are some nice moments in missions, where you get a horde of marines, are you attack installations with the aid of your new Elite allies. And the boss of the game is so unexpected in nature, that it's fairly comical, in a good way. In a related thread, Guilty Spark is back, and is more comprehensible this time. Unlike in Halo 2.
So in conclusion, Halo 3 owns. With a new Meta-game feature where you can compete in gaining points, or team up to get them to unlock achievements, and four-player Online Co-op, it's a nice tying up and a good play. You can also unlock skulls, that add different challenges or give you bonuses once you find them scattered around the various levels. One of these skulls makes confetti pop out from your enemies head's upon death, along with a nice "Viva Pinta" cheer. Golden. Also enemy and ally dialog is top notch, with 65,000 sound clips this time round'. Did I mention at one part of the story arch you get four USNC Tanks on your side against a dreaded scarab? Well you do. One not enough? Third to last mission you gotta take two at once. Good times. The Flood parasite also receives a boost with "True Flood", and more species. They are a pain to fight for sure. Sadly, since the Elites shifted to the light side this time around, you won't fight against even one of them, so it's all you vs. the monkey boys. I.e Brutes.
A must have for an Xbox 360 owner, I highly recommend it, even if that doesn't count for much. Don't even get me started on the addictive and freshened Multi-player, or Saved Films, or Forge, cause that's for next time.
Later Folks, and Happy Hunting!
Mixed bag. Hate to say it... but let me explain. There are two camps, Gamespot goes with "Awesome" and another more remote review site went with "Dismal." I believe the truth lies between. You know the CG clip we all saw on Monday night football, with the Master Chief as a kid (I still say it was him) then he awakens on the field of battle, grabs his Assault Rifle, and jumps off a ledge to kick some marsupial hide? That's not in the game. You know Halo 2's pretty lack luster camp mode? That ain't here either. It's right smack in the middle. And it's a 9/10 for'sho.
First, Graphics are good. Not insane, but good. Lighting, water, shadows, and textures are *miles* ahead of Halo 2. It's a big leap. But save for the ol' Master Chief, same can't be said for the models of NPC's. Yeah they look great, but look at the faces, and cringe. Not exactly cringe, but it's pretty Halo 2 there. Armor and weapons, and effects are wonderful, amazing even. Physics are awesome rag doll delicious. So if the faces are a but off-putting, the rest is good, and generally lives to the hype. Water is great though, and in the majority of spots, you get this wonderful sheen and transparency that makes you ask yourself "Where does the water meet the shore?" It's great.
Second, Level design: Awesome. Miles ahead of anything I've played. No more running in the same corridors, are trying to figure out where you are, cause every level is different. There are however, only 9 full levels, with a tenth level that is about a fourth the size of a normal. It's so hard though on Legendary, even in two-player Co-op, that it will seem to be big as any other. The game also ends with a familiar scenario, this time even better then before. But yeah, forest/jungles, complexes (not that much), Burning Cities, Corrupted Covenant Flagships, Snow tundra, Africa, it's all here. And yeah, you play in Africa. In fact they didn't mention it, but New Mombassa, is in Africa. Good stuff.
Third, Story: I just wanted more. Arbiter, after playing is story alongside the Master Chief in Halo 2, is thrown to the wayside. Player two in Co-op plays him though instead of another Spartan (nice touch) for Cut Scene continuity, but sadly, he doesn't even appear in the background of most of the cut scenes. His thread of the story is wrapped up by the end though, quite nicely. Besides, Mister-Mandibles is second awesome only to the Master Chief, himself. Some nice events spice it up, but you do really wish there was more plot, some betrayal, some plot twists, but it's pretty void of any Halo 1 "Flood Come" moments. There is a nice part *KINDA SPOILER* where you gain some unexpected allies against the local Monkey brigade. But it unfolds text-book Halo style, with conclusions to all threads of the style, expect a very strange ending, (Unlocked only if you bane the last map on Legendary) that makes you ask... "And Bungie says there isn't going to be a Halo 4?" But actually more aptly, Bungie said, they were tying up the story arch, and this was the definite end. Watch the clip though and wonder yourself. The generally ending is pretty good though. The story-telling overall is O.K, but can be a bit confusing, but no where near as bad as Halo 2. There are some nice moments in missions, where you get a horde of marines, are you attack installations with the aid of your new Elite allies. And the boss of the game is so unexpected in nature, that it's fairly comical, in a good way. In a related thread, Guilty Spark is back, and is more comprehensible this time. Unlike in Halo 2.
So in conclusion, Halo 3 owns. With a new Meta-game feature where you can compete in gaining points, or team up to get them to unlock achievements, and four-player Online Co-op, it's a nice tying up and a good play. You can also unlock skulls, that add different challenges or give you bonuses once you find them scattered around the various levels. One of these skulls makes confetti pop out from your enemies head's upon death, along with a nice "Viva Pinta" cheer. Golden. Also enemy and ally dialog is top notch, with 65,000 sound clips this time round'. Did I mention at one part of the story arch you get four USNC Tanks on your side against a dreaded scarab? Well you do. One not enough? Third to last mission you gotta take two at once. Good times. The Flood parasite also receives a boost with "True Flood", and more species. They are a pain to fight for sure. Sadly, since the Elites shifted to the light side this time around, you won't fight against even one of them, so it's all you vs. the monkey boys. I.e Brutes.
A must have for an Xbox 360 owner, I highly recommend it, even if that doesn't count for much. Don't even get me started on the addictive and freshened Multi-player, or Saved Films, or Forge, cause that's for next time.
Later Folks, and Happy Hunting!
Sep 14, 2007
An Announcement of Sheer Epic Scope
Wow. I haven't been on blogger for months now, and haven't posted even longer. Feels like I just came home, just minus the aroma of apple pie and blueberry pancakes... alright, down to business... nah', just joking, I'm going to rant for hours like usual and call it a night! You know what I like most about my little blog here? The copyright right there on your... well... right. Love how it actually assumes I have anything decent. Quite comic.
Well, I am actually not going to rant. Never intended too, so here it is... 'it' being the announcement mentioned in this post's title.
I.FINISHED.SOMETHING
Hard to believe? I don't expect you to believe, you have no reason to, so don't. I rather you not. Instead of dumping an email into your inbox though, I am making no assertions to quality and thus, not sending the done, finished, polished, deal to anyone that doesn't ask for a copy. Does that mean I don't think the story is even half way decent? No. But it means I won't make that judgment for you. I guess I haven't said what it is yet have I? Sorry, bad habit. It's a thirty-page exact (apple chancery, font) short story. The plot? It's thirty pages. If I tell you the beginning then you are half way through. Instead of rambling I'm just going to list all my projects.
*Main Writing Project 1 ETC Unknown : I've wanted to finish this for eight months. I called it seventh hope once, never again. What kind of name is that anyway? Standard youth vs. baddie, as of now but considering major revisions. State: In Development/Partial Draft(7)
*Main Writing Project 2 ETC Christmas? : I don't know what's wrong with me. I should have never even started this guy. Scenes are too hard to write, too long, and I didn't prepare enough beforehand. Placer name "Poet". That pretty much says the plot as well. It's half flashback, half unfolding events. State: In Development/Full Draft(3)
*Web Project ETC No Idea : I've been increasingly interested in doing a episodic story that I would post online every so often. Got an outline for a plot, and some characters. State: In Development
*Chronicles of Twilight: Volume One, For The Reasons of Vice ETC October 17# : Story I completed is basically a "single" from this collection of three stories including fore-mentioned single. Stories are: "The Beast." "For This Reason of Vice." and "Dimiduim Ordeal." Second is single. I swapped "The Beast" in for "Ring" cause latter was terrible, so that set me back. State: "The Beast" 1/10, "For This Reason of Vice" 10/10, "Dimiduim Ordeal" 7/10
*Main Writing Project 3 ETC: God Wills : This is the one that will put me on the map if anything will. This is far into the future, of course, because I could not possible write some of the scenes contained within at this point, nor could I spare the time. I've been getting characters, events, factions, plot hooks, for this thing for two years. Trilogy, and continuation of Main Writing Project 2. State: Development
Drop a comment and I'll email you a copy of the single. I've really started to focus on GED studies though, so writing taken a back seat. I can only say with surety that Chronicles of Twilight: Volume One will be done in any kind of time frame. Hopefully I'll be on here more, and a little more animated around. The last nine months have been... unfocused, so here's hoping the next nine are better, and a little more productive on my part.
Remember people, you should always ask yourself... are you for the Harvest Guild? Or against it...
Well, I am actually not going to rant. Never intended too, so here it is... 'it' being the announcement mentioned in this post's title.
I.FINISHED.SOMETHING
Hard to believe? I don't expect you to believe, you have no reason to, so don't. I rather you not. Instead of dumping an email into your inbox though, I am making no assertions to quality and thus, not sending the done, finished, polished, deal to anyone that doesn't ask for a copy. Does that mean I don't think the story is even half way decent? No. But it means I won't make that judgment for you. I guess I haven't said what it is yet have I? Sorry, bad habit. It's a thirty-page exact (apple chancery, font) short story. The plot? It's thirty pages. If I tell you the beginning then you are half way through. Instead of rambling I'm just going to list all my projects.
*Main Writing Project 1 ETC Unknown : I've wanted to finish this for eight months. I called it seventh hope once, never again. What kind of name is that anyway? Standard youth vs. baddie, as of now but considering major revisions. State: In Development/Partial Draft(7)
*Main Writing Project 2 ETC Christmas? : I don't know what's wrong with me. I should have never even started this guy. Scenes are too hard to write, too long, and I didn't prepare enough beforehand. Placer name "Poet". That pretty much says the plot as well. It's half flashback, half unfolding events. State: In Development/Full Draft(3)
*Web Project ETC No Idea : I've been increasingly interested in doing a episodic story that I would post online every so often. Got an outline for a plot, and some characters. State: In Development
*Chronicles of Twilight: Volume One, For The Reasons of Vice ETC October 17# : Story I completed is basically a "single" from this collection of three stories including fore-mentioned single. Stories are: "The Beast." "For This Reason of Vice." and "Dimiduim Ordeal." Second is single. I swapped "The Beast" in for "Ring" cause latter was terrible, so that set me back. State: "The Beast" 1/10, "For This Reason of Vice" 10/10, "Dimiduim Ordeal" 7/10
*Main Writing Project 3 ETC: God Wills : This is the one that will put me on the map if anything will. This is far into the future, of course, because I could not possible write some of the scenes contained within at this point, nor could I spare the time. I've been getting characters, events, factions, plot hooks, for this thing for two years. Trilogy, and continuation of Main Writing Project 2. State: Development
Drop a comment and I'll email you a copy of the single. I've really started to focus on GED studies though, so writing taken a back seat. I can only say with surety that Chronicles of Twilight: Volume One will be done in any kind of time frame. Hopefully I'll be on here more, and a little more animated around. The last nine months have been... unfocused, so here's hoping the next nine are better, and a little more productive on my part.
Remember people, you should always ask yourself... are you for the Harvest Guild? Or against it...
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