"That's a nice language you have there. Thanks, it's Math."
So, for the last Friday of the holidays, it was surprisingly quiet. Though, it looks like I'm now going swimming every Thursday night. Lessons. Not sure whether to be happy or irked, but that's how it is. Change the attitude...
Anyway, I don't have much to say, except that I hate it when people tell me so and so is absolutely useless. There is always a use for something, and if you don't have a use for it, someone else will. I guess it's the rationale behind meet and swap, but it applies to anything. How this relates to anything? Because I'm sick of people telling me my deck ideas are crap (when, they're built around cards that are interesting, but not optimal), when they're not brave enough to try building a deck around it themselves.
Also, I need to buy new earphones. Again. Whatever. I'll get them during sport or something. Maybe a quick dash to Stocklands and back on Wednesday, depending on my sport.
Hoping that we're all here when school comes round.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Yay for Kleenex."
"Abrasive. Huh."
Anyway, I have this little Kleenex puppy stuffie, and it's really cute and I love it. It's also in winter-garb with a scarf and mufflers. It's really cool. It's not teddy bear, and palm-sized, but it's good enough. So, yes, Kleenex all the way. I don't know how we got it, but we have it, and I've staked my claim on it. Rawr.
Other than that...The internet is full of assholes, and people who can't read.
The End.
Hoping... Well. School's around the corner. So I hope it rains. Also, I made 2c in 2 days. Yay. And that's, 1 1/2 articles on each day. It'll probably need some time, I'm thinking of writing MTG-unrelated articles and seeing where that gets me.
Anyway, I have this little Kleenex puppy stuffie, and it's really cute and I love it. It's also in winter-garb with a scarf and mufflers. It's really cool. It's not teddy bear, and palm-sized, but it's good enough. So, yes, Kleenex all the way. I don't know how we got it, but we have it, and I've staked my claim on it. Rawr.
Other than that...The internet is full of assholes, and people who can't read.
The End.
Hoping... Well. School's around the corner. So I hope it rains. Also, I made 2c in 2 days. Yay. And that's, 1 1/2 articles on each day. It'll probably need some time, I'm thinking of writing MTG-unrelated articles and seeing where that gets me.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Something I found, which is reasonably interesting.
"If you can't change your fate, change your attitude."
And here is that something I promised:
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/manifesto/index.shtml
If you don't have the time, or you want to read this instead, then sure I'll elaborate.
What that site is about is math. Almost everything you can think of about math, and then the more interesting parts of it. It's difficult to understand some of it, but point that it's trying to get across is that math may be difficult. Math may not be needed 10 or 20 years down the road. But, "Judging Mathematics by its pragmatic value is like judging symphony by the weight of its score. " Additionally, you're not going to need History later, or maybe even English (Who needs to write an essay on literature when they have a family and other considerations? Assuming you're not an English Teacher by then).
Anyway, something to think about.
As another aside, I was looking at something I typed up in Year 7, and realised that it said that my favourite colors were blue/red. Long stretch from the duality of black/white now, huh?
Other than that, there's not too much going on, except writing up a few more articles. Maybe I'll look around for some nice inspiration. Like..online.
Hoping...school won't be too boring. (Some parts, anyway.)
And here is that something I promised:
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/manifesto/index.shtml
If you don't have the time, or you want to read this instead, then sure I'll elaborate.
What that site is about is math. Almost everything you can think of about math, and then the more interesting parts of it. It's difficult to understand some of it, but point that it's trying to get across is that math may be difficult. Math may not be needed 10 or 20 years down the road. But, "Judging Mathematics by its pragmatic value is like judging symphony by the weight of its score. " Additionally, you're not going to need History later, or maybe even English (Who needs to write an essay on literature when they have a family and other considerations? Assuming you're not an English Teacher by then).
Anyway, something to think about.
As another aside, I was looking at something I typed up in Year 7, and realised that it said that my favourite colors were blue/red. Long stretch from the duality of black/white now, huh?
Other than that, there's not too much going on, except writing up a few more articles. Maybe I'll look around for some nice inspiration. Like..online.
Hoping...school won't be too boring. (Some parts, anyway.)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Double, or 1.5x posting.
"Because I forgot something..."
Now, because those other two before me haven't been so verbose and such about the great day out, which is better than Big Day Out, on account for the fact that it's smaller, and nicer, and well, just more relaxed and interesting. It's like a teddy bear picnic, but better. And we're NOT going into the woods (yesterday). =D
Okay, so I wake up at 9:45, realise that I'm probably going to be late, because I sorta slept in, get up, eat breakfast and such, and then travel there by car.
I get there, and am the last one to arrive (No surprise), but it's ok. They were waiting for the ice to be frozen/glazed over again anyway. Anyway, some talking in a nice bar-ish corner, overlooking the ice rink, and a few things are noticed.
1. The guy doing the rounds with his ice thing, (Y'now, Zombonis? Yea.) wasn't actually doing rounds. In the middle of it, he just cut through the ice and made a big line.
2. He's wearing something that looks like a suit.
3. He can drift with that thing. Seriously, he made almost 90 degree corners at some stages.
Anyway, after he finishes, we go down to the ice rink, debating about whether to use the lift or not, but then we just go via the carpark ramp. Not sure why, but it works, I guess. We end up losing Kram, but Kael calls him on Harvard's (?) phone only to have Kram arrive in a blaze of...glory, in the lift, and with an ice cream in one hand, phone in other.
Kram: What? I went to get an ice cream, come back, and you're all gone, as expected. (Yea, I'm not the best quoter. But you get the gist of it.)
Then, we go in, after me having a look at the nice crane machine right outside with loads of stuffed toys.
Me: $18 for under 16s? Alright!
Harvard: I'm 16 and I'm not doing anything with it. (Something like that.)
So we go to get our skates and then put them on.
(HA stubs her toe on the chair while trying to get her skates on, causing me to laugh.)
HA: It's not funny =.=
Me: Yes, it is (Haha.), you stubbed your toe on a chair. (Haha.)
HA: I did not stub my toe =.= (Cracks a small smile)
After that, it's just your average game of tip, with lots of people at the boundary, Renee sorta learning how to skate, Nara who I suspect will be reading this... Q.E.D. She's Dandelion~ (I think.), teaching Kael and Renee how to skate in...well, one of the more intuitive ways, but not quite the way I'd go about it. Still, I'm glad I didn't have to teach =/ As for stopping, you seriously just go around in circles, until you learn how to twist your hips or something weird. I don't get it either, dw.
HA: We've talked about Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Eco, Biology, History, Geography...Er, Oh look, there's a variable woodland (Points outside to the foliage.)
Me: (Mishearing because of the loud music, louder than I normally play on my mp3 player, when I have it.) Variable wiblam? Wha...?
HA: Variable woodland!
Me: Wiblam? Huh?
HA: WOODLAND!
Me: Oh. That doesn't look anything like a woodland! For starters, there's palm trees!
HA: That's why I said Variable.
Me: But it's still not a woodland, even if there is a "variable".
Playing tip, IcedTrees tips me, and I try chasing after Mark, who, in his attempt to do something really funky, ends up slipping. Twice. I'm laughing too hard to try chasing him, so I go after someone else. Really funky being spinning round a lot, and then flapping his arms. =D
(Announcement for limbo plays, El Macarena, or however you spell it starts playing.)
Me to HA: I'll bet someone's going to fall over trying to dance to it.
(Few moments later, JM slips and lands on his behind for going onto the third time that day.)
Me: Ha! See? There you go.
(Lining up for limbo. Well, sort of.)
Nara: Why would they wear short shorts? (Points to several girls.) Doesn't it get cold?
HA: Yea, what if they slip?
Me: Well, obviously they want boys to see their sexy, sexy legs. (Rolls eyes.)
(Met with questioning stares.)
Me: What? Besides I only wear long pants.
Nara: That's ok, you're a guy. What would you know about wearing shorts?
Me: I should be asking you that question! What do you know about wearing short shorts?
Nara: HA doesn't wear short shorts.
Me: You don't? Huh. But you wore heels to the formal!
HA: That's different, it's a social convention.
Me: What I don't get is why they wear knee-high socks, and short shorts at the same time.
Oh, and Kael. It doesn't really matter how much you lift up your feet, it just gets tiring if you lift it up too much, I suppose.
Me: (Laughing yet again from another poor suc- I mean, poor person who fell over. Yet again.)
HA: It's not that funny!
Me: Well, considering there's a show dedicated to people falling over, I think it IS pretty funny.
HA: I don't watch it. And I'm sure the audience there is forced to laugh.
*A little later*
Me: (Laughing yet again.)
HA: What's so funny? =.= Oh hey look, a pothole. I'm going to laugh now.
*Some time later*
HA: (Laughs.)
Me: Huh? (Looks down.) Oh, it's a pothole. (Haha.) (I didn't think you were serious when you said that.)
I think that's about it for on the ice rink... Oh...
I knew I forgot something, addition:
Nara: (Skates up to us.) People keep falling. I'm not going to teach anymore, it makes me feel bad.(I don't quite think that's what she said, but it's sorta ok.)
Me: Yes, my life is complete!
Nara: No, it's bad!
Me: Yes, my life is complete!
Harvard: How do you stop?
Me: You kinda...just wait. Sorta.
Nara: You spin around for a bit.
Harvard: I know! (Starts flapping his arms backwards.) If you flap your arms backwards like this, you slow down!
Me: (Rolls eyes.) Yea, I'm sure.
Harvard: No really! Try it.
HA: He's right y'now.
Me: Air isn't liquid =.=
HA: Yea, but it's like swimming, when you do tumbleturns and you flap your arms, like this (Demonstrates a little.)
*Later*
Me: Do you think she could drill to the centre of the Earth if she kept spinning? (Motions towards a girl practicing.)
HA: Gravity would slow her before she got there. And she'd need to get through the crust.
Me: Gravity doesn't stop centrifugal force. Much. But seriously, look, there's a drill like impression.
HA: Well, when you go swimming, if you spin your arms around, you can feel the centrifugal force in your fingers. Just don't try it here.
Me: (Tries it anyway, almost slips over.) (Laughing.)
HA: (Laughing.) I see reverse psychology works well on you.
Anyway, I'm proud to have not fallen over once. Tripped, slipped, sure. But not fallen. =)
The session calls for a close, we take a group photo, then file out.
Me: (Reads) Please do not sit or loiter here. (The board for measuring your feet.) Yea, they really want to measure the foot size of their butt.
HA: Butts have feet now?
Outside, there's the game, which I try, but surprise (ok, not really.), it slips. $2 for one try was ok, though, despite not getting anything. Oh well.
Andy: (Tries the coin return, and is met with a few questioning glances.) What? I've gotten $5 that way before.
Goes to eat, Kael looking a tad unhappy at our indecisiveness..We're now upstairs where the cinemas are and where there are "restaurants"
Kael: What are we looking for?
Me: Uh...food?
Kael: Food was downstairs! (Stomps off with exasperated mumbling to the escalator.)
So, yea we eventually find a spot for all 11 of us, and sit down. I go off to find some nice food, come back with some Thai, and sit down to eat. Kram gets bento from the aptly named "Ken's Bento"
Kram: It's pickled ginger. No, that's plastic.
There's not really much of note for lunch, but my meal was pretty good. A tad expensive at $8.90 but you can't have it all.
(JM is wandering around deciding what to eat.)
HA: See! It's is a woodland! You just can't see anything else but the palm trees.
Me: What? Oh, come on. Look, there's...ok, there's ferns. Fine. But it's not a woodland.
Nara: What.
Me: Oh, something we were talking about during ice skating.
Nara: Like short shorts and knee high socks?
Renee (I think): There's green thigh high socks with stripes...
HA: Weren't we talking about short shorts, knee high socks and high heels?
Nara: (Says something I forgot.)
Me: You wear knee high socks and heels? Huh?
Nara: No! What I mean is...
Kram: Alright, when JM gets here, we leave. (Impish grin.)
Me: Well...
Kram: C'mon, I bet that by the time he finishes choosing, we'll all be finished eating.
(JM comes into view)
Me: Nah, he's here already.
Kram: Drats.
And yea, thanks for the cupcake I didn't eat, and the pen. I tried the pen when I got home, and it didn't work, but I figured it was sorta dry or something. Now it works. So, uh, thanks.
Off we go to Borders, for some inexplicable reason, other than me suggesting it, because there was nothing better. It ends with us in Borders, having a look around at really funny things, Twilight calendars, and pocket bacon calendars. Not to mention lots of manga, and a book about sex. In the bargain bin. Somehow.
Me: (Picks it up.) Huh? Oh. (Puts it down.)
Kram: I'm sure you'll need that soon.
Me: What? No.
Kram: Oh, come on. You do.
Oh, and there was a really cool pop-up book about the history of imperial China. No jokes, go ask Kram, he showed it to me.
HA: No, I don't want these books (Pocket Shakespeare).
Me: How come? You might need them...
HA: I don't want to spend money on myself!
Me: =.=
For the record, you're the only person I've heard say that. So, yes. =.=
Pretty much, that was the outing, in a very verbose, and from my point of view. Of course, a lot of it was funnier at the time, but still, it's pretty funny. Knee high socks and heels =D
Oh, and shock-absorbing. Which I won't elaborate on, but it's still pretty funny. =P
I don't think I've missed anything but..
Hoping I didn't. It would be sorta embarrassing to have to type up little bits I did miss. Oh, and did you win that chocolate bar Renee, or pull it out of...wherever? Oh, and for the second or third time, Happy Late Birthday Renee.
As an aside, I'm aiming to reel in $0.50 every month from Triond.com. As it is, I'm getting maybe, $0.50 every two months. So, time to crank out the articles and stories, I suppose. All for money! Goals: (Per month)
1. $0.50
2. $1.00
3. $1.50
That is all for now.
Now, because those other two before me haven't been so verbose and such about the great day out, which is better than Big Day Out, on account for the fact that it's smaller, and nicer, and well, just more relaxed and interesting. It's like a teddy bear picnic, but better. And we're NOT going into the woods (yesterday). =D
Okay, so I wake up at 9:45, realise that I'm probably going to be late, because I sorta slept in, get up, eat breakfast and such, and then travel there by car.
I get there, and am the last one to arrive (No surprise), but it's ok. They were waiting for the ice to be frozen/glazed over again anyway. Anyway, some talking in a nice bar-ish corner, overlooking the ice rink, and a few things are noticed.
1. The guy doing the rounds with his ice thing, (Y'now, Zombonis? Yea.) wasn't actually doing rounds. In the middle of it, he just cut through the ice and made a big line.
2. He's wearing something that looks like a suit.
3. He can drift with that thing. Seriously, he made almost 90 degree corners at some stages.
Anyway, after he finishes, we go down to the ice rink, debating about whether to use the lift or not, but then we just go via the carpark ramp. Not sure why, but it works, I guess. We end up losing Kram, but Kael calls him on Harvard's (?) phone only to have Kram arrive in a blaze of...glory, in the lift, and with an ice cream in one hand, phone in other.
Kram: What? I went to get an ice cream, come back, and you're all gone, as expected. (Yea, I'm not the best quoter. But you get the gist of it.)
Then, we go in, after me having a look at the nice crane machine right outside with loads of stuffed toys.
Me: $18 for under 16s? Alright!
Harvard: I'm 16 and I'm not doing anything with it. (Something like that.)
So we go to get our skates and then put them on.
(HA stubs her toe on the chair while trying to get her skates on, causing me to laugh.)
HA: It's not funny =.=
Me: Yes, it is (Haha.), you stubbed your toe on a chair. (Haha.)
HA: I did not stub my toe =.= (Cracks a small smile)
After that, it's just your average game of tip, with lots of people at the boundary, Renee sorta learning how to skate, Nara who I suspect will be reading this... Q.E.D. She's Dandelion~ (I think.), teaching Kael and Renee how to skate in...well, one of the more intuitive ways, but not quite the way I'd go about it. Still, I'm glad I didn't have to teach =/ As for stopping, you seriously just go around in circles, until you learn how to twist your hips or something weird. I don't get it either, dw.
HA: We've talked about Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Eco, Biology, History, Geography...Er, Oh look, there's a variable woodland (Points outside to the foliage.)
Me: (Mishearing because of the loud music, louder than I normally play on my mp3 player, when I have it.) Variable wiblam? Wha...?
HA: Variable woodland!
Me: Wiblam? Huh?
HA: WOODLAND!
Me: Oh. That doesn't look anything like a woodland! For starters, there's palm trees!
HA: That's why I said Variable.
Me: But it's still not a woodland, even if there is a "variable".
Playing tip, IcedTrees tips me, and I try chasing after Mark, who, in his attempt to do something really funky, ends up slipping. Twice. I'm laughing too hard to try chasing him, so I go after someone else. Really funky being spinning round a lot, and then flapping his arms. =D
(Announcement for limbo plays, El Macarena, or however you spell it starts playing.)
Me to HA: I'll bet someone's going to fall over trying to dance to it.
(Few moments later, JM slips and lands on his behind for going onto the third time that day.)
Me: Ha! See? There you go.
(Lining up for limbo. Well, sort of.)
Nara: Why would they wear short shorts? (Points to several girls.) Doesn't it get cold?
HA: Yea, what if they slip?
Me: Well, obviously they want boys to see their sexy, sexy legs. (Rolls eyes.)
(Met with questioning stares.)
Me: What? Besides I only wear long pants.
Nara: That's ok, you're a guy. What would you know about wearing shorts?
Me: I should be asking you that question! What do you know about wearing short shorts?
Nara: HA doesn't wear short shorts.
Me: You don't? Huh. But you wore heels to the formal!
HA: That's different, it's a social convention.
Me: What I don't get is why they wear knee-high socks, and short shorts at the same time.
Oh, and Kael. It doesn't really matter how much you lift up your feet, it just gets tiring if you lift it up too much, I suppose.
Me: (Laughing yet again from another poor suc- I mean, poor person who fell over. Yet again.)
HA: It's not that funny!
Me: Well, considering there's a show dedicated to people falling over, I think it IS pretty funny.
HA: I don't watch it. And I'm sure the audience there is forced to laugh.
*A little later*
Me: (Laughing yet again.)
HA: What's so funny? =.= Oh hey look, a pothole. I'm going to laugh now.
*Some time later*
HA: (Laughs.)
Me: Huh? (Looks down.) Oh, it's a pothole. (Haha.) (I didn't think you were serious when you said that.)
I think that's about it for on the ice rink... Oh...
I knew I forgot something, addition:
Nara: (Skates up to us.) People keep falling. I'm not going to teach anymore, it makes me feel bad.(I don't quite think that's what she said, but it's sorta ok.)
Me: Yes, my life is complete!
Nara: No, it's bad!
Me: Yes, my life is complete!
Harvard: How do you stop?
Me: You kinda...just wait. Sorta.
Nara: You spin around for a bit.
Harvard: I know! (Starts flapping his arms backwards.) If you flap your arms backwards like this, you slow down!
Me: (Rolls eyes.) Yea, I'm sure.
Harvard: No really! Try it.
HA: He's right y'now.
Me: Air isn't liquid =.=
HA: Yea, but it's like swimming, when you do tumbleturns and you flap your arms, like this (Demonstrates a little.)
*Later*
Me: Do you think she could drill to the centre of the Earth if she kept spinning? (Motions towards a girl practicing.)
HA: Gravity would slow her before she got there. And she'd need to get through the crust.
Me: Gravity doesn't stop centrifugal force. Much. But seriously, look, there's a drill like impression.
HA: Well, when you go swimming, if you spin your arms around, you can feel the centrifugal force in your fingers. Just don't try it here.
Me: (Tries it anyway, almost slips over.) (Laughing.)
HA: (Laughing.) I see reverse psychology works well on you.
Anyway, I'm proud to have not fallen over once. Tripped, slipped, sure. But not fallen. =)
The session calls for a close, we take a group photo, then file out.
Me: (Reads) Please do not sit or loiter here. (The board for measuring your feet.) Yea, they really want to measure the foot size of their butt.
HA: Butts have feet now?
Outside, there's the game, which I try, but surprise (ok, not really.), it slips. $2 for one try was ok, though, despite not getting anything. Oh well.
Andy: (Tries the coin return, and is met with a few questioning glances.) What? I've gotten $5 that way before.
Goes to eat, Kael looking a tad unhappy at our indecisiveness..We're now upstairs where the cinemas are and where there are "restaurants"
Kael: What are we looking for?
Me: Uh...food?
Kael: Food was downstairs! (Stomps off with exasperated mumbling to the escalator.)
So, yea we eventually find a spot for all 11 of us, and sit down. I go off to find some nice food, come back with some Thai, and sit down to eat. Kram gets bento from the aptly named "Ken's Bento"
Kram: It's pickled ginger. No, that's plastic.
There's not really much of note for lunch, but my meal was pretty good. A tad expensive at $8.90 but you can't have it all.
(JM is wandering around deciding what to eat.)
HA: See! It's is a woodland! You just can't see anything else but the palm trees.
Me: What? Oh, come on. Look, there's...ok, there's ferns. Fine. But it's not a woodland.
Nara: What.
Me: Oh, something we were talking about during ice skating.
Nara: Like short shorts and knee high socks?
Renee (I think): There's green thigh high socks with stripes...
HA: Weren't we talking about short shorts, knee high socks and high heels?
Nara: (Says something I forgot.)
Me: You wear knee high socks and heels? Huh?
Nara: No! What I mean is...
Kram: Alright, when JM gets here, we leave. (Impish grin.)
Me: Well...
Kram: C'mon, I bet that by the time he finishes choosing, we'll all be finished eating.
(JM comes into view)
Me: Nah, he's here already.
Kram: Drats.
And yea, thanks for the cupcake I didn't eat, and the pen. I tried the pen when I got home, and it didn't work, but I figured it was sorta dry or something. Now it works. So, uh, thanks.
Off we go to Borders, for some inexplicable reason, other than me suggesting it, because there was nothing better. It ends with us in Borders, having a look around at really funny things, Twilight calendars, and pocket bacon calendars. Not to mention lots of manga, and a book about sex. In the bargain bin. Somehow.
Me: (Picks it up.) Huh? Oh. (Puts it down.)
Kram: I'm sure you'll need that soon.
Me: What? No.
Kram: Oh, come on. You do.
Oh, and there was a really cool pop-up book about the history of imperial China. No jokes, go ask Kram, he showed it to me.
HA: No, I don't want these books (Pocket Shakespeare).
Me: How come? You might need them...
HA: I don't want to spend money on myself!
Me: =.=
For the record, you're the only person I've heard say that. So, yes. =.=
Pretty much, that was the outing, in a very verbose, and from my point of view. Of course, a lot of it was funnier at the time, but still, it's pretty funny. Knee high socks and heels =D
Oh, and shock-absorbing. Which I won't elaborate on, but it's still pretty funny. =P
I don't think I've missed anything but..
Hoping I didn't. It would be sorta embarrassing to have to type up little bits I did miss. Oh, and did you win that chocolate bar Renee, or pull it out of...wherever? Oh, and for the second or third time, Happy Late Birthday Renee.
As an aside, I'm aiming to reel in $0.50 every month from Triond.com. As it is, I'm getting maybe, $0.50 every two months. So, time to crank out the articles and stories, I suppose. All for money! Goals: (Per month)
1. $0.50
2. $1.00
3. $1.50
That is all for now.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I have quite a few ideas...
"So I think I'll share a few."
1. (Borrowed with every intention of somehow returning, from Ben Bleiweiss, MTG player, and former Building On A Budget column writer.)
http://www.wizards.com/magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/bb171
"First you make the peanuts.
Then you make the peanut butter!"
What does this mean? Even for people who don't care one iota about the game, it means, that you need a raw product to have a refined product. In this case, it's a synergistic 2 card combo which leads to much fun, and interest. How does this relate to anything? Besides the obvious "If you have A, then you can make B", it shows that nothing is useless, after you get past the first glance, and that it's like putting a puzzle together. At the time the article was written, not many people would have been playing around with an idea like that. Sometimes, it takes some insight later, to combine two things together into a coherent object.
2. My posts are probably going to be more MTG centered, just because it provides a point of interest for me, and really...well, it's fun. To me, that is. I don't know if it's fun for you, but I'll try. (To make it fun for you. Somehow.) While that doesn't mean that I'm going to be shoehorning "PLAY THIS GAME OR ELSE", it might be something for consideration on a rainy day.
3. Taking the ideas from Kael's blog, and we have, a discussion on gaming. I suppose there's a fine line between "reasonable" gaming, and "addicted". Games such as Runescape + any other MMO you can think of probably falls in the category of the latter. While, I can see that there may be some stretched, small benefit from such time wasters, mostly, it's just a massive time sink for little benefit. You don't make new friends, you learn about security the hard way, and you have to waste money just to get the "good stuffs". However, a game such as DoTA, SC, MTG, for example, have their benefits and downsides. Of course, educational games are faster at making concepts come to life, but the mathematics behind the first 3 are astounding. More on that in a second. I just realised that I missed out a whole day on Kingdom of Loathing, for ascending, but then, I'm trying to prioritise, so, I don't have "credit" at the moment, because I spent all of today socializing and playing games. A system which is self-imposed, for every 2 hours of work, is 1 hour's credit for games and what have you. Now, this is going on several tangents, but I'm enjoying writing about this, so who cares. What I've learned from this is, that optimal is not always optimal. To rephrase, what's optimal to keep a game humming is not optimal in the overall scheme of things. I don't have enough time today or tomorrow morning to be able to do what I need to do, so I'll let it slide.
Back to the mathematics of those 3 games, let us start with DoTA, because a lot of us have tried it at least once. The basic premise of the game is, pick a hero, any hero, go around casting nice spells, using cool items and what have you, getting more and more gold, getting more nice items, essentially, just like working in real life, but without the hard work. Then you go around killing people, because that's just fun, and then eventually you destroy a big structure, and win the game. Or lose. Now, the applications of this, is learning (albeit very slowly) to keep an attention on several things at once, to co-operate a certain degree, and to be aware. It also trains your touchtyping, if ever that was a problem.
I don't have too much to say about that game, because it too is a time waster, in my eyes. The theory is too varied, and as Kael has mentioned several billions of times to me every time I try to discuss the merest inkling of theory. "Or, you could just play the game."
With Starcraft, though, and by extension it's sequel, you cannot possibly ignore the theory and mathematics within the game. While it's "good" to have a large amount of clicking speeds and such, 300 actions per minute isn't going to do you one iota of good if you have no idea how to react to what your opponent(s) are doing. For those uninitiated, the premise is building a base, building units, getting upgrades, getting cooler units, and killing every building that the opponent has.
Of course, those "lame" mathematical games which include flash cards are "better" for you, but they are boring, and well, boring. With the framework of a game, if one wishes to get "better" they have to consider the theory, and when to make more units at the cost of not building harvesters, and vice versa. Really, it's a tossing up of economy vs your army, every second of the game. And then it trains your ability to make snap decisions, automatically and without thinking. And to make the RIGHT decisions.
Of course, old timers will scoff at me and say, games are time sinks, pure and simple. There is NOTHING to be gained from them, but dumbing down, wasting your time that you could be studying, and becoming fat/shortsighted.
But, anything in extreme amounts is going to be bad. The question is, how much is extreme? If one wishes to devote most of their life to a game, (see: Starcraft progamers who retire at 40) then there is probably no "extreme". In that regard, it is similar to any other sport. Unfortunately, the framework for many games does not allow such competetiveness (When was the last time you attended a basket weaving contest, for example?) However, with said framework, and the determination, you CAN get there. There is a stigma of sorta surrounding this, and it calls this a gamble, because it is not certain that you'll be up there on the Halls of Fame and such, with money to boot.
Of course, if you don't make it, you need a job and such, and hence, where the stigma arises. So...no-win situation, for you really.
Lastly, you've got MTG. Which, is essentially, a math game. You have millions of pieces of cardboard you can sling at each other, so that you can bring a number of 20 down to 0, or some other ways to win. Now, it teaches you how to bluff (just like poker), it teaches you to reason with logic (just like any other logic game) and it forces you to use math every single turn, just to count how much you need to play a certain card, or to deduct your points from some spell/attack. Also, remembering things, unless you write it down on paper. The life total that is.
In short, lots of synergy and bustling with education and games. If you look in the right places, and are looking in the first place. So don't dispute it. Unfortunately, I can't convince any of the old timers to see it my/our way. And well, you can't say that I haven't tried.
Hoping I haven't missed anything.
1. (Borrowed with every intention of somehow returning, from Ben Bleiweiss, MTG player, and former Building On A Budget column writer.)
http://www.wizards.com/magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/bb171
"First you make the peanuts.
Then you make the peanut butter!"
What does this mean? Even for people who don't care one iota about the game, it means, that you need a raw product to have a refined product. In this case, it's a synergistic 2 card combo which leads to much fun, and interest. How does this relate to anything? Besides the obvious "If you have A, then you can make B", it shows that nothing is useless, after you get past the first glance, and that it's like putting a puzzle together. At the time the article was written, not many people would have been playing around with an idea like that. Sometimes, it takes some insight later, to combine two things together into a coherent object.
2. My posts are probably going to be more MTG centered, just because it provides a point of interest for me, and really...well, it's fun. To me, that is. I don't know if it's fun for you, but I'll try. (To make it fun for you. Somehow.) While that doesn't mean that I'm going to be shoehorning "PLAY THIS GAME OR ELSE", it might be something for consideration on a rainy day.
3. Taking the ideas from Kael's blog, and we have, a discussion on gaming. I suppose there's a fine line between "reasonable" gaming, and "addicted". Games such as Runescape + any other MMO you can think of probably falls in the category of the latter. While, I can see that there may be some stretched, small benefit from such time wasters, mostly, it's just a massive time sink for little benefit. You don't make new friends, you learn about security the hard way, and you have to waste money just to get the "good stuffs". However, a game such as DoTA, SC, MTG, for example, have their benefits and downsides. Of course, educational games are faster at making concepts come to life, but the mathematics behind the first 3 are astounding. More on that in a second. I just realised that I missed out a whole day on Kingdom of Loathing, for ascending, but then, I'm trying to prioritise, so, I don't have "credit" at the moment, because I spent all of today socializing and playing games. A system which is self-imposed, for every 2 hours of work, is 1 hour's credit for games and what have you. Now, this is going on several tangents, but I'm enjoying writing about this, so who cares. What I've learned from this is, that optimal is not always optimal. To rephrase, what's optimal to keep a game humming is not optimal in the overall scheme of things. I don't have enough time today or tomorrow morning to be able to do what I need to do, so I'll let it slide.
Back to the mathematics of those 3 games, let us start with DoTA, because a lot of us have tried it at least once. The basic premise of the game is, pick a hero, any hero, go around casting nice spells, using cool items and what have you, getting more and more gold, getting more nice items, essentially, just like working in real life, but without the hard work. Then you go around killing people, because that's just fun, and then eventually you destroy a big structure, and win the game. Or lose. Now, the applications of this, is learning (albeit very slowly) to keep an attention on several things at once, to co-operate a certain degree, and to be aware. It also trains your touchtyping, if ever that was a problem.
I don't have too much to say about that game, because it too is a time waster, in my eyes. The theory is too varied, and as Kael has mentioned several billions of times to me every time I try to discuss the merest inkling of theory. "Or, you could just play the game."
With Starcraft, though, and by extension it's sequel, you cannot possibly ignore the theory and mathematics within the game. While it's "good" to have a large amount of clicking speeds and such, 300 actions per minute isn't going to do you one iota of good if you have no idea how to react to what your opponent(s) are doing. For those uninitiated, the premise is building a base, building units, getting upgrades, getting cooler units, and killing every building that the opponent has.
Of course, those "lame" mathematical games which include flash cards are "better" for you, but they are boring, and well, boring. With the framework of a game, if one wishes to get "better" they have to consider the theory, and when to make more units at the cost of not building harvesters, and vice versa. Really, it's a tossing up of economy vs your army, every second of the game. And then it trains your ability to make snap decisions, automatically and without thinking. And to make the RIGHT decisions.
Of course, old timers will scoff at me and say, games are time sinks, pure and simple. There is NOTHING to be gained from them, but dumbing down, wasting your time that you could be studying, and becoming fat/shortsighted.
But, anything in extreme amounts is going to be bad. The question is, how much is extreme? If one wishes to devote most of their life to a game, (see: Starcraft progamers who retire at 40) then there is probably no "extreme". In that regard, it is similar to any other sport. Unfortunately, the framework for many games does not allow such competetiveness (When was the last time you attended a basket weaving contest, for example?) However, with said framework, and the determination, you CAN get there. There is a stigma of sorta surrounding this, and it calls this a gamble, because it is not certain that you'll be up there on the Halls of Fame and such, with money to boot.
Of course, if you don't make it, you need a job and such, and hence, where the stigma arises. So...no-win situation, for you really.
Lastly, you've got MTG. Which, is essentially, a math game. You have millions of pieces of cardboard you can sling at each other, so that you can bring a number of 20 down to 0, or some other ways to win. Now, it teaches you how to bluff (just like poker), it teaches you to reason with logic (just like any other logic game) and it forces you to use math every single turn, just to count how much you need to play a certain card, or to deduct your points from some spell/attack. Also, remembering things, unless you write it down on paper. The life total that is.
In short, lots of synergy and bustling with education and games. If you look in the right places, and are looking in the first place. So don't dispute it. Unfortunately, I can't convince any of the old timers to see it my/our way. And well, you can't say that I haven't tried.
Hoping I haven't missed anything.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Ok, well. Y'now about judging books? Cause I don't
"Leap before you...wait no. Wait, yes. Leap before you look! Hang on, that doesn't sound right..."
Ok, well, we were at an auction/inspection thing for various goods, and the guy at the helm, so to speak, told my father he couldn't come in because he was wearing sandals. After finding proper footwear (Miraculous, I know) he's given entrance and such. Then the lead guy lets 4 other people in with thongs/sandals. Of course, by now I'm thinking 2 things.
1.He's damned racist. The next 4 people were white. He is, ofc the same.
2.He's really forgetful. It's take the backseat to one, but still, it's there. So I don't do anything.
If there's one thing my parents told me, it's "not to fight if there's nothing to gain."
So then, later he bars entry to someone else without proper footwear. So, turns out he was just forgetful. And that's why you look both ways before you step on that chicken...wait, that's not right either.
Who cares, y'now what I'm saying.
Hoping...I've got grand ideas, I just need the peanuts to make the butter.
Ok, well, we were at an auction/inspection thing for various goods, and the guy at the helm, so to speak, told my father he couldn't come in because he was wearing sandals. After finding proper footwear (Miraculous, I know) he's given entrance and such. Then the lead guy lets 4 other people in with thongs/sandals. Of course, by now I'm thinking 2 things.
1.He's damned racist. The next 4 people were white. He is, ofc the same.
2.He's really forgetful. It's take the backseat to one, but still, it's there. So I don't do anything.
If there's one thing my parents told me, it's "not to fight if there's nothing to gain."
So then, later he bars entry to someone else without proper footwear. So, turns out he was just forgetful. And that's why you look both ways before you step on that chicken...wait, that's not right either.
Who cares, y'now what I'm saying.
Hoping...I've got grand ideas, I just need the peanuts to make the butter.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Stumbling upon new and recyled ideas~
"Well, ok here's an idea..."
1. "The frog croaks and is eaten by the snake"
Translated, but the premise is, don't say too much, or you might say something that will/would put you into mortal danger, or just y'now, regular danger.
2. I think I can put together two and two and combine writing articles with my number one hobby of all time, MTG. That way, I can do both, and be making a pitiful amount of money on the side. (Hey, can't argue with the coin. Feel the power of money.)
So I'll be putting my imagination, stupid/weird theories and English skills into practice, with those two ideas. Along side traditional story writing. But y'now. I'm not a very good bard.
And, well. Happy birthday to anyone today. (That includes you Renee.)
Hoping it all works out. As usual. But it probably won't. Ah well.
1. "The frog croaks and is eaten by the snake"
Translated, but the premise is, don't say too much, or you might say something that will/would put you into mortal danger, or just y'now, regular danger.
2. I think I can put together two and two and combine writing articles with my number one hobby of all time, MTG. That way, I can do both, and be making a pitiful amount of money on the side. (Hey, can't argue with the coin. Feel the power of money.)
So I'll be putting my imagination, stupid/weird theories and English skills into practice, with those two ideas. Along side traditional story writing. But y'now. I'm not a very good bard.
And, well. Happy birthday to anyone today. (That includes you Renee.)
Hoping it all works out. As usual. But it probably won't. Ah well.
So, uhm...Nothing?
"Well, apparently there's something going down, and I don't know what.."
Something about Chinatown. I'll leave that one to resolve on it's own.
Anyway, erm. 2 days huh...OH grack.
Hoping I'm not too late.
Something about Chinatown. I'll leave that one to resolve on it's own.
Anyway, erm. 2 days huh...OH grack.
Hoping I'm not too late.
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