My title is wittier than yours.

2004-05-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

Playing Socom II was awesome tonight. Had lots of fun playing with my friend Kevin. We kicked some ass, then got our asses kicked, and then kicked some ass again. I accidentally team killed two guys, and that's probably why I was demoted back down to ensign. That and the brutal ass kicking we received that one round. But I figure if I play more tomorrow I'll bring my rank back up.

2004-05-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's 5:!5 and I haven't showered yet. I'm that awesome.

I have so much new Jpop music now thanks to PopJapan TV on the international channel. Now, just because it's called JPop doesn't mean it's call cutesy music. Orange Range is a rock band, and the Gospellers are kind of like an acapella or religious sounding group.

2004-05-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

I just woke up at like 12:30. Well, I was awake off and on before then, but I didn't get out of bed until 12:30. Why? Because there's absolutely nothing for me to do. My typical weekday consists of going to class until noon and then taking a 3 hour nap just to kill time. I really need a job. I've been applying to a couple different places, hopefully some place will call me back for an interview or something.

Or you guys could just send me massive amounts of money. I wouldn't mind that at all.

2004-05-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

So I can't sleep, and I'm hungry.

I don't understand the kiddies on DDR Freak. I mean, this one kid wants to write a research paper on DDR. Yay, great, weeee. Just because you like something (a lot) doesn't mean you should make it your entire life. In other words, don't write a research paper on it (for an 8th grade class). He's having trouble doing research because he doesn't know where to begin. He's not a college student, so it's not like he'll write some paper on the societal impact of the game, or the creation of a subculture or anything like that. No, he'll write about how his favorite song is a Captain Jack song and all the other kids call him gay because of it.

Seriously, there are plenty of other interesting topics out there that you can write about. I like DDR as well, but that doesn't mean I'm going to write a religious dissertation about how the arrows represent the four largest religions.

2004-05-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

Time to revive this mofo.

Have you guys seen the whole gmail thing by google? It's pretty freaking sweet. I hope I get invited.

If you want to invite me, my email is theragingdragon[atsign]hotmail.com

2003-04-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Gather around kids, your King is going to bequeath (if you don't know this word, you're already screwed) some knowledge upon you. So pay attention, because I'm going to teach you how to get noticed on the internet. When I say "noticed" I mean in a positive way, not like how everyone looks at the idiot of the group with extreme pity.

First and foremost, probably the most important rule is this:

Do not be stupid.

For the love of ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, do not be stupid. If you are stupid, then your chances decrease of having people notice you and not want you to die. This means typing correctly, using proper grammar, and all that. Some people can get away with it, but for the most part you look like a damn fool if you type like a retard. "But Your Holiness! I am expressing who I am by typing like a blithering idiot!" Of course you are, much like the tens of thousands of other 12 year old AOL kiddies out there. No matter what, if you seem like you're stupid, you won't be listened to.

Now, this brings up another point: for people to listen to you, you have to say something. Not surprisingly, people look at this as an opportunity to tell the world their life story, and share all their little secrets. While it's great that the internet allows people to be more open and not have to worry as much about stereotyping (depending on where you are), there is a BIG difference between sharing a funny story about your life and saying "WAH I NO HAVE TEH GIRLFRIEND I CRY," and then wondering why you still don't have that girlfriend. If you're going to speak, make it something that people actually want to listen to. Realize that the internet does not equal your real life, and that just because someone talks to you doesn't make them your best friend. Do this and you won't piss people off, and they might actually listen to you.

Yet another important thing that you must have if you'd like to get noticed on an internet forum is an avatar and a banner. You'll notice that the main people that get noticed all have one. Personally, I look at people's banner or avatar instead of looking at their name. It's faster and then I don't get blinded by the annoying special characters that so many people think are cute. Get a banner and an avatar, and make them good. Not necessarily good in that they took you 5 hours with your legally acquired copy of Photoshop, but good in that people like it. My "Hail the King" banner took me all of 5 minutes, and could have easily been drawn in paint by a 4 year old blind kid, and yet people loved it.

Like I mentioned, a lot of people will equate you to your banner or avatar. In order to be remembered, you have to give the crowd something that they'll remember you by. A witty line (Lox0r of Doom) a classic owning (THK! THK! THK!) or even declaring yourself King. You have to set yourself apart from the commoners of a message board, and make people realize that you're special, just like your mommy told you.

Now, you'll notice that you have to come off as at least somewhat arrogant to be noticed. It's not that everyone else is wrong, it's just that you're always right. Make sure that comes through in arguments, and don't EVER post something unless you know you're correct. People WILL call you on it, and you will get caught and ridiculed. Make sure that you present yourself as someone that cannot be phased by insults or arguments and people will (for the most part) leave you alone.

Just because you're not phased by insults doesn't necessarily mean that you can hand them out yourself. Another important thing to keep in mind is that breaking the rules isn't always the best way to get noticed. Yeah, there are a couple people that get noticed for breaking the rules and coming back 50 times, but for the most part everyone looks at them and laughs. Remember, you want to be noticed in a positive light, not like the common troll. Learn the rules of the board (this ties in to the "be smart" rule) and follow them. If the rules say don't flame, then don't flame. You can't be noticed if you're banned. However, if the rules let you do something, then feel free to do it, and incorporate the next factor: teh funney.

Without humor, you really don't have that much on the internet. And no, dead baby jokes and cliches are not humor. Trends and most stupid websites aren't humor. Humor is in the way you say things, and how you present it. The funny people get noticed because people come to the internet to relax and escape from all of the crap they have to put up with in real life. So if you present them more crap, why would they listen to you? Make them laugh, and you'll be set.

So in conclusion, being noticed really isn't that hard to do if you do it right. Not everyone will be noticed; not because they don't want to, but because they can't. There are some people out there that will never be the person that everyone looks at as a member of the 1337 group of forum members, but they can always hope. So go out and get noticed.

2002-12-16T02:55:00.000-08:00

So, it has been WAY too long since I have posted. But such is life.

I've been going to Fark a lot recently. Funny site, provides most of my links to good news stories. If you see a tag that says "Boobies" or anything that is "NSFW," stay away. It's of the naked persuasion.

Rat Bots

So, does anyone else find this incredibly freaky?

First, the rat is just too cute to have a remote controlled computer stuck to its head.

Second, it's MIND CONTROL. Do you realize the implications of this?

I honestly don't see any good that could come out of this branch of research. Yes, I do understand that attaching a mind control unit to an animal could result in the ability to control them to go in to dangerous locations where humans are unable to go, or allow us to get a "bird's eye view" of the world from an actual bird. But why not just create robots that can do the same thing? I think it's great that science tries to push the limits and create new technology, but just because you CAN create something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. You'll notice the article points out the fact that rats are very similar to humans, that's why they are used in experimentations. So, in theory, some day a similar contraption could be used for humans. Who would give up freedom for intense pleasure for following commands?

Big Brother is watching you.

(Sorry for making this post so short, it's 3 AM and I have a final tomorrow)

2002-11-08T04:46:00.000-08:00

Ok Folks I was going to Put Part II of the Animte topic but I feel like talking about something else.... and that is... Sterrotyping. ok first off I have this question. Why is their so much Hate with races? Why do people hate other races? im really curious about that... I see no reason for other races to hate each other... I really want some comments about that (NON OFFENSIVE COMMENTS! even though it will be hard to make a comment without being offensive I guess) Well anyway lets move on to Sterrotyping. Now EVERYBODY Sterrotypes. Hell Im even guilty of Sterrotyping. To tell you the truth though I think some of it goes too far.
Here is the one that Pisses me off the most:

"Black People are nothing but Stupid Ass Niggers"

Yes folks there are people who actually say the EXACT words. I seen it on message boards, I heard it from people's mouth's and hell even some blogs have the exact words. Now I am %100 Black Male. I scored a 1480 SAT score WHILE HUNG OVER, I had a pretty good GPA, I finnished tech school after high school in 4 months, and right now im in a second tier university studying Buisness with a minor in Computer Science. Now when I hear this I get really offended. Because Not ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE STUPID! Now don't get me wrong they are some dumb black people.. BUT there are some dumb white, Dumb asain, dumb hispanic and plenty other of dumb people. I remember having a debate about that on one of the message boards and this guy just brings up this article about Statistics and how that black people scored lower than whites on all these tests.. Ok im sorry I thinks Statistics is BullShit. If "Statistics" were true, hell I would be at Harvard university witha full ride scholarship and a big smile on my face while my sister would be at harvard medical school, full ride, a brownie, and a big smile. (There was a topic about Affirmative action and I had a heated debate about it and this girl bring up this "Statistic" by a harvard teacher saying that Blacks can get in with a 1050 SAT score while whites with a 1500+ SAT score were denied) Well I guess myself and my sister would be in the white group then because We are black and both of us got DENIED admission to Harvard. Well Affirmative action is another story on its own im going to go back on topic now. With this sterrotype It could be true ONLY because of this: My mother used to have a job called In-school scouting which is a program where she goes to different schools and teach the kids different things. Well one day I decided to go with my mother to one of the schools which was mostly a black school but had white teachers. When I saw the school and the classroom I was shocked. The teacher ALWAYS yelled at the kids and calling them names and even told one of them "Your going to grow up and be nothing, why don't you just drop out now and just live on the streets" (Folks I shit you not that is what that Bitch said) I told the kid not to listen to her AT ALL because she had no idea what she was talking about. That wasn't the worse part. During Gym Class the gym teacher told them they were going to play a game. Sounds pretty good right? Well The thing is that the game went like this: The kids had to line up agaisnt the wall, with their hands spread apart and their legs spread apart like they were getting searched and he made them stand there half the time. Oh thats not all folks, he even told the kids to put their hands behind their head and get on their knees as the "Second" Part of the game. (Now mind you folks the gym teacher was White and all the kids were Black). Im sorry but how can people be smart in a evironment where the teachers treat the kids like shit and the gym teacher likes to play cops all the damn time? I'm sorry but if we put white kids or asain kids in the same suitation with black teachers I bet that the results would be EXACTLY the same.

ugh this can go on forever.. its 6 in the morning and I need sleep cause my brain is mush right now. I will contiune this along with the Anime Part II tomorrow.

2002-11-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different.

This is a short story I wrote in Religion class. It was a very boring day, and I got inspired. I like it, so I figured you may too. Please do not take it without my permission.

     "Stop" the man called across the room, unsheathing his sword, dropping the scabbard to the cold, hard floor.
His long coat flowed around him like black angel's wings coming to a rest after a long flight.

     "Ah, the heroic Knight comes to slay the terrible Dragon." Slowly turning around, leaving behind the dismembered body on the altar, the two faced each other. The body, twisted and contorted was now unidentifiable due to the horrific deeds abruptly terminated. "You were always liked more by him," the Dragon spat, wiping the blood off his greasy hands. "Ironic how you're the one to fail his dying wish."

     "His wish was to protect the people, not butcher them" the Knight calmly replied.

     "It's all subject to interpretation" the Dragon countered, waving the topic away. "I assume you've come to kill me." The Butcher lifted his sword, studying it, nearly ignoring the man across the room who had interrupted his work. The blade was clean, sharp, and entered a dragon's mouth to attach to the ebony handle, carved in the shape of a dragon's body.

     "I've come to stop you. If I have to kill you, then I will." The Protector slowly started walking forward, circling to the side of the room, across from the Butcher.

     "If I must protect you from the darkness of the world like I did with the others, then so bet it" the Butcher turned to the Protector. The Dragon squared off with the Knight, and charged.

     Steel clashed upon steel as the two exchanged thrusts, parries and strikes. Sparks landed on the floor among droplets of sweat and tainted blood.

     Blades locked, Knight and Dragon engaged in a timeless test of strength. Teeth gritted, each stared into the other's eyes, staring the opposite man down.

     "He always was a fool for putting faith in you" the Dragon spoke through clenched teeth.

     The Knight simply replied by launching himself backwards, disengaging the blades, only to lunge forward again.

     The blades became a blur, ringing out in the dank silence of the chamber. The Butcher raised his sword up, slashing down towards the Protector's neck. Deflecting the blow, the Knight spun and drove his sword in to the belly of the beast. The Dragon gasped, startled as blood flowed over the Protector's blade.

     "...Father...would be proud of you..." the Dragon remarked as the Knight slowly withdrew his sword. "...I...love you...." he added as he crumpled to the cold cement floor.

     "...I love you too, brother." The Protector, the Knight, slowly walked out of the room, never turning back.

2002-10-29T01:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been awhile since the last update, I've been busy with all sorts of things. Parents came, doing stuff on the forums of DDRFreak.com...but now I have something to talk about.

That would be the new rating system for European games.

Can someone please explain to me just what the hell is going on?

So supposedly, in an effort to combat violent, mature games, Europe is going to have two things on each box. One will be an age indicator that will show various ages (7+, 12+, 16+, 18+) and will also have these...things on it to explain exactly what is in the game. Let's take a look at each of these seperately.

Violence: An exploding fist. Looks like they're cracking down on Iron Man.

Sex: ...WHAT? As if kids today aren't confused enough about what sex is, they have to go and have this. I can see it now.
Mom: "Son, this game has...two sets of feet...what does that mean?"
Son: "Uh...that you use your feet in the game?"
Mom: "Oh, sounds fine to me."

Drugs: Should be drawn a little more childish. Or they should have a couple pills next to some M&M's.

Fear: Spiderman is SCREWED.

Discrimination: I can't say this enough. SHORT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE PICKED ON.

Bad Language: Dude looks like he's spitting out snakes or something.

So this is what Europe is going to eventually unleash upon their continent. And this brings me to another good point. How much do parents actually look at these when they buy a game for their kid? HARDLY EVER. I''ve seen kids go in to a game store with their mom and walk out with GTA3 and the mom didn't even ask if it was bad. Didn't look at the game or anything. Kid picked up the game, gave it to mommy, mommy paid. I'm sure some of those moms later saw what was really on the game and flipped out that a store would sell the game to the kid. GUESS WHAT? It wasn't the store's fault lady. The warning is there, YOU didn't look at it. I watched a TV special about violence in sports games. They had two parents watch their little kids play NFL Blitz. Both parents said "I never would have guessed it was this violent!" Then when shown the warning labels on the games, the dad said "...uh...I never looked at those, they sure are small and out of the way." The mom actually ADMITTED to never even looking. Are the labels placed out of the way? Yes, but in all honesty, what gaming company would want them to be smack dab in the middle of the box? All the other information is placed at the bottom on the back, why shouldn't the label explaining what's in it be back there? And there IS a label on the front in the corner as well. If you look at it while paying any bit of attention you'll see it. And shouldn't parents be involved with what their child is doing? If a kid says they want Grand Theft Auto 3, how about going online and looking up information for it? You'll quickly find people talking about blowing off other people's heads, and it will be a tip that MAYBE you shouldn't buy this for your kid. Just a thought.

So in the end, these people really need to learn how to be more involved with what's going on in their kid's life. Also, no one should expect everyone else to do the work for them. The warning label is there, spend an extra 5 seconds looking for it.

2002-10-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

Bandwagon Hopping

Hey, I had to hop on to SOME bandwagon.

Is my Blog HOT or NOT?

Go vote you punks.

2002-10-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

The Dreaded Relationship

Some of my friends are just awesome. Here's some comments that Xhad (pronounced Chad, not "X-had") and Niq (Nick) had to say about relationships. My comments are thrown in at the end. I didn't realize at first just how similar my comments were to Niq's =D

Xhad:

I was thinking just today, despite all the bitching done by both genders regarding heterosexual relations, it has occurred to me that both genders think they have the other's problem.

To lead into this: Name one nice guy who can't get a girlfriend.

Besides yourself.

Having trouble?

I know I am.

Nearly every guy I know is either could possibly (maybe even PROBABLY) get a girlfriend if they were trying...or else they're not nice guys. More frequently, they're the types of guys who would do whatever assholish things he could in a relationship if he could feel comfortable in the fact that he could get another girlfriend...but instead, since he can't get one at all, he insists that he would be the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, if only women would love him.

Please.

On the female side of things, you have the more elegant, "Men are assholes." Now think of how many of these chicks are vulnerable, kindhearted, strong women who made an honest attempt at decent relationships and simply got screwed over.

My sample? Most of the chicks I've known with terrible relationships have all had heavy self-esteem problems. They bounce from relationship to relationship (sometimes beginning one before ending another), and then when things aren't going all right for these chicks, they come to the inescapable conclusion that men are all horrible and despicable, etc, etc, etc...

But here's the kicker.

I've thought of how many of the nice guys I know have had unfortunately bad relationships...and all of a sudden I have a few. These guys probably have a hint of desperation, or maybe naive optimism, and end up with rather problematic chicks (quite possibly from my rant just above).

Then I think of nice, attractive chicks that simply have had no romatic involvement at all...and all of a sudden I have examples there, too! Generally, these chicks have so little confidence that they simply either won't notice or won't let themselves believe that they're being hit on, so they don't date. At all. Of course, this group is also subject to the "not seeking a relationship" exception, but it's only obvious that if someone's not trying to get laid (yes, such people do exist) they're not going to.

Niq:

More people should just shut up and admit that they could try for girls who are in their league. I mean, so many people won't even make a play simply because they fear rejection. That's a lame excuse, so either you can:

a) Wait for a relationship that suits you to fall into your lap
OR
b) Go out and LOOK for one.

You don't get anywhere if you don't actively include yourself in other people's lives. So yes, start with the small talk, and build from that. I can't help anyone else out more than that, and nobody else can really get you to do anything except ask you to TRY.

Second off, communication is a key factor in everything. If you don't like a relationship, but you like the person you share it with, then communicate. There's nothing wrong with letting the object of your affection KNOW about your interest, irregardless of their situation. Most people would take it as a compliment, so you're not really in any danger here.

Yours truly:

Many people (myself included at a younger age) say "Man, if only she would notice me. If only she would come and talk to me"

What the hell is stopping YOU?

These people that think that all they need to do is wait for the right guy/girl to come and talk to them don't realize that that guy/girl is DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. Gather your courage and go talk to them. It's better to just make the first move then to sit around for the rest of your life. I've never had a girl come up to me and say that they liked me. I've found out through their friends that they were interested, but never straight from the person. Why?

Because people don't like to be rejected. You go up, say "Hey, I like you, want to go get lunch?" She says "No, get the fuck away from me." That hurts. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you should get all depressed about it and write off dating. Good God we'd have like 1/10000000000 of the population. If she said no, then guess what? She wasn't the girl for you. *Gasp* "But, but, she's so hot/smart/sexy/witty/funny/kind/nice/whatever." If she's all of those, why'd she dump you, the "perfect guy?" And, two people can be all of those and still not be right for each other. So you keep searching for the right person.

2002-10-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

Ok folks Don't think I didn't ditch you... Part II of the "Animite" special is coming folks.. Just a lot of stuff been happening so bare with me.. Oh and I have something else to talk with you guys but its kinda conversial so I have to have a talk with Bryce before I post it.

2002-10-20T02:09:00.000-07:00

I searched around the web and found this site. I found an interesting link that led to an article written by Dave Barry.

Selling Newspapers in a Jimmy Eat World

I strongly suggest you read that article before you read the rest of my comments.

After reading this entire article, I was honestly not amazed at the comments the students made. From the average middle schooler, one wouldn't expect much when seeking academic answers. However, the problem is not completely that the newspaper is not entertaining. No, as Lynn points out it is that the children do not realize that a newspaper is not necessarily SUPPOSED to be entertaining. Younger demographics are just more interested in "Slipknot, New Found Glory, MxPx, [and] Jimmy Eat World," which aren't covered in the daily newspaper to the extent that is desired.

Now, I mentioned that I was not amazed that the children reacted the way they did. Not only because they just aren't interested in news at that age, but because in this day and age a lot of kids are given whatever they want by their parents, and aren't really expected to do anything other than enjoy life. I worked at a lower class elementary school in Denver for two weeks as part of a service project requirement of my Jesuit high school. I was told that in no way shape or form should I say anything negative, or should I act in any negative way. Now, I would agree with this because we all should be positive roll models for children, but they took it to the extreme. So much so in fact that the children would do something, the teacher would say "Please do not do that again or I will be upset" and then the kid would do it again. What would the teacher say? "I am upset, please sit down." I watched it go on for upwards of 15 minutes once. There's a difference between being negative and not being positive.

So, these children aren't expected to be anything other than entertained, so why not be upset when something doesn't entertain them? What first needs to be done is fully explain to them what a newspaper is and what it accomplishes. If you want entertainment, read Entertainment Weekly or People or something. If you want news, read the newspaper.

So now, let's take a closer look at some of these quotes and address them.

''Dave Barry I suggest that you get a life you annoying little Baby Boomer!''

Spoken like a true 12 year old. I still don't understand why little kids think they can take me on when they're 4 feet tall. I'm 6'1". And one would think that writing numerous best seller books and being a successful columnist is having a better life than this child probably has at the moment.

''Most kids don't talk about Britney Spears. If she did a nude photo shoot we would, but that won't happen for a while.''

At least he realizes that society is slowly degrading and so eventually Britney Spears will do nude photos to keep her popularity up. But until then, I guess these kids just won't pick up the newspaper, what with its "world events" and all.

''Why do young people read newspapers? Two words: not Britney Spears.

''Teenagers like to see stuff about Rob Zombie and Saleen Mustangs.''

See the point about kids expecting nothing but entertainment.

''Some things we are interested in are bands -- not boy bands, but like Slipknot, New Found Glory, MxPx, Jimmy Eat World.''

So that explains why the 20 page insert of NSync wasn't popular.

''I don't like reading about death, war and government. Write about things that we can relate to.''

I'm curious as to how in this day and age these do not relate to this child. War isn't on his doorstep, and he does have most of his life ahead of him, but we are on the verge of war with Iraq. Many will die. The government is everywhere. Newspapers are most definately writing about things that anyone can relate to.

''Make the newspaper more humorous, it is soooo boring. Talk about skateboarding, it is so huge now you don't even know.''

What is this "skateboarding" you speak of? It must be of large girth, and most likely invisible because we have not known about it before. And this further proves the point that the average kid seeks entertainment and nothing else.

''Talk about not boring stuff. Like the peace thing. It's very important, I understand that. But it's boring.''

He needs to understand that not everything has to be entertaining. Sometimes you have to suck it up and read something to further your INTELLIGENCE. Hopefully then we can better society.

'Don't use jokes that we don't understand. In your article, you said, 'a much higher percentage than the general population voted for Stalin.' Who is Stalin? Put in jokes kids understand.''

Holy shit this is stupid.

''When you talk about this stuff make it interesting. Like when we kill a terrorist, don't just say he died, say he blew up in a million pieces or something like that.''

Hmm...a possibly valid suggestion, but wouldn't you say that this could possibly detract from the deliverance of the facts? A newspaper's first intention is to educate, not entertain.

''I think that one way you could improve newspaper sales to young people, would be making the paper look more appealing? Maybe some blue and red ink?

Oooh, pretty picture. And in color too! Give me 50!

''Another thing that would sell good to kids is by typing bigger.''

Suck it up kid, you'll appreciate it later. And it's "sell well." He'd know that if he read a newspaper. Actually, with proofreaders today he probably wouldn't.

''Another suggestion is to make more comics, like Get Fuzzy. There shouldn't be these stupid comics about the guy who talks about nature, that comic sucks.''

See above points :(

''Our teacher is only making us write five paragraphs and I'm done.''

God forbid you subject yourself to more torture to further your education. Why be smart when you can talk to your friends about that girl that may or may not like you? I mean, she did look at you, right?

Through all of this, realize that I am not saying that newspapers are perfect. Yes, they do have bias in them, and yes, they do need improvement. I had an english teacher my sophomore year in high school read through one paragraph of an article and pick out all of the errors within it. It was horrendous. The point I'm trying to make is that children hardly read newspapers, and that they need to start realizing that the entire world isn't about entertainment alone. Sometime you have to do things that aren't oodles of fun so you can better yourself as a person. If you don't, you'll set yourself up for a rude awakening when you hit the real world.

2002-10-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

Quick update before I write my next commentary.

I used one commentary system for all of one day. Now I switched. This one doesn't have ads or anything, and it has smileys that you can use. The other one had customizable smileys, but alas, every time I tried to switch it it would not work. Maybe they're just messing with us =D Anyways, to use smileys, type these. [edit] Apparently the "smile," "wink," and "sad/angry" faces can be inserted with or without noses. Try it out sometime.

:-) -->
:?: -->
:+: -->
:-:;-) -->
:lol: -->
:( -->
8) -->

2002-10-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Underground trends going Mainstream

Hopefully the size thing will work the way I want it too. The title font is too big on the last post for the rest of the text, and it doesn't feel like changing. I'm also working on a new layout and whatnot. If you were awake and looked at about 4:17AM last night you probably saw some of it. In fact, I look at it right now and it still shows it. Good God this blogger thing is messed up. One would think after 7 hours it would update.

Anyways, today kiddies I'm going to talk about things that are underground going mainstream, and the trends that occur because of this gradual event.

Let's look at Dance Dance Revolution. Trendy video game from Japan that requires you to smash arrows. Yes, smash arrows (meaning you step on them corresponding to on-screen instructions). Now, I myself have been playing this game for about a year and a half now. I am not as "old school" as they get, and I definately don't think that I am. I was flown to Las Vegas as part of the moderators from DDRFreak and all the California people are much better and much more OG ("old generation" = old school) than I. Now, this brings up a couple different groups of people that exist in a trend. First, the original people that take part in anything I see as one of two different types. Either they are old school and don't care, or they are old school and are really elitist about it. I always remembered all the people in my middle school that played Magic: The Gathering (yes, for some time I was one of them) argued over who had been playing for the longer period of time. "I got the first pack of Ice Age at the local card store!" "Oh yeah? Well I was around when BETA first came out" *whispering amongst the crowd* Does it really matter that much? Those who are most respected are the Old Schoolers that don't give a damn that they're old school. They're respected for their skill and knowledge, not because they were around when the first DDR machine hit the shores or when the first pack of Magic cards was traded for crack.

On to the next group. These would be the people who aren't old school but will stop at NOTHING to get everyone to think that they are. Doesn't matter when they hopped on the trend bandwagon, they will point out to everyone that is newer than they are just how 1337 (that's "leet" or "elite") they really are. They're part of the group that gives the trend a bad name. Those who look at DDR and say "Look at those idiots jumping on that game trying to dance" might just be looking at this type of person.

Now, when it comes to making the trend more popular, you can't have everyone be incredibly good at it. Hell, you can't even settle for everyone having active brain cells. So you have the Trend Fodder. These are the people that pump quarter after quarter in to the game mostly because they suck and can't surpass a certain skill level. They'll tell everyone that has ears (and their pet dog back home) what they're doing, what their favorite song/card/pokemon is, and any new information that the person may not have heard. These are the people that you realize you can't do without if you want the trend to be popular so the business will invest more in it, but you really wish weren't around you. They also think the trend will never die, just like the 80's.

It would appear that I've painted a kind of negative picture concerning the groups of a trend. It would seem like only the original people are those who should be respected, or that aren't complete idiots/jackasses. Obviously that's not true, or the trend would not be popular because it would consist of annoying people only. The trend must also have those that are level headed and enjoy the trend for what it is. Some of them will reailze that the trend is exactly that, but will enjoy it until it's over, and maybe even after that. In DDR, these are the people that play it because it's fun, help out those that ask, and don't yell out "This is the first time I've played this song, hopefully I won't fail" before they try a song. I still don't understand why people do that. The scary thing is I've done it before. I guess it's so that people don't think we completely suck at the game. But I digress (I love that phrase). Anyways, the main group that makes the game popular is those that aren't overly excited about the game, or that are but have the maturity to be calm about it.

With the types of people involved within a trend dealt with, we can move on to the occurrences that happen within a trend. First, it is born. Someone devises something, whether it is DDR, 1337 speak (or any other funny phrase/quote/saying/method of communicating) or whatever. The few people immediately around that person, or those that have been exposed to it, find it interesting, provocative or enjoyable and begin to take part in this trend. Then it spreads, sometimes slowly and sometimes like wildfire. As it progresses, animosity begins to spread as well. For example, the original person may make a claim that they began the trend. Then someone else makes the claim that their friend started it all. Then numerous comments about people's mother are made, and the beginnings of negative attitudes towards the trend occurs.

Then, we have the Trend Fodder earlier mentioned. They make many people begin to hate the trend because of annoying new people that have no idea what the hell is going on. However, they forget that when they were first exposed to the trend, they had no idea what it was. When I first saw DDR I figured out how to play, but I sucked at it and didn't know many of the different songs, modes, difficulties, etc. So when I come across new people, I take one of two different stances. The first stance is if they realize that they don't know what's going on, but most importantly ARE WILLING TO LEARN. I will be kind and helpful. If they assume that they know everything or demand information instead of being kind and respectful, then they will get annoyance in return. This happens with mostly everyone for the obvious reason that people don't like to be mistreated. And so, more animosity is created, and more people look negatively upon the trend.

Eventually, the trend will get so big that generations of people will form. There are the old schoolers and then each generation after that was around when the newest Magic set came out or when the newest DDR version came out, or whatever. Then there are the new people. Much like middle school, there are people in each group that look down upon those below them and mistreat them. Again, giving a bad name to the trend. Then, the new people claim that it is horrible how they are treated, and promise never to mistreat someone. Then they get bombarded with annoying new people, and they join the ranks of the mistreating older generations. Remember that not everyone is like this.

Of course, the appearance of the trend to the outsider is also very important to the survival of the trend. I remember sitting at a gaming club meeting once and someone mentioned Magic: The Gathering. This gentleman (who was a little crazy...well, he was a lotta crazy) goes off on this HUGE rant about how Magic: The Gathering is this horrible, HORRIBLE game. NOT because the rules are messed up (I won't even get in to my feelings towards that in this discussion =D ), NOT because he doesn't even like the artwork. He thinks Magic is a horrible game because of two reasons. One, he has heard that some kids in New York traded Magic cards for drugs. So of COURSE everyone who plays the game must be some crackwhore, and the game must instill the desire to do drugs in you...right? Second, ONE TIME he went to his local gaming store where he had reserved a table to play games with some friends of his, and Magic players were sitting there. The manager chose not to kick out the Magic players. Instead of being annoyed with the incompetent manager for not honoring his reservation, he blames it on the Magic kiddies, who probably had no idea that they were invading his reserved space. The closed minded people of this nation/world can most definately ruin the chances of a trend spreading. One man alone cannot, but the media definately has an influence on how society looks upon things like video games, pokemon, etc.

And finally, the death of the trend. Such a sad, sad day when it dies. Well, actually it's not much of a sad day. By this time everyone has gotten so sick of it that they welcome its death, but later will be nostalgic about it and may even revive it a little bit, but never to its former glory. Except for pogs. They're coming back bigger and better some day. Just watch.

2002-10-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Media

So Katie and I were talking last night about video games, television, and movies. We discussed how many things that appear in M-rated video games are shown in PG-13 movies. We also discussed how TV and movies objectify women much more than video games do. YES, video games do present women that are the stereotypical beautiful woman. However, show me a high quality game that sold well that had a stereotypical beautiful woman that had no brain.

Take for example Tomb Raider. Yes, she is clad in short shorts and her breasts are quite large. However, Eidos also pushed her as a strong character that rebelled against the elite society that she grew up in. She is incredibly smart and knows much more about her field than most men. So not only is she beautiful, but she has CONTENT. Remember that word, I'll get back to it shortly. Then, let's look at Dead or Alive. A semi-popular game, at the moment three versions of it are out, and soon enouch a "Beach Volleyball" game will be released. The only reason that they are able to go from fighting game --> beach volleyball is because the main draw of this game is women with large breasts that bounce. Yes ladies and gentlemen, they programmed these breasts to bounce like there's no tomorrow. But tell me, do these women have any content to them? No. And that's why the game is not as popular as Tekken or Soul Caliber. The main draw for DOA is sex. The main draw for Tekken and SC is CONTENT. In games Content > Sex Appeal. You'll soon see that it's the other way around with TV.

Let's take a look at a couple examples of TV. Easily I could point out the Miss Universe/America/whatever pageants, but that would be way too easy. Beauty with no content right there. Let's take a look at MTV's Spring Break. Their main draw is showing as many scantily clad people dancing while they play mediocre (at best) music. The last time I watched it about 4 years ago they had a couple different contests that were basically "Let's see how close we can get to sex on TV." They had a guy and a girl roll up in a giant "burrito" and roll around in there, a guy and a girl get naked and switch bathing suits in a cramped phone booth...come on. Where's the CONTENT in this? And another interesting thing that TV has pulled off but they won't allow in video games is partial nudity. Most movies contain it. Take a look at Romeo Must Die. At the very beginning to women have a semi-sex scene in front of everyone at a bar. One of them shows a breast. Tell me what that has to do with the movie? What did that accomplish? It was just to get a quick rise out of viewers so they'd keep watching that trash in hopes of seeing another breast. I was disappointed with that movie. And I love Jet Li. But back to TV. A couple nights back I was flipping through channels when I got to Fox. What did I see? A naked man jumping in to a pool of water. It did only show his backside, but he was still naked on a TV channel that is shown to EVERYONE. But it's frowned upon to have people with a little less clothing on in a video game that costs $50 and is not accessable to everyone, including little kids. It's quite easy for a little kid to flip on Fox, even if they don't have cable. It's a little bit harder to drive down to the store, shell out $50 in addition to the $200 minimum for the console and then get it home, set it all up and play it to see a little bit of skin, compared to a lot of skin on TV. Last time I checked, it was easier for a six year old to flip channels then set up a video game console, let alone make enough money to buy it.

I'm also amazed at how angry parents can get when their kid gets their hands on a violent video game. Take Grand Theft Auto 3 for example. I own the game. It is violent. I have seen parents walk in and buy the game without a second look at it, hand it to their children, and walk right out of the store. Then we hear all these complaints about them not knowing about it and getting all upset about how violent it is, and their children should not be exposed to it. Last time I checked the parent was the one who was supposed to control what the child saw, not the other way around. It really isn't that hard to go on the internet and look up information about the game. Or, you could even look at the WARNING LABEL on the game. Rated M means MATURE. Is your child mature? Chances are he/she is not. And honestly, LOOK AT THE TITLE. "Hmm..Grand Theft Auto...probably another one of those 'Rescue the Princess' games."

Come on people.

2002-10-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

And so, it begins.

*disclaimer* If you are offended...I don't care. You can email me and provide your views and reasons as to why you feel that way, but flaming me will get you nowhere =D

This is related to Kevin's anime post.

I will state that if I use the word "animite" that Kevin created, it is in the most extreme sense. CHANCES ARE YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMITE SO CALM DOWN.

Anime...come on. I like it. I honestly do. But some people take it WAY too seriously. It's one thing when you take Japanese classes because you're interested in the language/culture. It's another thing when you giggle because you heard A Japanese word. It's especially bad if you have no idea what it means. Yes, the Japanese are different from us. It's called a different culture. They, like us and ANY other culture, have pros and cons. I honestly don't understand people who deify Japan as like this perfect wonderful country. They're economy is definately not doing that well at the moment. Granted, America has its own problems, but come on people, do you know how annoying it is when you hate America and love Japan just because it's different? If everyone was supposed to love who was different, I would have been the KING of middle school XD

Like I first mentioned, I honestly like anime. Hell, the Spike part of my name is from Spike Spiegel of Cowboy Bebop. However, I realize that there is good anime, and there is shit anime. Animites do not see this difference. I've watched anime at a convention and thought "Whoever wrote that needs to be beaten" and walked out in front of people who were saying how wonderful it is. Yes, people have different opinions. Just because someone says something is good, however, doesn't mean it ACTUALLY IS. I'm sure a couple have said that murder is wonderful. Does that mean it actually is? No. Give me a couple reasons as to why you think something is good and I'll consider it. But I honestly don't see how a true fan that comprehends what they are watching can love EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of something. That my friends, is what a fanboy is, and we all know that fanboys don't really think.

I would agree with Kevin that the maturity level of most Animites is INCREDIBLY low. Much like fanboys, they don't really think about what's going on, and so they go off of the more basic functions of a human being. Since they do not use advanced functions, they are naturally less mature. I was there when this whole Cartoon Network thing happened, and it was simply amazing. No one knows EVERYTHING about a topic, much like one cannot like everything about it. So stop acting like you do. It just adds to the general immaturity that you have.

Kevin will later get in to what the Japanese think towards Animites. The only thing I can say is: it is CLEAR that they look down upon it. I've been through 11 countries in Europe, and I can honestly tell you that I laugh at people who try way too hard to be American. I went to an "American" restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland. The burrito I had was grilled like a hamburger. The waittress came over and tried to give us her best American accent and butchered it so much we could hardly understand her. I could not feel any more embarrassed for her. Ever seen those pictures of Japanese people with English shirts? There's one of a girl that has a shirt saying something along the lines of "I want to die" (or some negative comment) and has a rainbow on it. She has no idea what it says. Everyone in America laughs at it. So why would the Japanese not look at Americans who try too damn hard to be Japanese (and fail miserably)?

Anyways, that's about all I've got right now on anime.

2002-10-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

Yo yo yo This is Kevin AKA Grandmaster Tate and im going to just post my Anime Topic on here and Part 2 as well instead of my original blog so here we go!!!

Ok before I go into the Anime Topic Read this:...
1. WE AM NOT GOING TO POINT ANYONE OUT!!!!! So don't get all worried that we are because we are not.. if we are its usually a good thing because we are using you as a model on how this should be
2. we will apoligize for anyone we offend BUT Im warning you NOW.... THIS IS OUR BLOG AND WE ARE GOING TO WRITE WHATEVER THE HELL WE WANT SO IF YOU DON"T WANT TO CHANCE THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING OFFENDED THEN STOP READING!!!!!

Ok now on to our topic...
Anime Fans: Are They too addicted and going overboard???

Ok first off to all of you that doesn't know Anime is Its basically in a general sense Jappense Cartoons. The reason why they are so popular with americans is because of the unique way they draw them and also im going to say about %80 of them are actually watchable to an older crowd. Now Im not saying that ALL anime fans are too addicted and going overboard BUT There are a few that are... and to tell you the truth im only seeing it in this State (Colorado if you people don't know where im from) I been to New Mexico recently and met some Anime Fans and They are NOTHING what Im going to talk about NOTHING at all. Now there isn't anything wrong about watching anime. Hell im a anime fan myself and I enjoy all sorts of them from Dragonball (Even though each epsiode they just seem like they are powering up and everytime they are done the show is over) to Ranma 1/2 (FUNNY ASS ANIME!!!) To Cowboy Beebop (I still need to finnish that) and there is a lot of people out there who is just like me (Well or similar) But there is a select few out there who kinda take it too far... They are like the Trekkies of Anime... im going to call them.... Animites....

Now There is a couple things that makes the Animites different from any other anime lover.. im just going to list a couple of them...

1. Their Mature Levels

Ok This is what Annoys the HELL out of me the most about Animites... let me give you an example....

Your in the mall one day, then all of a sudden you see a guy just totally being immature jumping up and down saying random things and just being well.. immature... you go up to the guy wondering how old he is and he tells you he is 29.... 29??!?!??!!?!

Well you see these Animites seem to have an attitude of 11 year olds about %90 of the time... Now... its cool that they like anime but For god's sake PLEASE Act your age!!! you are way too damn old to be acting stupid and immature....

2. Thinking they know more about Japan and think they know more about the language and culture than you...

Now I have a story to follow up on this...It was about two days after my trip to Japan I decided to go to the mall and go to this anime store.. well The guys who worked there was talking about how one of their friends that just came back from Japan about two weeks ago saw the simpsons in Jappense Well I was like "Yeah I saw that They also have Cartoon Network there which is a hell of a lot better than the cartoon network here" (NOTE: Folks, Cartoon Network Japan is like this... They have Cartoon Cartoon, TIny Toon Adventures, Ninja Turtles, YES FOLKS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!!!!!!!!!, and A LOT of Anime and Most of it is in ENGLISH) Well anyway back to the story after I said that they gave me a dirty look and said "There is no Cartoon Network in Japan" Ok after one of them said that I was like "How the hell does he know?" well anyway I responded "Um yes there is" and the other guy was like "Our friend just got back there and he said there wasn't any cartoon network" and I was like "I just got back THREE DAYS AGO FROM JAPAN and My sister Had Cartoon Network" and it was a 45 minute debate on whether or not there was a Jappense Cartoon Network until I rememberd their website and I told them to go on there and sure enough they did have it..... Geez Just because you watch more anime than me doesn't mean you Know more about Japan than me... geez some people... Or and another thing.... A lot of these Animites since they watch a lot of anime like to use the word Kawaii (I think I spelled that wrong but it means cute in Jappense) and Otaku (I think I spelled that wrong too but that means nerd in Jappense) They like to use these words.... A LOT.. Now this doesn't annoy me but any of you Animites out there reading this please PLEASE listen to what im about to say...... if you make it to Japan, DO NOT I repeat DO NOT Use the word OTAKU while you are there.. The Jappense consider that EXTREMELY offensive!!! They are not fond of foregienrs AT ALL and don't make your stay even worse by saying that word!!!!! Well folks its 2 in the morning and i have a test in 6 hours so I should get to bed...

Coming Soon in my Next Entry: Part 2 of: Anime Fans... are they too addicted and going overboard (I will finnish off the list and Present to you the what the Jappense Feel about the Animites (Yes I did ask a few of them while I was in Japan about it) )

Edit: Shit my spelling sucks

2002-10-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

I originally had a much wittier, thought out post introducing this. Blogger.com ate it ;_;

So anyways, my friend Kevin and I are going to post on here, and I'll probably post on his. Whatever happens.