[01-05-2012]
Bureau of Communication
Wronged or offended someone? Don't have the right words to congratulate someone on their new tie? Check out the Bureau of Communication.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-23-2012]
Star Wars the Old Republic: Initial Thoughts
I just started playing Stars Wars the Old Republic like many of my nerd brethren and while there are probably several hundred if not several thousand reviews of SWTOR I'm going to add my two cents. First of this is not actually a review, SWTOR has way too much content for me to do a review this soon, this is just some of my initial thoughts about the game.
Like many people I've played a lot of MMOs, spent hours of my light killing ten of these, collecting 5 of this other thing. I'm not going to lie to you under everything that is part of SWTOR it's the framework for MMOs. However unlike most MMOs SWTOR is not popping up boxes of text which you blankly read or skip over and go on your merry way killing goblins. No quests are fully voice acted, and not with shitty voice acting, good honest voice acting. The dialogues are interesting, compelling, and sometimes hilarious. The NPCs don't feel like a backdrop to the world they feel like they are part of the world. I realized this when I found myself walking around an NPC instead of through them like I usually do. NPCs are important to the story.
That's the other thing you have choices you can be a nice person, a giant ass, or some place in between. You are writing your character's story. You aren't just getting levels you an involved in an interactive story. Your character can have a personality. It's much like a choose your own adventure story in a video game with lightsabers.
It's not just the story that's fun however, playing it is fun too. Your character doesn't just stand there swinging away, they move, they dodge, they strike as you command them. Abilities do what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do them. Two characters are not likely to be identical unless they are the same class, and once you specialize the chances of that decrease. For example my friend Stacia and I both made Sith Inquisitors, but while grouping I felt like I was playing a different character, we fight differently, which implies that given the setup of the game two players can play the same class but be different.
Speaking of grouping, you get an NPC called a companion to follow you around. My inquisitor's in an big ugly brute. I saw people running around with him and my first thought is "can I get something else", then I did to quest to get him. They took an ugly brutish NPC and gave him a personality that matches, he went from the ugly brute, to the big guy that follows me around, has my back (between comments about destroying me), likes it when I'm an arrogant prick to other NPCs. Like all the NPCs in the game they have life.
That kind of leads me to crafting. I was rather dubious when they said that your companion would do the crafting for you, really? Crafting is one of my favorite things to do in an MMO so I figured separating me from crafting would suck, it doesn't. Sending your companion to do crafting just gives you free time to play the game, he runs off and comes back a couple minutes later with a stimpack, or with some random item that you sent him to get. Crafting is almost addicting, which is bad because sending your companion out to get supplies costs money and you can run yourself out of it right quick.
So are there things that I don't like? Sure. The main thing is the lack of races to pick that don't like like humans with different skin colors or horns. I don't understand why there are not rodians, mon calamari, and wookies, when they already had to make the models for them any how. I hope they will add that in the future, because I'd like to get my wookie on. Character creation wise I wish there were more body types. Otherwise I am having a hard time thinking of anything I've been disappointed with other than the race thing, even that kind of disappears when you have made your character, but I hold out hope for wookie-dom in the future.
The only other problem I have right now is not directly connected to the game. My desktop is four years old and in need of an upgrade (which I have been neglecting), so I've been running the game in boot camp on my macbook just to play it decently. Part of the reason that I haven't upgraded my computer is four years is a lack of interest in most PC games and I have been thinking of switching to just console gaming, but SWTOR is pulling me back in. I just wish I could control my computer with a lightsaber (I'm talking to you Kinect developers).
So if you like Star Wars, want to be a power hungry sith, or clever smuggler, and like role-playing games (not just MMOs), then I recommend this game. The rest of you, well I am saddened by your loss (although my sith inquisitor delights in it).
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-14-2012]
Stair Porn
StairPorn is a fantastic site about stairs. But mainly the site's name made me laugh. Check it out should you be in the mood for ogling some stairs.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-10-2012]
Cello Wars
This is an awesome video of two guys having an epic star wars cello duet. If you are interested in their music you can donate to get their album over at ThePianoGuys.com.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-06-2012]
Stand with Science
Congress is thinking about cutting 9% of Science R&D funding. Stand With Science is a petition to not cut R&D funding for scientific endeavors. As a lover of knowledge and a hobby scientist I support this cause. Science is how we understand this wonderful and beautiful thing we call the universe, cutting funding is just wrong.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-05-2012]
Awkward Moment
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[12-03-2012]
The Unknowable Self
We are unknowable beings. I can try to tell you who I am through the crude method of language, but in the end these are just descriptions that I choose. I will have my own nuances, my own definitions and conceptions about the nature of these words and you will have to some degree or another different set of nuances, definitions, and conceptions regarding them. I have my own unknowable thought processes which you cannot access. I have my own feelings you cannot know. For that matter I may not completely understand what is going on inside my own thoughts and feelings. What I call could anger could be a different feeling than you. What I call joy could be something else entirely to you.
This is the reality, we can never truly know what is inside another person. We can get as close we can through verbal and body language, but it's never going to be perfect. However somehow society for the most part functions. We can communicate and to some degree understand each other. If we could know what is going on inside another person there would probably be fewer disagreements, but there would be less mystery, there would be no reason to get to know people, there would be no reason to socialize.
Family and Friends are those that seem to understand you, that most often understand the nature of your ramblings, or at least seem to give you the appropriate reactions. They understand your nature because it is close to their nature. Your definitions are close, at the very least you've been around each other long enough to understand the things they like, dislike, and their reactions and they likewise with you. Sometimes this understanding is not complete and an unexpected reaction occurs, but that is part of learning to understand that person.
We are unknowable, we are mystery, it can be lonely, but it can be an adventure in understanding the nature of others and ourselves. Disagreements are just the result of trying to balance out divergent definitions. Once we agree on the definition once we understand each other no disagreement can occur.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[11-09-2012]
A thought on competition
I've always thought it's interesting how competitive people can get about silly things. One of the times I notice it the most is when I'm driving down the interstate. Why is it that when you pass someone who is going slower than you they speed up to keep up with you or try to get past you. They were fine until you tried to pass them. I think that at some deep down level people are competitive and want to be first when they aren't thinking about it. Personally when I'm traveling I like to just set a speed and cruise and kind of drive in a leisurely manner. But just because you're not being competitive that doesn't mean other people aren't being competitive, which means they might be riding your ass even though you're just cruising.
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[11-06-2012]
Explosive Pumpkin Carving
I saw this video over on BoingBoing. It's not only an awesome way to carve a pumpkin. I think it's part of the fun of science that is generally missing in school today. Science doesn't have to be just boring it can be fun too! I would also like to say having friends that are teachers that I know often teachers can't do fun with science because they aren't allowed. Well how the hell are we supposed to get kids interested in science if we don't do anything fun with it?
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
[11-01-2012]
Oompa Loompa History Month
October is Oompa Loompa History Month. So get your spray tan and dye your hair green to celebrate Oompa Loompa pride!
Original Article On PunchaKitten.com
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