When I feel down, I remember that I live in America, and that Jesus is my savior. So, I have nothing to really worry about. Or I forget, and go into a grumpy bender. Holy Lightning hitting me atop the head would be nice. But its better used on a non-believer, I suppose. After all, Jesus gave me a good deal.
I do get tired rapidly, and I have trouble sleeping, but it goes on. I pray that God grants me more wisdom, as I seem to lack it, and perhaps some tact. I also pray that God keeps everyone safe, even if I don't like everyone. Life goes on.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Radicalism
According to the bible, man is born evil, a failure of creation, and can only reach salvation through Christ. According to humanists, man is divine, above all other animals, which are base nature. Eco-nuts have evolved a weirder view. Man is both not a part of creation, but a tumor to be removed from holy nature.
I have noticed that nice, good environmentalists tend to be people who live and work among nature. Now, they sometimes get fooled by radicals. Like banning DDT instead of tweaking the amount used, which led to the deaths of millions of Africans.
Radicals use scary images, good people use calm rationality. I hate global warming for the bullshit its radical proponents spew. I also recall that anti-nuke hysteria by these same radicals prevented us from using nuclear power instead of coal. Now scientifically, I know a version of climate change is occuring, a minute difference we won't notice for another 60 years. We should be focusing on asteroids. You heard me.
I have noticed that nice, good environmentalists tend to be people who live and work among nature. Now, they sometimes get fooled by radicals. Like banning DDT instead of tweaking the amount used, which led to the deaths of millions of Africans.
Radicals use scary images, good people use calm rationality. I hate global warming for the bullshit its radical proponents spew. I also recall that anti-nuke hysteria by these same radicals prevented us from using nuclear power instead of coal. Now scientifically, I know a version of climate change is occuring, a minute difference we won't notice for another 60 years. We should be focusing on asteroids. You heard me.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Weird Thoughts
Why did people want a prince to come to the rescue in fairy tales? Why should an investor be forced to take a bad deal to benefit a union? Why do people care about race?
Now you see my though process. I wheel from unserious questions to economic and racial matters all within a few seconds. I sometimes land on one of these questions, an go more in depth. Some are easy. Princes had power, money, and a house. In the middle ages, this was as good as it got. Fairy tales have their roots in the time of kings.
The other questions are kinda boring to answer. I won't even try. Even though I have very definite opinions, thats not the same as an answer. Not all questions have answers that fit in a blog post.
Now you see my though process. I wheel from unserious questions to economic and racial matters all within a few seconds. I sometimes land on one of these questions, an go more in depth. Some are easy. Princes had power, money, and a house. In the middle ages, this was as good as it got. Fairy tales have their roots in the time of kings.
The other questions are kinda boring to answer. I won't even try. Even though I have very definite opinions, thats not the same as an answer. Not all questions have answers that fit in a blog post.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sagra
One thing I have always wondered is if a monster can be a main character without being a human with extra bits. For example, lets have an alligator/lizard biped named Sagra. Big long tail, toothy mouth, kind of hulking. Would people watch a show showing him wandering a fantasy world smashing creeps? Now, it may have to be all CG, as I don't think we would have the money to make him look good in real time. I am a bit sour on the prospect, as I have yet to see even a cartoon with a serious monster lead.
I know that people need a character they can relate too, but I would hope people could relate to his personality. Having a cheerful, no-worry attitude seems to fit a gator, who spend time lazing in the sun in between gobbling up turtles and fish. It would seem to be a welcome break from the woe-is-me angst other monsterous characters have. It seems like people might like a cheerful alligator man with a big whomping stick clobbering everything from greedy orcs to eco-nut elves while laughing uproarously.
Example
"Hi!" Sagra said, and clobbered the armored guard with Whomper, sending him flying backwards.
He charged forward, as the stunned guard smacked into a stone wall with an amusing crash. Sagra smacked him with his armored tail for good measure, and smacked another guardman on the noggin with his odd weapon.
"Sagra!" he heard from the terrified girl on the wicker pile. The wicker had yet to be lit, although the pouring rain meant it was doubtful to ever lite.
"Stop him, he'll ruin everything!" The druid screamed, sending three more guards Sagra's way.
The crowd howled, and surged towards the gator. But a wave of sound smashed into them, sending some flying backwards. Sagra laughed in a deep husky voice, and ran over the guards like bowling pins, ignoring a clanging blow to his side from one of their polearms. He ran straight for the druid, who shifted into a bear.
"I hate bears!" Sagra roared, and set about proving it with a stunning blow to the head. The druid countered with a bat of his paw, scraping against Sagras armor.
Lighting flashed from the sky, tearing into the three guards that had recovered. Two stayed down, but the third stared at the grinning mage who had appeared on a rooftop. The brown haired young man stuck his tongue out.
"Good Night." a voice said in the guards ear, and he fell with a sharp knife in his back. The cloaked woman slid toward the girl on the wicker pile, and she cut her loose with ease. The panicked crowd had scattered, leaving the square empty. The thud of a bear hitting the cobblestones heralded the end of Sagras fight.
So would people watch that, or is it too weird for the mainstream?
I know that people need a character they can relate too, but I would hope people could relate to his personality. Having a cheerful, no-worry attitude seems to fit a gator, who spend time lazing in the sun in between gobbling up turtles and fish. It would seem to be a welcome break from the woe-is-me angst other monsterous characters have. It seems like people might like a cheerful alligator man with a big whomping stick clobbering everything from greedy orcs to eco-nut elves while laughing uproarously.
Example
"Hi!" Sagra said, and clobbered the armored guard with Whomper, sending him flying backwards.
He charged forward, as the stunned guard smacked into a stone wall with an amusing crash. Sagra smacked him with his armored tail for good measure, and smacked another guardman on the noggin with his odd weapon.
"Sagra!" he heard from the terrified girl on the wicker pile. The wicker had yet to be lit, although the pouring rain meant it was doubtful to ever lite.
"Stop him, he'll ruin everything!" The druid screamed, sending three more guards Sagra's way.
The crowd howled, and surged towards the gator. But a wave of sound smashed into them, sending some flying backwards. Sagra laughed in a deep husky voice, and ran over the guards like bowling pins, ignoring a clanging blow to his side from one of their polearms. He ran straight for the druid, who shifted into a bear.
"I hate bears!" Sagra roared, and set about proving it with a stunning blow to the head. The druid countered with a bat of his paw, scraping against Sagras armor.
Lighting flashed from the sky, tearing into the three guards that had recovered. Two stayed down, but the third stared at the grinning mage who had appeared on a rooftop. The brown haired young man stuck his tongue out.
"Good Night." a voice said in the guards ear, and he fell with a sharp knife in his back. The cloaked woman slid toward the girl on the wicker pile, and she cut her loose with ease. The panicked crowd had scattered, leaving the square empty. The thud of a bear hitting the cobblestones heralded the end of Sagras fight.
So would people watch that, or is it too weird for the mainstream?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Should America be evil?
By which I mean, should we set forth the idea that harrassing American civilians for being American will earn a bombing? Roxana Sebari, a journalist, was arrested for "espionage" by the Iranian government. Now, we have warned civilians not to go to Iran, so perhaps this isn't the best example, she probably should have stayed away. But lets continue the thought experiment.
Would it work? Probably not at first. The kind of nations that pull this crap would be willing to accept some damage. They would turn it into propaganda, and we would become the bad guy. But is being a scary bad guy all that bad? If we prove we are serious, countries might think twice before grabbing innocent Americans to use as pawns. If we still treat everyone else with respect, would it really damage our position?
Would it work? Probably not at first. The kind of nations that pull this crap would be willing to accept some damage. They would turn it into propaganda, and we would become the bad guy. But is being a scary bad guy all that bad? If we prove we are serious, countries might think twice before grabbing innocent Americans to use as pawns. If we still treat everyone else with respect, would it really damage our position?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Strategist vs. Engineer
The military has invested money in load assisting suits to allow soldiers to carry more with less effort. Now, these are called powered armor in science fiction, which always packs on rocket packs and internal munitions. But the real world is a bit less romantic.
Lets face it, a mass produced bit of gear that reduces effort is far more useful than an Iron Man suit. That's why the F-22 is out of date, replaced by the cheaper Predator. However, don't let this get ya down if you like fancy weapons. The newest infantry weapon the Army is trying out is a 25mm cannon that can fire guided shells.
All of this shows the difference between the tech-guy and the strategist. The tech guy wants to make the fanciest device possible. The strategist wants weapons that can equip his force against its most likely threat. The strategist likes an Airburst cannon that might allow Spec-Ops to wipe out larger forces than normally possible. He also wants drone bombers that allow him to go on high risk missions without some flyboy getting killed. He frankly needs a load suit so that the troops don't quit when asked to shoulder cannon shells.
We want to give soldiers everything they need. But we cannot afford to make them unkillable. Its hard to balance these two realities.
Lets face it, a mass produced bit of gear that reduces effort is far more useful than an Iron Man suit. That's why the F-22 is out of date, replaced by the cheaper Predator. However, don't let this get ya down if you like fancy weapons. The newest infantry weapon the Army is trying out is a 25mm cannon that can fire guided shells.
All of this shows the difference between the tech-guy and the strategist. The tech guy wants to make the fanciest device possible. The strategist wants weapons that can equip his force against its most likely threat. The strategist likes an Airburst cannon that might allow Spec-Ops to wipe out larger forces than normally possible. He also wants drone bombers that allow him to go on high risk missions without some flyboy getting killed. He frankly needs a load suit so that the troops don't quit when asked to shoulder cannon shells.
We want to give soldiers everything they need. But we cannot afford to make them unkillable. Its hard to balance these two realities.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Two good things
OK, for all my distain at his stupid domestic policy of spending more than Bush in a few months, Obama has made two good decisions.
One, he allowed Gates to slash the F-22 budget. The F-22 is an awesome, but out of date and expensive plane. We don't need them, end of statement. We have the JSF, which is more useful (it can be a stealth fighter or a bomb truck), and the kickass Predator C jet drone, which we can produce for a fraction of the cost of a F-22, with the added bonus of being a robot. Now, to be sure, Robert Gates is the man who made the decision, and he is a Bush holdover, but Obama chose to keep him, a solid decision.
Two, he talked to Colombias president Uribe about the free trade deal, and after realizing that it wasn't a bad idea, has said its a good idea. He had been parroting stupid talking points about it hurting Americans, but after discussing the issue, he actually learned something.
Now, please note, these are the only two decisions he made I agree with. He is still horrible.
One, he allowed Gates to slash the F-22 budget. The F-22 is an awesome, but out of date and expensive plane. We don't need them, end of statement. We have the JSF, which is more useful (it can be a stealth fighter or a bomb truck), and the kickass Predator C jet drone, which we can produce for a fraction of the cost of a F-22, with the added bonus of being a robot. Now, to be sure, Robert Gates is the man who made the decision, and he is a Bush holdover, but Obama chose to keep him, a solid decision.
Two, he talked to Colombias president Uribe about the free trade deal, and after realizing that it wasn't a bad idea, has said its a good idea. He had been parroting stupid talking points about it hurting Americans, but after discussing the issue, he actually learned something.
Now, please note, these are the only two decisions he made I agree with. He is still horrible.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Brain Dump
Watching some fun mecha music videos on Youtube maked me realize how silly mecha are when you make them serious weapons. Armored Core, for instance, has mecha that spend more time skating and jet boosting than walking. It would make more sense just to have a hover assault craft, doing away with the gangly legs and arms. Now, this point doesn't prevent enjoying giant robot fights, but I think giant hover tank duels could be just as cool.
When set in a funny or ridiculous world, mecha and giant robots work great. But in grim worlds, they annoy me. Maybe its the balance between sci-fi nerd and military geek that does it. Once I get started tearing apart concepts, the flitterring gangly mech has become a sleek assault craft, more like a spacefighter than anything else. In a purely fantastical world, though, tearing apart concepts seems petty and mean. This is probably why I like fantasy a bit more. I can't argue with "a wizard did it" or "magic dilithium crystals" and can go on to enjoy the show.
Yes, I just called Star Trek fantasy. The humans are noble and pure, the aliens are humans with funny ears, and the technology is based on magic crystals. Star Wars is fantasy as well, but everyone knows that.
When set in a funny or ridiculous world, mecha and giant robots work great. But in grim worlds, they annoy me. Maybe its the balance between sci-fi nerd and military geek that does it. Once I get started tearing apart concepts, the flitterring gangly mech has become a sleek assault craft, more like a spacefighter than anything else. In a purely fantastical world, though, tearing apart concepts seems petty and mean. This is probably why I like fantasy a bit more. I can't argue with "a wizard did it" or "magic dilithium crystals" and can go on to enjoy the show.
Yes, I just called Star Trek fantasy. The humans are noble and pure, the aliens are humans with funny ears, and the technology is based on magic crystals. Star Wars is fantasy as well, but everyone knows that.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Enemy of the State
Because I believe the federal government has too much power, I am a potential terrorist, according to the Obama DHS. So are any returning veterans. This report on right-wing radicals has no real information that could help cops, and is an embarrassment. It basically lumps together federalists, abortion opponents, and skinheads into one massive group without mentionning a real threat.
Basically, if you didn't vote for Obama, they think you are a dangerous person. Note that the companion report on left-wing violence is choked with real cases involving violent animal liberation types, and does not blanket as many groups under the tent of radicalism. The DHS is an embarrassment. It takes barely ten years to go from targetting terrorist to targetting political opponents.
Basically, if you didn't vote for Obama, they think you are a dangerous person. Note that the companion report on left-wing violence is choked with real cases involving violent animal liberation types, and does not blanket as many groups under the tent of radicalism. The DHS is an embarrassment. It takes barely ten years to go from targetting terrorist to targetting political opponents.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
What I'd like to see in a sci-fi series.
While useless, it is sometimes fun to write down exactly what one desires out of entertainment. No series will ever live up to all your desires, but thats not the point.
First of all, there needs to be a balance between drama and having fun. Too many series focus on only drama, and end up very bleak and harsh. This is important to all series, and needs to be there before we even add elements of sci-fi.
I would like starships and energy weapons, but they need to be different enough from other series. Weapons that effect larger areas of space, providing indirect fire, might be fun to experiment with. If infantry combat occurs, they at least need armored spacesuits. Captains and higher ups do not go on infantry missions, period.
Multiple species that are more than humans with funny knobs. Hard to do on a small budget, you might say, but they could at least try.
Sadly, to get all this and decent actors, I would have to wait for eternity. Science Fiction books are still available, though, and I have yet to exhaust the wierd world of anime, so its not a big deal.
First of all, there needs to be a balance between drama and having fun. Too many series focus on only drama, and end up very bleak and harsh. This is important to all series, and needs to be there before we even add elements of sci-fi.
I would like starships and energy weapons, but they need to be different enough from other series. Weapons that effect larger areas of space, providing indirect fire, might be fun to experiment with. If infantry combat occurs, they at least need armored spacesuits. Captains and higher ups do not go on infantry missions, period.
Multiple species that are more than humans with funny knobs. Hard to do on a small budget, you might say, but they could at least try.
Sadly, to get all this and decent actors, I would have to wait for eternity. Science Fiction books are still available, though, and I have yet to exhaust the wierd world of anime, so its not a big deal.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Bread and Circuses
Yes, I think the world has gone mad. Yes, I have serious concerns about the future. However, we still have cheap food and an overload of entertainment. More people are able to enter into this world of bread and circuses. Now, you can still have a hard time in a world of youtube and decent food, but life is fairly good. However, this is a very new thing for humanity, so even though I think its good, being liberated from the basics allows people to become more bizarre. Like the Romans did. Being happily fed and entertained does not prevent you from being cruel, evil, and arrogant.
It doesn't force you to be any of those things, however. We have the ability to reason, and it won't be technologies fault if we go bonkers.
It doesn't force you to be any of those things, however. We have the ability to reason, and it won't be technologies fault if we go bonkers.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Elder Abuse
Have you ever seen Robert Byrd speak? He is so doddering that I almost want to charge the people who vote for him with abusing a poor old man. I do not like how we seem to put politicians in till they go senile. The Republicans do this too, and I really wonder if these parties support older politicians so they can take advantage of them. Or maybe its just easier than kicking them out.
A way to end this would be term limits, which is the last thing we will ever see. Getting rid of the seniority rules might help. I think politicians are less competant the longer they are in.
A way to end this would be term limits, which is the last thing we will ever see. Getting rid of the seniority rules might help. I think politicians are less competant the longer they are in.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Factions
One thing that has always fascinated me about Real Time Strategy games are the way factions are set up. I dislike playing RTS, because you have to upgrade your base and fight at the same time, but the way factions are balanced interests me. This is more pronounced in science fiction and fantasy games, and was first mastered by Starcraft.
We had Protoss, superior psychic aliens who had expensive, powerful units. We had the ravenous swarm of the Zerg, who like large numbers of cheap soldiers. The Terrans were kinda in the middle on unit cost vs. strength, but they had other things to seperate them from the other two. So, how do I take my love of factions with different units, and do something constructive with it?
Well, I can't write a story about it. "Techpirate Hijack Bot Number 543 (with rocketfeet upgrade from Chop Shop) screamed as the MethMonster Drill Wurmz (with metal digestion from the HiveShack) ate its face." doesn't come out well. Although it is hilarious.
Write out a ridiculous paper covering unit development and comparisons for a game that I don't have the financial power to make correctly? Well, that seems like fun. And it will confuse my only readers (hi mom!). It will also take forever. Meh.
Constructive is out, then. I will then describe a few factions for a crazy world my brain can come up with.
MethMonsters: Well, ole Billy added the wrong chemical to a batch of meth, and it exploded, opening a hole in space-time. He is now the mutated leader of a swarm of confused mutated animals and people. Redneck bugmonsters!
TechPirates: The reason no one has nuked Billy. TechPirates have cool robot toys and are just as slimy as normal pirates. I would make them have the most expensive units, as they are cowardly criminals who send robots to actually fight. Being attacked by bugmonsters has lowered the amount of time they spend screwing up the rest of the world.
Lizard Men: Ravenous lizard men from Venus! Hmm... I think I'd better stop.
We had Protoss, superior psychic aliens who had expensive, powerful units. We had the ravenous swarm of the Zerg, who like large numbers of cheap soldiers. The Terrans were kinda in the middle on unit cost vs. strength, but they had other things to seperate them from the other two. So, how do I take my love of factions with different units, and do something constructive with it?
Well, I can't write a story about it. "Techpirate Hijack Bot Number 543 (with rocketfeet upgrade from Chop Shop) screamed as the MethMonster Drill Wurmz (with metal digestion from the HiveShack) ate its face." doesn't come out well. Although it is hilarious.
Write out a ridiculous paper covering unit development and comparisons for a game that I don't have the financial power to make correctly? Well, that seems like fun. And it will confuse my only readers (hi mom!). It will also take forever. Meh.
Constructive is out, then. I will then describe a few factions for a crazy world my brain can come up with.
MethMonsters: Well, ole Billy added the wrong chemical to a batch of meth, and it exploded, opening a hole in space-time. He is now the mutated leader of a swarm of confused mutated animals and people. Redneck bugmonsters!
TechPirates: The reason no one has nuked Billy. TechPirates have cool robot toys and are just as slimy as normal pirates. I would make them have the most expensive units, as they are cowardly criminals who send robots to actually fight. Being attacked by bugmonsters has lowered the amount of time they spend screwing up the rest of the world.
Lizard Men: Ravenous lizard men from Venus! Hmm... I think I'd better stop.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Humans in science fiction
How come humans never get to be the sneaky race in sci-fi? We always seem to be put in the top dog or mewling prey department. Either we have a massive empire or we are barely surviving genocidal monsters. This is usually a bit more balanced in strategy games, but humans in games suffer from always the middle of the road race.
Why can't we be the sneaking spy or unruly horde? I guess because people want to believe humans are either inferior or average, and never give a thought that we might be one of the weirdo races in the future. But I think people might like to see humans as the clever and crafty sneaks, with a fleet of stealth ships, secret agents, and stealth suited space rangers. I would, at least. But we have to sell it, so lets try.
One) Stealth ships give some of that submarine warfare tension. It would also be a departure from the spacecraft carriers that fill science fiction. Plus, cloaking effects aren't that hard.
Two) Think a less slimy James Bond meets Mace Windu. No shiny stuff, he is about trickery and misdirection. In fact, the Jedi have made it acceptable for a "good guy" to mind fry people, add to that some cool gadgets and guns, and we've got our agent.
Three) Space Rangers (or Marines) are often done, but they are generally the first to get eaten or killed, and these guys are different. These Rangers will be a close-knit team, and while we can't go full "Predator" on their enemies, because of the lack of drama, we will make them scary to the enemy. They can lose a few members, just not enough to make a joke out of them (no red shirts).
So we have three ways to show sneaky humans. I believe their weapons will not be shiny or flashy, nor loud and rumbly. I like simple longarms that spit whispers of dark energy. No lazy tossing modern guns to them.
Why can't we be the sneaking spy or unruly horde? I guess because people want to believe humans are either inferior or average, and never give a thought that we might be one of the weirdo races in the future. But I think people might like to see humans as the clever and crafty sneaks, with a fleet of stealth ships, secret agents, and stealth suited space rangers. I would, at least. But we have to sell it, so lets try.
One) Stealth ships give some of that submarine warfare tension. It would also be a departure from the spacecraft carriers that fill science fiction. Plus, cloaking effects aren't that hard.
Two) Think a less slimy James Bond meets Mace Windu. No shiny stuff, he is about trickery and misdirection. In fact, the Jedi have made it acceptable for a "good guy" to mind fry people, add to that some cool gadgets and guns, and we've got our agent.
Three) Space Rangers (or Marines) are often done, but they are generally the first to get eaten or killed, and these guys are different. These Rangers will be a close-knit team, and while we can't go full "Predator" on their enemies, because of the lack of drama, we will make them scary to the enemy. They can lose a few members, just not enough to make a joke out of them (no red shirts).
So we have three ways to show sneaky humans. I believe their weapons will not be shiny or flashy, nor loud and rumbly. I like simple longarms that spit whispers of dark energy. No lazy tossing modern guns to them.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Who leads the party?
Alright, this has bothered me for a while. Who leads either political parties? Their highest level guy? So, is that executive or legislative? I know many people think that Bush or Obama lead their respective parties, but I don't see it. The idea that we need "leaders" is beyond me. We are a Republic, after all, we hire the guy to represent us for his term. If he doesn't do his job, we fire him at he end of this term.
This is hard to handle, as we want a scapegoat to blame when everything messes up. But why do we have to follow the leader? Is it just our human weakness? America might be better off if we stopped looking for leaders, and started doing things ourselves. If no one is going to fix social security, you need to start saving! If everyone did this instead of spending everything they make and then demanding a bailout, we wouldn't have an economic mess.
Americans caused the economic meltdown, the invasion of Iraq, and now try to blame it on Bush. Same goes for Obama too, he isn't the problem, he's just our stooge. All elected officials are, and the sooner we realize it, the better.
This is hard to handle, as we want a scapegoat to blame when everything messes up. But why do we have to follow the leader? Is it just our human weakness? America might be better off if we stopped looking for leaders, and started doing things ourselves. If no one is going to fix social security, you need to start saving! If everyone did this instead of spending everything they make and then demanding a bailout, we wouldn't have an economic mess.
Americans caused the economic meltdown, the invasion of Iraq, and now try to blame it on Bush. Same goes for Obama too, he isn't the problem, he's just our stooge. All elected officials are, and the sooner we realize it, the better.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Wait, what?
Snicker
Look, this kind of thing is simply hilarious. When primitive screwballs used to talk like this, Westerners would snicker under their breath at them. But nowadays too many are willing to believe silly crap to justify the "victim hood" of a group of rather nasty individuals. To the point of magic disintegration bombs. Its truly laughable, as their are nasty weapons that actually exist which do far worse than "disintegrate".
Look, this kind of thing is simply hilarious. When primitive screwballs used to talk like this, Westerners would snicker under their breath at them. But nowadays too many are willing to believe silly crap to justify the "victim hood" of a group of rather nasty individuals. To the point of magic disintegration bombs. Its truly laughable, as their are nasty weapons that actually exist which do far worse than "disintegrate".
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Anime oddness
I noticed when watching Naruto Shippuden online how much power-levels switch in anime. This undead bruiser smashes a building and easily snares two decent soldiers (We've seen these two since day one) with freaky detachable fists. However, when they get rescued, he gets held off by a kid using basic martial arts. This kid isn't even a main character. He's one of those random uniformed ninja who usually die in five seconds.
This must have to do with anime villians obsession with looking weak and being strong. But its kind of jarring how the main characters seem to waste their magic on splashy effects, while some random kid holds off a guy twice his side with a few punches. The shift in power is just odd.
This must have to do with anime villians obsession with looking weak and being strong. But its kind of jarring how the main characters seem to waste their magic on splashy effects, while some random kid holds off a guy twice his side with a few punches. The shift in power is just odd.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Robin Hood
Robin Hood stole from the rich, right? Well... technically. He didn't steal from shopkeepers all that often. He was most known for stealing tax money from greedy taxmen who took too much. In the day of his legend, the rich were the government. In addition to taking back peoples money from the government, he also stole the money the church gained by selling papers to forgive sin.
This may shock the people who hear that he "took from the rich to give to the poor". But Robin Hood took from a upper-class much different than those we have today. Lets face facts, he took from an overbearing government and gave money to taxpayers. The rich are no longer all lords and ladies in castles. Many are people who create wealth through ideas and inventions, or invest wealth into factories or stores. They didn't steal to get where they are. Sure, some just got lucky, but why get angry that they got a break?
Robin Hood was rich, after all. In fact, he was an aristocrat. But he didn't steal using government power. Government is always the real threat. It tries to blame the rich for its corrution, but it has all the real power.
This may shock the people who hear that he "took from the rich to give to the poor". But Robin Hood took from a upper-class much different than those we have today. Lets face facts, he took from an overbearing government and gave money to taxpayers. The rich are no longer all lords and ladies in castles. Many are people who create wealth through ideas and inventions, or invest wealth into factories or stores. They didn't steal to get where they are. Sure, some just got lucky, but why get angry that they got a break?
Robin Hood was rich, after all. In fact, he was an aristocrat. But he didn't steal using government power. Government is always the real threat. It tries to blame the rich for its corrution, but it has all the real power.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Don't worry, the robots will pay!
Modern politicians have this idea that our grandchildren can pay for all of our wasteful spending. Now, from a certain point of view, this might make sense. After all, throughout human history, the next generation has had it better. But will this be true when social security goes bankrupt? When our energy policy is more about reducing carbon than supplying energy? When did we get the idea to screw over kids for our own comfort?
In certain science fiction, we start building AIs as smart as humans, basically, they are humanities children. When I see how we shovel responsibilities on future generations, it makes me realize how silly this is. No wonder Skynet blew up humanity. We chuck unwanted babies in garbage cans, pass the costs of our slovenly, greedy lives to our children, and whine about how hard life is.
However, not all of us do this. Many people don't want their children to pay for someone elses mistakes, and many parents will sacrifice to help children. Hopefully, this group will wrestle control back from society before the robots decide to chuck us in garbage mashers instead of working our debts off.
In certain science fiction, we start building AIs as smart as humans, basically, they are humanities children. When I see how we shovel responsibilities on future generations, it makes me realize how silly this is. No wonder Skynet blew up humanity. We chuck unwanted babies in garbage cans, pass the costs of our slovenly, greedy lives to our children, and whine about how hard life is.
However, not all of us do this. Many people don't want their children to pay for someone elses mistakes, and many parents will sacrifice to help children. Hopefully, this group will wrestle control back from society before the robots decide to chuck us in garbage mashers instead of working our debts off.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Silly lies
Obama will let the Bush tax cuts expire, but claims it isn't a tax hike. Sorry, but if taxes increase, its a tax hike. Then we get a 3.2 trillion budget, with increases for his favorite social programs. Now, to be fair, some of the savings he's trying to get are decent ideas. But the increased spending erases any savings, so whats really the point? Then theirs the fuzzy math on Iraq. His "savings" in Iraq assume spending 180 billion in Iraq every year till 2019, which was never going to happen, as even Bush's deal with the Iraqis had most resources out by 2012. So another silly lie.
I hope the economy recovers, even if Obama gets credit for it. But taxing energy companies for carbon, on top of the 35% corporate tax rate, is going to increase costs across the board. Energy makes everything more expensive. Families might weather it, because they can buy Chinese products made with cheap coal power, but increasing costs on Americas dwindling manufacturers seems like suicide.
Obama seems to think everything will work his way, magically. But he's kidding himself with his silly lies.
I hope the economy recovers, even if Obama gets credit for it. But taxing energy companies for carbon, on top of the 35% corporate tax rate, is going to increase costs across the board. Energy makes everything more expensive. Families might weather it, because they can buy Chinese products made with cheap coal power, but increasing costs on Americas dwindling manufacturers seems like suicide.
Obama seems to think everything will work his way, magically. But he's kidding himself with his silly lies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)