Great post, thank you. I remembered so many instances (many mentioned in this article) of feeling confined by games. What if I don't want to torture, what if I'd rather let the bad guy go, what if I'd rather do anything other than shoot the final boss 5 times in a puffy orange growth? While many of these constraints could be technological (how many games could realisticly support thousands of unique interpersonal interactions), I agree with the author in that many of these "boundries" are simply the result of beating something that worked at one time throughly into the ground. Isn't that just the way (mainstream) entertainment works now? That being said, I think people are begining to expect more from games. Not a shocking statement, I know, but does anyone else remember the outcry at Mass Effect 3's ending? All the choices we agonized over were forced to end in 1 of 3 ways and Tali's face was revealed to be a lazily modified stock photo. The developers decided to release supplemental material to placate their audience. Though the ending remained canned and ersatz, the fact that action was taken could be a good sign.
People here at work are all a buzz about the Nye/Ham debate, but I can't seem to force myself to ride that wave. It's difficult to shake the feeling that each side will be preaching to their respective choir, though I hope I'm wrong and many minds are changed/challenged.
If you prefer women shorter than you because it's physically more comfortable/practical, shouldn't the inverse hold true as well (women preferring men shorter than themselves)? This is such an interesting topic, I wonder if there is any height preference info on homosexual relationships. I'm going to try and find some.
Very well said. “people have their daily worries about what it will take to get them through the day, the week, the year, the whatever.” This reminds me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. People are focused on feeding their children, keeping a roof over their heads etc. If they do find some time to think critically there’s a bevy of groups/corporations just waiting to pump them full of toxic misinformation. This is not to mention the fact that many under-class people are disenfranchised or simply don’t vote, though I have heard that is slowly changing. (Anecdotally, growing up in government housing I can recall the popular consensus being that it’s pointless to vote because “they’re all crooks anyway.”)
Well said. I spent last night checking out the Soviet Propaganda...amazing. Thank you for the recommendation.
How bad do things have to get here before people stop coming do you suppose? Here's an interesting article about the slowing of Mexican immigration:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/us/mexican-immigration-to-... From the article....
"The report presents a striking change from earlier findings by the Pew Hispanic Center on the number of Mexicans who have been returning to their country. While earlier Pew studies said the data did not show any exodus, the report published Monday includes new data from the 2010 Mexican census revealing that about twice as many Mexicans returned home from 2005 to 2010 than in the previous five years. In all, about 1.4 million people moved from the United States to Mexico in that time, the Mexican census showed"
Why do you suppose no one gives a shit? I can't help but think of the now clinche Steinbeck quote: "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires."
A bit off topic & "spoilery" but remember that Walter White admitted he did everything for himself, not his family. He never compromised his own core values of pride etc.. I think Walter White is actually an example of the above question inverted, he protected his family by pursuing his own core values at their expense.
I started to read it as the author "congratulating" me for realizing I could never hack it as a parent. Why is reproducing seen as a "given?" It's 2013, shouldn't we have moved slightly beyond biological imperatives at this point? I once read a study that said art criticism is more a reflection of the viewer than the artist. Perhaps congratulations fall into the same category.
I read into it as her thanking us for realizing that we aren't responsible or adult enough to fulfill our child-bearing duties. I agree with the "self congratulatory" way you saw the blog. I'm just not sure that in 2013, with the large extant swaths of disadvantaged children, why it's considered a "duty" to reproduce.
Have you seen this? http://globalgrind.com/2013/12/09/woman-fake-knockout-game-a.../ I'm not making remarks to bolster either direction, but I do find it odd in this particular case the woman blamed black men. It reminds me of several other cases where people who need to cover a crime point towards black men. Here's an article which, minus the political overtones, serves as a good index of instances): http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2012/02/white_women_...
From the website: https://www.upsexpresscritical.com/cfw/ "As a global leader in time-sensitive shipments, we can provide you with access to virtually any kind of aircraft or vehicle around the world." I would love love love to see a logistical/financial breakdown of this. I'm imagining a series of people teetering back on their chairs and dozing in front of countless aircraft just waiting for a call.
I agree the fact that new studies are showing the possibility of animals transmitting MRSA to humans is pretty scary if you're a farmer. I wonder why the article doesn't go so far as to name "MRSA." I read another study that stated more humans are dying from MRSA/staph than from AIDS now. Lastly, didn't Europe do this back in 2006?
I'm a bit of a North Korea buff, the idea that a society like that can even exist as such is simultaneously fascinating and abhorrent, but I'd only learned of this film a few weeks ago so it's new to me as well. I'm not sure what their aim was in labeling their film as "North Korean," maybe garnering more publicity? Here's a link to an interview with one of the filmmakers: http://www.indiewire.com/article/so-what-happens-when-you-ma... A quote, " I set about collecting footage -- I use snippets of Michael Moore's films. What's going to happen when they find out? Am I going to get sued, or get a pat on the head? In Michael Moore's case, it's a pat on the head. As for getting sued… First of all, I don't own anything. What are they going to sue me for? Second of all, If Paris Hilton or Tyra Banks sues me, it's publicity I couldn't pay for."
http://www.nknews.org/2013/02/truth-lies-and-propaganda-the-.../ Looks like the Korean actor in the film faced some severe backlash from his community.
I think the point of that quote was to show you how little even skilled warehouse workers can expect to make. The more I read about the proliferation of temps in the US the more depressed I become. I know someone who works as a "permanent temp." There is no end date to her assignment, and she works 40 hour weeks year-round, but she will never be hired as the company (an Ivy League university) doesn't want to be responsible for her benefits. She has a Master's degree and does highly skilled work for them, I can't imagine how tough it is for temps on the other end of the educational scale. It's an entire ecosystem of "disposable" workers.
I think it's over-analyzed due to over-exposure. Now that I think of it, is "over-exposure" even a thing anymore? When something is spread so quickly and thoroughly it is often not subjected to critical analysis prior to being welcomed as truth by large groups of people. While this particular instance seems relatively harmless, it's sad to to think of how widely accepted other bits of untruth can become, for purposes of exemplification: the vaccination debacle. I think debunking even the most innocuous bits of misinformation can help stem the tide of these sorts of things.
I saw this title, thought it related to "Pink Flamingos" and got excited. Then I read the article... I hate $5 words being used to defend 10 cent ideas.
I've seen a real decline in the quality of immersion now that GTA V has the "real money" for "game money" cycle going. I was told this was to push people away from repeatedly racing and towards mission-based play, but I have my doubts.
Did you see this bit in the comments? http://www.naturalnews.com/042708_Walmart_EBT_glitch_police_...# Police are planning on publishing the faces of those who purchased items with an underfunded card to help "identify" people. Seems pointless to me, it's not like their cards weren't linked to their names and addresses. What's the point of publishing their photos? Public shaming?
That's true, but it's still very cost prohibitive for the average person. Here's hoping they develop some "budget" flight options soon. I'd totally fly economy class to Mars, screaming babies be damned.
Perhaps because the idea of space travel is so inaccessible and a bit abstract to the average person? I wonder if more people would express interest if they became more cognizant of the concrete ways space travel benefits their daily life. Maybe someone should rent out some billboards and plaster them with some of these facts... http://www.spaceexplorationday.us/benefits/space-benefits-ma...
I think this statement could be applied to anything though. Why do we enjoy a television show about working in an office more than we enjoy watching people actually work in one? Etc...
I agree with you, but I also see a parallel trend toward simplification. No "kinda happy" or "sort of sad" but "omg euphoria" and "ultimate fail." Even CNN now categorizes news into "Good" or "Bad" with no subtlety, no room left for nuance. I wonder how the elimination of "shades of grey" will affect our experiences as humans.
This movie is amazing, taking place before zombies became the monolithic zeitgeist we have today. I especially enjoy the fact that it's one of the first films to have a black hero, though the female characters serve mostly as vehicles for male development/exposition. Here's an interesting article on the character of Ben, and the actor who portrayed him: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/blog-post/night-living-dead-ca... The ending of NLD gets me right in the feels every time.
I wonder how this will change as the status quo becomes more extreme (wage gaps, inequity in healthcare etc..).
Reminds me of how game developers are placing "glitched" copies of their games online for pirates. From this article: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/29/eight-of-the-most-hil... "If Rocksteady's Batman Arkham Asylum detects a pirated copy, Batman's cape will refuse to open, preventing players from gliding. Besides making it much harder for pirates to be The Bat, it also makes the game unwinnable - gliding is required to progress in multiple sections of the game." And "Ubisoft isn't the only major publisher capable of clever and devious anti-piracy measures. If Mirror's Edge from EA detects you're playing with a pirated copy, it automatically slows you down before you reach key jumps that require lots of speed."
I went to school for a bit as a photography major as well, before digital photography became so monolithic. There was something so serene about the smell of chemicals and the radio playing in the dim red light.
While I don't agree with Anonymous terrorizing the man's family, providing him with payout larger than the one received by his victims has some pretty nasty symbolic overtones.
To piggy back off your comment, specifically the portion that says, "(Meritocracy)..enables you to look down on others and justify inequality," struck me as especially poignant. The dangers of meritocracy don't stop at economic disadvantage, but continue into the religious arena with concepts such as karma, (the "untouchables" deserve to starve because of what they did in a past life, etc.). This sort of "bleed" is fascinating, and serves to further illuminate your point on the dangers of a merit-based society in any capacity. Why are so many societies obsessed with forcing people to pull themselves up by their (often non-existent) boot straps? I think it has a lot to do with the staple Steinbeck quote which states, "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." Who promotes the ideal of the temporarily embarrassed millionaire though?