Machiavellism

I witnessed the finest example of machiavellism since a long time back. Well, naturally, it'd be far too upfront of me to introduce the players in this game. But anyway, it was a nice bit of office politics. As usual, someone was being irritating and showing favouritism left and right. Let's call this irritant A. A was favouring B and that resulted in B getting a rather great appraisal. Unfortunately, C did not. After offending D too many times, D decided to reveal C's situation to A. Let the wars...begin...

On Crossdressers And Gunmen

Clearly, crossdressers are more alarming than gunmen. Or maybe it's because of the recent tragic shooting of children in school that people start becoming paranoid about crossdressers. Refer to this article. I mean sure it's nice that people can be vigilant about potential threats, but I'd think hearing gunfire is a wee bit more threatening than seeing someone crossdressing near a school. Ok or maybe my judgement is skewed by video games and thus I feel gunshots are more threatening than transvestites. Still, this highlights a very real danger in society: Terrorists simply do not look/dress like terrorists most of the time. I seriously doubt the Korean fella would appear to be dangerous to the casual onlooker. Perhaps it is time people learned to look beyond bags with the word "bomb" glowing hot pink from it dazzling neon lights?

The Printer Obsession

Ever since I got my new printer, I've been obsessing over printers. It's not that my printer isn't as close to perfect as I can get at the price. It's just that I know the operating costs of this thing is monstrous, yet I am unwilling to risk my beast's life by feeding it cheap inks. The solution: Get a cheaper beast for the lesser work. heh. Feels strange, but it's economical given that even the cheap inks come at a price, and that price isn't very much higher than that of a laser printer for schoolwork. Basically, my gripe is that, while the prints coming out of my printer are downright gorgeous, they run for the hills once they get wet. That is seriously bad given that my homework can get wet, runny and downright unreadable. And my notes never have to be in color anyway.

I saw this medium-format printer (Canon S9000) at a second hand store. It could print A3 and above. Not that I'd actually need one of those things. Still, it's a cool thing to be able to print A3 at home. But it's delicate electronics at a second hand store. Sure, it may work when I try it out, but there's no telling how long it'd hold out. I anticipate it would have encountered lots of wear and tear at the hands of the previous owner. Not the best combination for
reliable use.

Behold, The Less Fortunate

Sometimes we just think that life is crap. Frankly, it is. The key to contentment seems to be lower expectations. Still haven't figured a better way. Anyway, I was at a bus stop yesterday and met a girl. She was probably around my age, but she was deformed. I do not know her affliction, but she clearly had a speech impediment of some sort. She was unable to speak properly, and could only exclaim with sounds akin to what an animal would make. Yet she was clearly not retarded, as she could express that she did not wish to grow fat when I noted she was looking at my sweets and I offered some. Moreover, she knew what my cellphone was, and indicated that her own unit was of the same brand. Most interestingly, she could read what was on it, and understood that there was a function that could transfer files from hers to mine. Unfortunately, my phone did not have that function: Infrared.

There are times when I totally feel like crap. I still do. But when I look around, I find that there are many people who are obviously taking crap, and others who are taking crap on their personal lives and not showing it. I don't feel any better knowing that there are people out there who are more imperfect than I am. That would be taking joy in knowing their greater misfortune (by my gauge). I would rather feel that there is always imperfection, that can be improved as far as it can get given our limited abilities. That is not to say that I would authorize people to stay downtrodden when they were born that way. It's merely a sign of laziness to not try to make the most of what you've got.

The Printer Enterprise

This is the first all-in-one printer I've bought. It's the Epson Stylus Photo RX510. If you ask me, it may as well be the Starship Enterprise...or Printer Enterprise. Seriously, this is an oversized piece of hardware. I've never encountered a printer this big, and one would expect something this size to actually pack a fax. My biggest gripe at the moment is that the ink isn't waterproof. One would expect that such fairly high-end photo printers would have waterproofed inks. Apparently not.

Anyway, it's overall a spiffy thing, especially since I would usually expect to pay significantly more for something with these specs. Well, I guess it's a rather old model to be purchasing considering that it's already 2007, but hey it's all for schoolwork. And...maybe a spot of design and all that. I'm not a print/photo professional after all. I figure it's a good buy even though I'd be paying out my nose when I do reload this thing. The only viable alternative would be to get one of those unsightly and possibly messy ink replacement systems that cost a fraction of the price, but won't guarantee print quality.

Life Isn't Worth Living

I’m traumatized. I’m traumatized by what some people can be born with. It’s one thing to be apparently something that you’re not. It’s even worse when that something you’re not is determined by your genes. Genes that pump poisons through your body without your knowing. All this really makes one wonder at the extent to which one truly has free will, if such a thing exists at all. To me, it’s a false hope at best, given that no amount of free will can change what one was born as or born with.

Only in Japan...

http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/toilet.htm

All the talk of toilets in lectures. How about this, eh? In Japan, toilets aren't just toilets anymore. They're *smart* toilets. Anyway, just inspired by the scheduling of the heating and cooling of the toilet at fixed times of the day. Sorta like programming a bot to do stuff at fixed times, non?

300 Elysians

Yes, I have watched 300. 300 half-naked men with big shields, thick spears. 300 men *dying*. That's what counts, methinks. It can't be a good war movie if people didn't die in it. If I were to watch the movie as a movie-goer, I'd say that the story was mediocre at best. After all, the idea of brave men fighting valiantly, being betrayed, getting killed and all is really rather overdone. Blood and gore does not make a movie greater than it would be were there a storyline with more depth. However, I am watching the movie as a reader of the graphic novel from which it was adapted. as an adaptation, I'd say that the movie was excellent. Sure, they rearranged the storyline some. But then again, the graphic novel would look downright disjointed in movie form. There is no rewind for movies, after all.

I may have liked the action, but I sure did not appreciate the tactics the Spartans were using on screen. I missed watching them fighting in neat formations, their allies coming to their aid and the use of the great wall of enemy bodies they made. I personally find it silly to build a huge wall of bodies, push it over one enemy, then clamber over the entire pile just to get at the enemy. Total waste of effort.

Wheat Grass In A Pot

It's not so bad being barren. See? I'm growing wheat grass in a pot. It's pretty unsightly having empty flower pots dangling around, so I figured I'd get a pack of seeds to plant in that empty, empty pot. The neighbours aren't exactly nice, so I didn't think it particularly wise to grow anything that looks pretty to the common folk. I mean, grass is pretty, but most people won't appreciate that. They're also more likely to destroy colorful flowers out of spite instead of plain-looking grass.

Anyway, I got a pack of seeds, soaked them overnight and then planted them. If anyone believed that wheat grass was a weed, they're darned right. Only weeds can grow that fast. Within hours, I could actually see the sprouts poking out of the ground, growing like 2 inches in a single day. That's pretty nifty. I never really believed in dried seeds, after all. They almost never sprouted. Currently got an experimental pot with a few strands of grass sprouting from it. I sorta hope they start producing little wheat grass seeds sometime. It's the sort of thing that makes one feel motherly: Nurturing a little living thing, watching it grow up and have offspring and all that.

That's How The World Works

I find it strange that people like to act all resigned after (not) whining about having to conform. When some start whining about how the world works, it's common to the get the canned response to the effect of "That's how the world works, and no amount of whining will change that." News flash: Whining does get things done. But that whining must be paired with action.

More often than not, I'd see some frustration, then a flash of rebelliousness. Someone will get tired of The System, raise a fairly private hue and cry, then get back to safe old conformity. Yes. Whining won't help because even those who whine end up going back to conforming.

The world won't do a 180 for just a single person who refuses to conform. However, just as everyone's actions contribute to pollution, everyone can do their part to not-conform if they seriously want changes.

You Need Help

You know you're in trouble when you start believing that you "need help". Most societies are great equalizers. Nobody's really "special" because someone will feel unhappy when there are people more special than they are. Probably a human thing. But even a "human" thing can go too far. It's absurd, the lengths to which some may need social validation to be who they are. Yes, one may not live in a vacuum and needs some degree of social contact for a healthy psyche. However, if one decides to stand alone and say "I am myself", many will not be content to leave it at that, but will "helpfully" chip in to point out that everyone *needs* other people and so on. Hence, self-validation is not terribly valid if nobody else agrees to it. For example, saying "I am smart" does not mean much if everyone else just believes you're ordinary, or even stupid. (I bet some would believe "I am smart" is a stupid thing to say in the first place). It would be wonderful if one could just do that, mean it, believe it and not be bothered when gangs of painfully mediocre humans start sneering stupidly and snidely declaring that you're not really that smart. If ye ask me, I'd say those are the people who need help.

Fly Agaric And You

Why is there a timer in the Super Mario games? Well...sometimes people pop some fly agaric, get high and slip into Super Mario Land for a short stretch of time. Once the stuff passes out of the system, poor Mario slips out of Super Mario Land. Yes, that's exactly why he looks startled and promptly jumps off the screen. No, eating mushrooms in-game won't work, precisely because none of that is actually real. It's like this super long dream where you keep realizing that the princess is in another castle, and some highs last long enough that you actually do get to save the princess. Otherwise, it just becomes another bad trip, and Mario wakes up feeling a tad nasty. Poor guy.

Are You Crazy?

Sometimes, madmen see (or claim to see) things that nobody else can. It's all well and good if you see things that toss pots and pans around your house. People can relate to that kinda thing. It's not quite so good if you see some great being that causes hurricanes sometimes, but not always. You can't tell people for sure that the hurricane will come. And then people figure that since there's no regularity or certainty to those perceptions, you just have to be mad. Or is it that the entire world's mad because they refuse to see what's so big and obvious?

Interestingly enough, human perceptions are limited to what they can sense and what they can understand. Nobody really knows or cares why toast falls buttered-side down. It just is. If someone told them that there's an invisible ghoul that does it, they'd probably think it's hogwash. Nobody's ever seen a ghoul out of Hollywood. However, if someone tells them that something insubstantial like "Luck" did it, a goodly number would believe that someone. That's probably why diseases were always blamed on witches. There are times when people have bouts of sanity and realize that there are those who walk amongst them who can do things that they never thought possible.

An Epic Waste Of Time And Money

Yes, Epic Movie was a total waste. Sometimes, it feels like I'm watching a movie made by teenage boys. The jokes really have that much finesse. Sure, I'd laugh at some moments, but it's mostly low-grade slapstick stuff. I never thought that I'd give a negative rating, but if there's a movie that deserves it, it's the Epic Movie. For one, who would've thought that a movie would look like it was cobbled together in a garage somewhere? I mean stunt doubles can appear on screen for comic relief, but only if it's obvious to the audience that it's meant as a joke. Otherwise, it's just an indication of the lack of care that the producers are putting into producing this flick. Seriously, I would tire my fingers trying to list every single thing I think is bad about this show, and I'd basically be narrating the entire movie. Maybe it really was made by a bunch of teenage boys in a garage. Bite me.

The Death Of Cap

It is strangely apt, the timing of the death of Captain America. Sure, fans will hate it. It is terrible that a symbol of American patriotism has died. However, does the real thing still exist? Can a symbol exist independent of the reality that spawned it? Captain America was a true blue, red and white stars and stripes hero. He came around as the result of a super soldier project to defend his country against its enemies. He has been put on ice, abused and finally killed.

Perhaps something has died. Perhaps some of the freedom that Cap represented, that he fought for, has died. After all, times change and things pass on. In this modern day and age, people take their freedom for granted. A stars and stripes patriot has no place in the era of political finesse
, where might does not make right, and where policies are best thought up by the leaders than garnered from the opinions of the people. He certainly has no place here anymore. Rest in peace, Captain America.

Chasing The Company

I have submitted an application towards joining a major game company on internship. Here goes, for days of serving up coffee, mopping up spills and possibly doing nothing related to game making. It always seems that interns get all the weird stuff that no regular staff ever gets to handle. Then again, if one pays attention, one can learn stuff that no part-timer staff will ever get to learn. Besides, having worked for a major game company gives one a certain measure of bragging rights. I worked at XXX Game Company before! Sure beats trying to convince people that a stint at Unheard Of Co. is even worth noting. At the very least, I could get staff discounts on the games they publish. =p

Patriarchy And Oppression

As it's been written before, I'm inclined to believe that there is a link between patriarchy and oppression. And this oppression applies to both sexes. For some reason, matriarchal societies seem more tolerant of non-conformity to established gender norms. That would, I believe, put men in a better position than they are in now: Struggling to put themselves squarely within the subtle demarcation that keeps their "normal" label safe. I don't know how others feel, but it does seem rather sad that something as simple as asking for directions can be viewed as something "unmanly".

Violence is another major issue that seems to be associated with men in patriarchal societies. I personally believe this is somehow related to the violent conquering cultures that were patriarchal. For Darwinian reasons, the "softer", intellectual cultures were either overtaken by tyrants or overrun by tyrants. Not a terribly good way to go, but I guess it's the law of the jungle. Might doesn't make things right, however. It would be nice, though, if people were to discover their gentler sides and cease thinking that only hard ways are truly effective.

Constructs As Law

Humans regard many things as law. Many of those things are social constructs. In fact, many "procedures" are social constructs. By that logic, judges are absolutely forbidden to laugh and joke in court. Obviously, people who are capable of showing humor in serious situations cannot be taken seriously. Their judgement is clearly impaired and they should not be placed in positions of power. We are not permitted to laugh at the dead and kick their rotting meat around because they used to be living, breathing people.

Much of it doesn't make sense. Social niceties like politeness can escalate to violence when people do not adhere to modes of polite conduct. People turn illogical once their nicely laid out and perfectly irrational expectations are not met. At best, they can attribute an initial slight to the fact that the person is a child, new or foreign. However, they expect people to change to suit them. How unusual.

Life Is Fragile

It's strange. There was this neighbour who sorta grew up with me. He was around my age, grew older, got a girlfriend and died in a motorcycle accident. When large numbers of people die over time, they become a statistic. There are so many traffic accidents that we occasionally forget that it's people who're dying in the accidents. Well anyway, another one bites the dust. I guess I feel more about friends and acquaintances that die 'coz they're people and not titles. First uncle died. Another uncle died. But people didn't die there. They were just "uncles" and stuff. But if the person's related in another way, perhaps as "friend", things are different. There's a personal stake in whether the person exists or just fades away. That's that.

Nature, Nurture And Criminals

A psychologist said that humans were 100% nature, and 100% nurture. That is, it is impossible to separate nature from nurture in humans as the two are so closely intertwined as to be inseparable. However, there is a widespread belief that there are inviolate "essential" behaviours in people that are not modified by nurture.

"Once a thief, always a thief" would be one of them. If someone were found to have the propensity to steal, no amount of reformation anywhere would change that. Yet there is the allegation that people "can change" and there is a fear that religious indoctrination can change peoples' essential natures.

All this just seems to be a judgement of convenience. It is easier to say that a criminal is always capable of criminal acts than it is to say that I just don't like him 'coz he stole money before. Doing so would appeal to peoples' "common sense" that some things are inbred and cannot be changed. Of course, such "inbred" behaviours can be changed by negative things like violent extremist religious indoctrination.

If this internalized belief of many people were to be lent any weight, it can be surmised that it is the essential nature of people to be evil or violent or destructive. That's because even "good" people are believed to be able to become corrupted criminals, yet "bad" people will never turn over a new leaf.