Mass Effect Over-Reaction

http://youtube.com/watch?v=L13Ct40cFIU&feature=related

I actually couldn't believe what I was watching. I had heard about the controversy over Fox's coverage of a brief sex scene in the game Mass Effect, but I hadn't actually watched the segment in question. But, then I saw this segment that Adam Sessler did for X-Play, and I knew I had to finally see it for myself.

Oh... My... God.

I thought I had seen some closed-minded talk about video games in the past (read: anything with the name Jack Thompson) but this segment truly takes the cake. Let's look at the fact that, by both the host's and Ms. Lawrence's own admissions, they have never played the game. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that the host actually spent more time researching the game in the few minutes she spent on the web looking at trailers for the game than Ms. Lawrence did, and she was the one who was forming the opinion. As a side note, I found it amusing that the host was amazed that none of the trailers said anything about the rampant sex involved in the game. It shows that a) Microsoft was not marketing the sex in the game and b) it takes up such a minute part of the game that they didn't feel it was necessary to point it out. I guess I will, too, develop the same opinion of Ms. Lawrence's book, The Cult of Perfection, based solely on the front cover, and the title of the book.

I feel very sorry for Geoff Keighly, a person whom I have a great deal of respect in the video game industry. He was the sole voice of reason in the entire discussion, and he was constantly cut-off and patronized by both the host and Ms. Lawrence. It was quite obvious that the host, instead of being an impartial mediator presenting both sides of a story, had already developed an incorrect opinion in line with Ms. Lawrence. Any time that Geoff tried to bring up the fact that the sex scene lasted a fraction of the time of the game, or that it was actually the product of extensive character development, and not just a "have sex" option in the game, he was constantly interrupted and belittled by the other's in the conversation.

Once again, Fox News Channel shows their obvious conservative bias, and continues to bring shame to the cable news community. With news outlets like this, who needs the government to spin everything?

3:00 AM

Ok, it's 3 in the morning, and I can't seem to get to sleep. Might have something to do with the fact that I took a 4-hour nap this afternoon, I don't know.

This past week has been a long, weird, stressful week. I'm glad that I am able to be here for my family, though. If I had to stay at home and not know what was going on, or be able to actually talk face-to-face with people, I think I'd probably explode.

I'm trying to get back into composition. The problem here is that I have so many potential compositions going on in my brain at once, it's hard to concentrate long enough to get one of them down en total before another one rears its head and begs to be written down. I guess maybe I should try and work on a couple of them at the same time, spending a little time on one, and then switching to another one for a bit. That might work.

I've got a Gloria in my head that I want to get down. And then there is a cantata based on the classic comedy sketch "Who's On First" by Abbott and Costello (no, really!). The idea came from a P.D.Q. Bach piece that we did in choir one year. And then there is the series of pieces that I've wanted to do now based on the Psalms in the Bible. It's sort of a personal challenge, to write a short choral/solo/instrumental piece based on all 150 contained in the Book of Psalms. Well, we'll see what actually gets accomplished first.

Ok, I really need to at least attempt to get some sleep.

Things I Don't Understand

At some point in everyone's life, they come upon things that, no matter how they try to wrap their brain around them, they simply will not understand. It's not that these things are necessarily mind-bogglingly complex. They can be quite simple, on the surface. But for some reason, they just don't "click." There is a disconnect in there somewhere; if only you could find it and change it, everything would be better somehow. I guess that is our nature as humans, as we strive to make the world a better place for us. In order to achieve this lofty goal that we have set for ourselves, we need to first fix the little things in our life. But, what if it is one of those "little things" that has become an incomprehensible mess in your life. Something that, yesterday seemed so tiny and harmless, but now has become something more. Something that changes from day to day, almost hour to hour at times. First everything is fine and dandy, there's flowers and butterflies in the air. It looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The next thing you know, the dark clouds have rolled in, the storms of emotion rage, and things can never be the same again. But, as sudden as they came, they roll out again.

The thing that I don't understand is not PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). The thing that I don't understand is why everyone sees it but the person that needs to.

Stayin' Alive

Yep, I'm still here, alive and kicking. The job is going great. It was definitely a good move for me, not only professionally and financially, but emotionally, as well.
Now, I'm ot, nor will I ever be, a morning person, but it is nice to have that be the only obstical to getting up in the morning, as opposed to not wanting to go into work, as well.
I think that we are very close to being officially moved into our new house. We are having a housewarming party this Sunday, so that has been the motivation to finish up the nagging little things that are still left to unpack. By Saturday, everything will be in the place it will stay, for a while, at least. Oh, and we're never moving again...

New job, Week 4

A quick report on my new job, going into week four. Man, it's different working here than it was working at Carlisle. Most of it is different in a good way.

It is so nice to have more than 2 people in the IT department. There are a lot of things that happen from day to day that I simply don't have to worry about on a daily basis, like the nightly backups, das blinken lights on the servers in the server room, etc. I can, for the most part, concentrate on projects that I need to get done without a ton of interruptions.

And, wouldn't you know it, I met up with another person today that works here that I knew from way back when I started at Carlisle. Weird how they seem to end up here... guess that's a good thing.

Back to projects.

The Sad State of My Blog (An Apology)

Okay, so yes, my blog has languished in disuse for too long. Can we remedy this please?

Well, I've started a new job. Good-bye to S4 Carlisle Publishing Services, the company that gave me my first career opportunity. I was there for eleven years! That's longer than some people are at their first four jobs!

Hello to Woodward Communications, Inc. It is a much bigger company, with subsidiaries and everything. I'm still in IT, but it will be a markedly different experience here. I'm going from a department of 2 (me and my manager) to a department of 9. That, and I will be doing a lot of the support for our subsidiaries, so that means I'll be able to get out of the office from time to time. Something that I am looking forward quite a bit.

It's been a scary transition. I haven't started a new long-term employment in 11 years. This whole "first day on the job" thing is pretty freaky, but I'm getting over it. Day four, and I haven't blown anything up, and they haven't asked me to leave yet, so I must be doing something right :)

Well, my lunch hour is almost over, so I will sign out for now.

Addicted to Video Games?

So, up until last week, I had been putting many, many hours into playing a video game.  The game in question? Battlefield 2142.  The exact stats?  Total playing time of 3 days, 21 hours, and 50 minutes.  And that was over the course of only a couple of months.  Now, that may not seem like a lot of time, but when you consider that there towards the end I was spending between 2 and 5 hours with the game almost every night of the week, it gets pretty bad.

What exactly was the allure?  Well, I think that part of it was the multiplayer aspect.  The best computer AI can never replace the experience of playing with and against real, live, human counterparts.  Everyone has quirks, makes mistakes, and has a certain unpredictability.  Add to that the sense of camaraderie that comes from playing with others on teams, and it becomes a very addicting experience.  Of course, the game itself is great.  Excellent graphics, great sound, detailed environments, superb vehicles, it all adds up to one super gaming experience.

So, maybe when I can begin to balance my writing with my game playing, I'll pick up another copy of Battlefield 2142 and start playing again.  That'll be quite the away bonus.