This may sound strange, but I am frankly getting sick of Christmas carols. By extension, I'm losing my patience with commercialized Christmas in general. I find it singularly absurd to see Christmas decor being put up sometime in the last week of October, only to have it dragged on all throughout November. Hell, it's not even December and I'm real tired of seeing all the Christmassy decorations for a festive season that's over a month away. In fact, instead of making me feel like "It's the season!", I'm feeling more like "Man that thing's never coming, you assholes."
What irks me even more is that when I pointed this out to one of my friends, she said that well...December IS Christmas. Which really...that...well I have nothing to say to that, honestly. People, wake the hell up. December is NOT Christmas. December 25th is. Everything else is commentary. It would be nice if the decorations could come up within a decent window like perhaps at the start of December (or at least after Thanksgiving) so that people can get into a festive mood, without having to see the same color scheme and hear the "cheery" music over and over again. Really. Auld Lang Syne is a (bad bad bad bad bad bad bad)^infinity song to hear sometime in November, let alone late October. To you capitalist pigs out there: Fuck you. I hope you're happy that I'm not.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Megamind
Megamind. Yep it's animation. Since it's animation, we all know how it'll really end: Happy ending. After having watched How To Train Your Dragon, I've come to realize that the creatives aren't afraid of making the endings bittersweet, and I think that's really cool. Well this one isn't. It's got a sweet ending. There. Spoiled it for ya.
Now let's get on to the meat. (Which I happen to like. Bloody, if at all possible.) Megamind's about a misfit alien who just had everything go horribly wrong with his life. This is the classic case of a misfit being forced into being bad. Then of course, he's got a rival alien who's got everything going right for him. Jealousy and rivalry. As is predicted, good will prevail...somehow. What I like is that good doesn't prevail in the most painfully obvious way. No, Metroman doesn't beat the snot out of Megamind, letting Metropolis become a hero-ruled place living happily ever after. On the flip side, I do wish they'd let the villains win once in a while. Or at least remain mostly evil in the end. Seriously.
Overall I'd say that I liked the twists in the plot, even though the constraints of happy ending animations kinda made the twists somewhat easy to anticipate. I'd still say kudos to the team, who managed to make the animation really funny, touching in parts and overall much more satisfying than it would've been as the obvious narrative. I'd say that while the graphics and special effects aren't exactly the most realistic I've seen (and perhaps that is intentional as an art style), the story itself gets a neat 7.5/10 from me. I sorta liked it, but then I shan't knock it for not being my kinda show.
Now let's get on to the meat. (Which I happen to like. Bloody, if at all possible.) Megamind's about a misfit alien who just had everything go horribly wrong with his life. This is the classic case of a misfit being forced into being bad. Then of course, he's got a rival alien who's got everything going right for him. Jealousy and rivalry. As is predicted, good will prevail...somehow. What I like is that good doesn't prevail in the most painfully obvious way. No, Metroman doesn't beat the snot out of Megamind, letting Metropolis become a hero-ruled place living happily ever after. On the flip side, I do wish they'd let the villains win once in a while. Or at least remain mostly evil in the end. Seriously.
Overall I'd say that I liked the twists in the plot, even though the constraints of happy ending animations kinda made the twists somewhat easy to anticipate. I'd still say kudos to the team, who managed to make the animation really funny, touching in parts and overall much more satisfying than it would've been as the obvious narrative. I'd say that while the graphics and special effects aren't exactly the most realistic I've seen (and perhaps that is intentional as an art style), the story itself gets a neat 7.5/10 from me. I sorta liked it, but then I shan't knock it for not being my kinda show.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Gracie
Well I've finally had the opportunity to attend an introductory Brazillian jiujitsu seminar with Royce Gracie himself. It's really something to have a hands on session with someone you've heard of, and is effectively a legend in the industry. It's a lot like me having a game design workshop with Will Wright, or Ian Livingstone. Awesome!
There really is something to the techniques in BJJ, even though I probably will not be likely to commit to mastering this exceptionally sophisticated art. I am constantly amazed at how easily a BJJ expert can manipulate someone on the ground, even if they resist, to the point of establishing a perfect submission hold. The expert can just as easily maim the person using just a little more force.
However, I find that such groundfighting does not mesh with my general self defense objectives because indeed getting out of a ground situation and ready to escape or take on another opponent would be the sort of situation I am more likely to be in, rather than a one on one duel exclusively on the ground with a single assailant. Which, of course, seems quite in line with what Krav Maga teaches. Anyway, I am very much honored to have had a basic class under Gracie and having learned a few little techniques. This will be one of the more memorable moments, and a fine entry in the blog.
There really is something to the techniques in BJJ, even though I probably will not be likely to commit to mastering this exceptionally sophisticated art. I am constantly amazed at how easily a BJJ expert can manipulate someone on the ground, even if they resist, to the point of establishing a perfect submission hold. The expert can just as easily maim the person using just a little more force.
However, I find that such groundfighting does not mesh with my general self defense objectives because indeed getting out of a ground situation and ready to escape or take on another opponent would be the sort of situation I am more likely to be in, rather than a one on one duel exclusively on the ground with a single assailant. Which, of course, seems quite in line with what Krav Maga teaches. Anyway, I am very much honored to have had a basic class under Gracie and having learned a few little techniques. This will be one of the more memorable moments, and a fine entry in the blog.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Generic Systems
There is value in designing generic systems that are basically highly flexible. The merits of such systems is that their attributes are sufficiently generic so that they may be reused in different forms without requiring a complete redevelopment of the system every time something is changed. In short, it saves a lot of unnecessary busywork.
An example of a generic system is seen in how someone would make...say...a fireball spell and magic missile spell. A generic system can generate both the fireball and magic missile's effects without requiring excessive external development. In short, one will not be coding the two spells independently.
To achieve the development of a truly generic system, commonalities must be distilled from the forseeable requirements. A magic missile spell deals direct damage from homing projectiles while a fireball deals AOE damage from dumb projectiles. A possible generic system would have variables like damage, speed of projectile, area of effect and a boolean value for homing. Therefore, a fireball may have attributes like AOE: 50, damage: 20, speed: 40, homing = true while a magic missile may have AOE:0, damage: 30, speed: 50, homing = false.
The balancing factor here, however, is whether creating the generic system will indeed save more effort than it takes to do everything in a one-off manner. Yet, it is generally a good idea to go generic even if the obvious gains are marginal, simply because one can never forsee whether the easily created variants are going to come in handy just beyond the forseeable future.
An example of a generic system is seen in how someone would make...say...a fireball spell and magic missile spell. A generic system can generate both the fireball and magic missile's effects without requiring excessive external development. In short, one will not be coding the two spells independently.
To achieve the development of a truly generic system, commonalities must be distilled from the forseeable requirements. A magic missile spell deals direct damage from homing projectiles while a fireball deals AOE damage from dumb projectiles. A possible generic system would have variables like damage, speed of projectile, area of effect and a boolean value for homing. Therefore, a fireball may have attributes like AOE: 50, damage: 20, speed: 40, homing = true while a magic missile may have AOE:0, damage: 30, speed: 50, homing = false.
The balancing factor here, however, is whether creating the generic system will indeed save more effort than it takes to do everything in a one-off manner. Yet, it is generally a good idea to go generic even if the obvious gains are marginal, simply because one can never forsee whether the easily created variants are going to come in handy just beyond the forseeable future.
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Human Factor
I've been puzzling over creating an optimized system that would run well with the presence of humans, and I realize that it really is awfully hard to get humans to stick with the system. Firstly, it is expected that humans will have differing opinions of just how optimal the system is, and invariably seek to "improve" it by various actions ranging from suggestions to outright disobedience.
In fact, humans themselves cannot be trusted to administer the system in the way originally intended, because they are likely to form different interpretations and opinions about the rules. These aspects of free will invariably serve to color and vary the implementation of the system. This is not to say that the variance cannot possibly be an improvement on the system. Unfortunately, if the system was carefully planned to achieve optimized results, it is very likely that any tweaks attempted would simply result in a less than optimal outcome.
Realistically, one may choose to approximate such a hypothetical system by factoring in the probable suboptimal human responses to each of the rules, such that the net effect of following the rules will be in line with the optimized plan. Unfortunately, this may involve implementing certain extreme penalties to strongly nudge probable behaviors away from suboptimal directions...
In fact, humans themselves cannot be trusted to administer the system in the way originally intended, because they are likely to form different interpretations and opinions about the rules. These aspects of free will invariably serve to color and vary the implementation of the system. This is not to say that the variance cannot possibly be an improvement on the system. Unfortunately, if the system was carefully planned to achieve optimized results, it is very likely that any tweaks attempted would simply result in a less than optimal outcome.
Realistically, one may choose to approximate such a hypothetical system by factoring in the probable suboptimal human responses to each of the rules, such that the net effect of following the rules will be in line with the optimized plan. Unfortunately, this may involve implementing certain extreme penalties to strongly nudge probable behaviors away from suboptimal directions...
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Apple Cider
I was having a drink with my colleagues this evening, and I managed to sample Green Goblin apple cider. For a drink that's 6% alcohol, it tastes remarkably like Jolly Shandy. In fact, it is a lot like a beer that manages not to taste like pee and still has a respectable oomph.
Cider aside, there really is something invigorating to having a drink with friends at night. Especially a bunch that's capable of taking my jokes without spewing their dinners shortly afterward. It is a good crowd. It also helps that they're not particularly inclined to spend the entire night drinking, which rapidly becomes a bore after the first few drinks.
Overall, it's been a good week. Big meetings, things going well overall. It is nice to feel like one's actually achieved something, aside from the usual daily grind. It is also comforting to know that I am still growing. The day I stop growing is the day I should change my career path.
Cider aside, there really is something invigorating to having a drink with friends at night. Especially a bunch that's capable of taking my jokes without spewing their dinners shortly afterward. It is a good crowd. It also helps that they're not particularly inclined to spend the entire night drinking, which rapidly becomes a bore after the first few drinks.
Overall, it's been a good week. Big meetings, things going well overall. It is nice to feel like one's actually achieved something, aside from the usual daily grind. It is also comforting to know that I am still growing. The day I stop growing is the day I should change my career path.
Were-Hamsters
When I was considering the spoof of the Twilight saga, it does make me wonder why every were-creature seems to be some sort of highly aggressive carnivore. Were-lions, wolves, panthers, sometimes birds of prey. You rarely hear of were-hamsters or gerbils or guinea pigs, or even gazelles.
A friend proposed that a were-creature has to be aggressive, and carnivorous because they're more likely to bite. However, were that to be true, then we should be having a lot of were-hamsters and perhaps were-mosquitoes, since they are biting creatures and may well transmit the were-syndrome.
I think the general rule is that a were-creature has to be conceptually cool. If the creature in question is not cool, it is unable to transmit the were-syndrome. Alternatively, an uncool animal may be sufficiently unnoticeable that a were-uncool animal would pass unnoticed and never be noted in popular folklore. Of course, I have little doubt that the ancient lorekeepers have records of these creatures hidden somewhere in their archives.
A friend proposed that a were-creature has to be aggressive, and carnivorous because they're more likely to bite. However, were that to be true, then we should be having a lot of were-hamsters and perhaps were-mosquitoes, since they are biting creatures and may well transmit the were-syndrome.
I think the general rule is that a were-creature has to be conceptually cool. If the creature in question is not cool, it is unable to transmit the were-syndrome. Alternatively, an uncool animal may be sufficiently unnoticeable that a were-uncool animal would pass unnoticed and never be noted in popular folklore. Of course, I have little doubt that the ancient lorekeepers have records of these creatures hidden somewhere in their archives.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Living The System
The people are a reflection of the system they are in. I was thinking about crime. Take for example the chance that a gang of hooligans decides to assault a lone person. Intuitively, one should be justified in using any means necessary in order to stop the attack and thereby defend oneself. An extension of this self defense is the possibility of justifiable homicide.
I was discussing the matter with some friends, regarding how they would defend themselves in a life threatening situation. Indeed, the ideal solutions would be to avoid the conflict in the first place or perhaps to flee. Yet, sometimes I do wonder whether flight is always the best possible option to aid one's survival. If flight is not an option in a situation, the logical thing to do next is to stand and make a last stand.
Realistically, one cannot possibly expect to defend oneself against a large group of assailants. However, it may be possible to take one down in a sufficiently intimidating way such that it discourages the rest from continuing the assault. One such method is a messy kill. It was pointed out that if I did exercise that option, I would be slapped with a lawsuit even in the unlikely event that I should succeed.
That got me thinking. If the use of deadly force is never justified in self defense, the system weighs fairly soundly in favor of criminals (or assailants). They have already committed a crime by acting as aggressors, yet one cannot respond with deadly force to avoid becoming a victim of aggression. Such a mindset may also explain the reluctance of bystanders to intervene in an assault, not just from the prospect of being harmed, but also from fear of legal repercussions from trying to aid another person. Whether the legal system does indeed rule in this manner seems to be less relevant than the public perception of how such rulings go, with respect to how a responsible citizen would or could respond in these situations. Indeed, the perception of the system is sufficient to shape the behaviors of those living within it.
I was discussing the matter with some friends, regarding how they would defend themselves in a life threatening situation. Indeed, the ideal solutions would be to avoid the conflict in the first place or perhaps to flee. Yet, sometimes I do wonder whether flight is always the best possible option to aid one's survival. If flight is not an option in a situation, the logical thing to do next is to stand and make a last stand.
Realistically, one cannot possibly expect to defend oneself against a large group of assailants. However, it may be possible to take one down in a sufficiently intimidating way such that it discourages the rest from continuing the assault. One such method is a messy kill. It was pointed out that if I did exercise that option, I would be slapped with a lawsuit even in the unlikely event that I should succeed.
That got me thinking. If the use of deadly force is never justified in self defense, the system weighs fairly soundly in favor of criminals (or assailants). They have already committed a crime by acting as aggressors, yet one cannot respond with deadly force to avoid becoming a victim of aggression. Such a mindset may also explain the reluctance of bystanders to intervene in an assault, not just from the prospect of being harmed, but also from fear of legal repercussions from trying to aid another person. Whether the legal system does indeed rule in this manner seems to be less relevant than the public perception of how such rulings go, with respect to how a responsible citizen would or could respond in these situations. Indeed, the perception of the system is sufficient to shape the behaviors of those living within it.
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