mental manifestations

One of the things I learned over time is that life becomes less black and white as you get older. Right versus wrong tend be very relative since there can be many factors that decide what is a proper course of action. Hard, known facts will never change. One plus one will always equal two (in a base 10 numerical sytem). However, what we know (or think we do) will not preclude our will to act based on how we judge or interpret that knowledge.

For about twenty years, we go through educational system where we are taught basics and fundamentals in various subjects. We are told what to do or how to do, but why we do is something that I have always felt was lacking. I came to the conclusion that it is that can’t be taught; it’s a more personal learning experience that has to be realized on its own.

It is considerably frustrating conteding with people who act upon the notion of doing something “the right way” when there are clear, multiple alternatives. As long as there are good reasons why choices are made, I could care less about what the actual choice is. However, that is not an invitation for stupid choices. Knowledge is a powerful thing and should be used responsibly.

Whenever someone asks me if there is a right or wrong way to do something, barring moral situations, when there isn’t a clear answer I always have to answer, “It depends.” Then I typically have to follow-up with various why one would choose to something one way as opposed to another method. I believe that a good solution should be found as long as it is the best solution for the situation.

I am seeing this more and more as I grow older. Many people seem to lack this foresight and become stuck on a detrimental path or become too preoccupied with minutiae. I myself have down this road before, and I try to make myself better from it. The end goal is what really matters, but it shouldn’t be a justification for amoral means. What we do or how we carry out our life doesn’t matter as much as why. Without it, there is no point behind anything.

Usually whenever someone asks me a question, I always have to respond with the following question:

• What are you really asking?

People aren’t typically upfront about what they want, and getting through their bullshit is really annoying. Another follow-up question I sometimes after that, and tone can vary a lot with this one, is:

• What are you so afraid of?

That tends to either put a stop to people’s queries or get them talking about what the real problem is.

My latest personal project was to migrate and update the site of my kung fu school. My sifu had asked me for input on the website since the original administrator was moving to a different hosting provider. Ideas were thrown around, and I suggested moving the site to a Wordpress configuration.

There were two roadpaths with Wordpress: have it hosted on Wordpress.com, the commercial enterprise owned and started by the same people who created Wordpress; or use Wordpress.org which has the downloadable free, open-source blogging platform software. After having used Wordpress.org for years and years, I decided to explore the Wordpress.com option.

There are differences between the “com” and “org” incarnations of Wordpress. I have been a user of Wordpress for years, running it on my own hosting provider (actually sharing it with someone else). I had also signed up on Wordpress.com (for an Akismet account) and thought, at the time, that it was very limited. I do not know what changes have taken place since then but I explored the options available, and liked them better than the base package Google Sites or Windows Live provides.

All I did to migrate my school’s website was create an account, set up some pages, picked a theme, uploaded some files, copied content, created a new banner image, and then mapped the domain. I didn’t have to worry about back-end administration like databases, backups, disk space, themes, and so on. I can do the same thing on my own, but I didn’t want to take on those responsibilities at the time.

Wordpress.com already provided everything (or nearly everything) I had done with my own blog and Youth A.C.T.’s website and not to mention that most features are free right from the start. A simple website doesn’t need much more than that. However, as feature-rich as Wordpress.com is, they are still rather limited in terms of how much control you can exude over your site.

After some initial discussion with my instructor, we determined what we wanted in the website and the feasibility of implementing ideas. I decided that it would be best to move the school’s site off to its own Wordpress-hosted service where we could control the site on a deeper level. This largely meant being able to utilize other themes not available on Wordpress.com, install plug-ins that suited our needs, and being able to customize the look and feel.

The new (new) site has up and functional for a few weeks now. A lot of people I solicited for feedback have said it looks very nice and professional (their opinion, not mine) and that information is much easier to find. I can’t take complete credit for what I did; Wordpress has great community support and dozens of plug-ins and themes, and the authors deserve lots of thanks for their efforts.

I wasn’t very excited by Google Buzz when it was announced especially when Facebook has already taken over the social networking market. There aren’t many people I know who don’t use Facebook. However, I’m liking the information stream much more than Facebook. It feels and looks cleaner, and Google has beaten Facebook in regard of aggregating content.

Buzz is a a much better aggregator than trying to individually manage each independent feed (especially in Google Reader). One could use Yahoo! Pipes or some other feed aggregating service to pull all this information together. People are generally lazy though, which is largely the reason why I never bothered to do such a task.

Google isn’t really in the social computing market so far (ignoring Orkut), and the services they provide don’t necessarily translate to such a platform (though they can). That is one advantage I would promote Google over Facebook. You basically start out with nothing, and build up what information you optionally want to show.

Facebook is the exact opposite of this; they provide “everything” (by this, I mean commonly used applications) and try to monopolize your information. Facebook’s options to include outside sites in their feeds is very hidden and tucked away, whereas Google makes this much easier and open and gives users more freedom.

Google Buzz also wins in the “privacy” area simply because the content you include is optional. You don’t have to include your Flickr photostream, your Twitter account, and so forth. Facebook has failed in their privacy controls by making them overly complex and granular for users. The backlash they received contributes to it, but I don’t blame Facebook entirely for their privacy problems.

The one thing I would like to see is bouncing replies or comments back to the original source. It don’t believe it is an easy problem to solve. Not everyone using Google has an account at the various sites people choose to include for aggregation. Also, there are many features that some social networking sites have because they are a specialized site. Flickr is a community built around photo sharing, YouTube for videos, Twitter for communication, and the list goes on. Facebook tries to solve this problem by locking you in to their platform.

I think it’s an interesting application, but I suspect it’ll be another tiresome “one of those things I have to check.” I have no problems logging into Facebook, Twitter, or Google Reader to catch up on what is going on within my own social network. Google just makes it easier to read all of it without having to jump all over the Internet playground.

I think Apple has made a very wise choice by devleoping the iPad and announcing it today. I agree with Steve Jobs that the netbook is dead. Actually, I never thought it was alive from the start. Netbooks also seemed like crippled devices, and I couldn’t understand or justify paying a lump sum of money for hardware that was only to be used for browsing the Internet. I would rather much prefer an iPhone or an Android phone, or even a regular laptop, over a netbook.

Apple really seems to be pushing the all-in-one be-all end-all solution for general consumers’ computing needs with the iPad. I seriously think that just the introduction of the iPad is going to revolutionize future devices even more so. Being closed isn’t so bad in Apple’s case. They have been continuously creating revolutions for years and years. The iPad actually reminds me of the various futuristic devices seen in movies. They are devices that very small and compartmentalized but yet seem to do so much.

I like that it’s a larger iTouch. The iTouch, while a nifty device, never felt more than a novelty to me considering that it’s nothing but a stripped-down iPhone and beefed-up iPod on a teeny-tiny screen. Apple has certainly created a very nice platform with their store of applications, and it is certainly nice to not have to worry about managing the nitty-gritty underpinnings of the operating system (me, being a crazy computer user).

I would love to lug around a slim-profile computer around especially to my living room where I can do a quick web browsing during live TV without having to switch inputs to my living room PC (whose only purpose if for gaming anyway) or walking the 20 feet back to my other computer (despite how small my apartment is, it’s very annoying to do and I spend enough time in my room as it is).

However, my lifestyle also does not necessarily beg the need for an iPad much like I don’t need a smartphone either. There is rarely a time that I am not near a computer throughout the day. Being a full-time programmer requires me to use a computer. I hardly travel anywhere besides commuting to work everyday by car. It would be a stupid idea and a death wish to use a computer while driving. I am doing some kind of physical activity nearly everyday or taking care of household tasks that computers can’t do. The free time I do have isn’t much, and usually by that time I am ready to fall asleep.

I realize why I can’t get excited about the iPad. Apple’s technologies don’t provide me with any advantage over what I can already do now on my own systems. I still believe that watching movies and listening to music and shrunken devices is a very cheapening experience. Apple still isn’t at the point where they can compete with the video game industry despite that developers have created casual, mobile games. That is the one area that I think where they can at least decently compete with Nintendo.

I think Apple has hit a very good price point for it. The cost of Apple’s technologies has always been a huge turnoff for me because I don’t feel they offer a justifiable value for what they offer at their price. $500 as a base price plus the data pricing plans ($30 for unlimited data) is incredibly attractive. Bu I honestly thought Apple was going to develop a better non-app-based system at least running Mac OS X and having a decent solid state drive. I don’t discredit them though; I really like think they are onto something in the world of computers.

My sister gave me The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for Christmas, and I have been fastidiously trying to complete it since the holiday. The whole concept of the game — conducting a train and restoring train tracks connected to ancient spirits — is rather odd, but Nintendo has made the adventure entertaining. The game is enjoyable, but its experience is rather detaching.

My personal favorite incarnation of the Zelda series, and also my choice for best video game of all time, is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game is over a decade old now and was released on hardware that is considerably dated by today’s standards. No Zelda game comes close to its standard save for its sequel, Majora’s Mask, which is a close contender.

The game’s plot and pacing is one of mystery and excitement that really makes the player personally vested in the adventure. The introduction to the game is dark and mysterious that suddenly forces the player to immediately take the role of Link, the Hero of Time. Little background is revealed about Link and the game, but it sets up a responsibility that is almost overwhelming that is slowly discovered as the game progresses. Once the player progresses enough, the plot becomes more comfortable and familiar while retaining the sense of new adventure throughout the game.

The other strong point of the game is the time-travelling concept, one of the most common science fiction plot devices, that really shapes the entire adventure. The player initially controls Link as a child, and then is suddenly forced into adulthood (through a seven-year slumber of time travel magic) to save Hyrule. The evil that has spread over seven years changes locations and their inhabitants, and the player has to time-travel back and forth to restore the balance to the world.

Each step that the player takes and every completed task brings about a sense of accomplishment. The game creates an emotional evoking environment, a “big picture” painting of the universe, that becomes the player’s personal world. Actions that the player does in the past affects situations in the future, and it’s done in a very compartmentalized manner. The game’s presentation treads lightly on the cinematic front and holds back from overdoing it so that it doesn’t detract from a full interactive gaming experience.

Few games come close to the emotional experience of Ocarina of Time but often remove the player from full immersion by providing much more backstory that creates something akin to an interactive movie instead. What I think makes it the greatest game above all is that it is the archetype of good versus evil without the complex grey area of morality that other games have. The game becomes an emotional investment right from the start drawing you in until the ending scene that leaves you with a breath of relief and wonderment of everything that you had done before.

This was a dream a friend of mine once had in high school. He posted it on a message forum for our improv troupe. I saved it for a really long time, and was doing some cleanup on my hard drive when I found it.

So I had this hilarious dream and I HAD to post it here.

Matt Chan and I were in an English class taught by Mr. Barry, and that cruel bully, Ray Chandler, was also in the class, terrorizing all of us and being a general menace. But there was nothing either of us could do, as he was big and scary.

So Mr. Barry was showing everyone in class some of the things he did when he was little, and one of them was a card he made for one of his teachers. The card said, “Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, Mr. McChan!”  Now, I was trying to figure out exactly what the hell an Irish Chinese guy would look like, and that’s when it hit me:

Irish + Chinese = SUPERHUMAN!!

Matt and I merely needed to combine powers to combat 3v1l!!  So, in an anime-like seizure inducing high-five that transformed us into a 1337, cool, super guy.

But who was this guy, you may ask?

Jack + Chan= JACKIE CHAN!!

Thus, as Jackie Chan, we challenged the 3v1l ray chandler to a duel, and he surrendered in fear.

My subconscious is as crazy as I am.

Many thanks to give
for the people in our lives
and times together

With each passing day, I’ve been noticing more and more that people seem to lack a sense of foresight. You can blame technology for this which has afforded us with such convenience and affordability that instant gratification has spoiled us so badly that we expect everything to be so easily provided. I won’t say that this is the only cause, but it is a factor. I’m thinking that it’s even more basic than that. I believe it’s about survival which is manifesting in people’s desire to maintain control of their world even if it interferes and disrupts the lives of others.

There are things that people can’t control no matter how hard they try, and often people will complain because they can’t get what they want. Most complaints I hear are knee-jerk reactions, short-sighted, and lacking perspective. The only perspective is that of the complainer’s and it is usually a self-serving interest. These will too easily commit all sorts of logical fallacies for the sake of “argument” under the illusion that whoever can talk louder or faster can claim the title of being “right” and win what is basically a shouting match. The world is bigger than any one individual’s life.

I’m reminded of an experiment one of my professors told our class about randomness. People had a choice between choosing Object A or Object B and would receive either a reward or punishment (a mild shock) depending on which object they chose. The reward/punishment system was random every round when the subject made a choice about which object to pick. Our professor also told us that the same experiment had been given to monkeys. Animal rights aside, what the researchers discovered was that the monkeys learned that choosing the same object over and over yielded more reward in the long term. The human subjects didn’t produce results as good as the monkeys. You could question various aspects of the test, but it doesn’t change what it highlights.

Resistance is very destructive and people seem to go this route more often than trying to find resolution in harmony. I knew someone in high school had a shirt that read, “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” The mob mentality, when composed of narrow-minded views and poor application, reflects badly on everyone. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy (things usually never are) solution to fix this, and doing so would need a large amount of time before any change occurs. Trying to upheave and replace an entire social culture all at once would be chaotic.

It’s an emergent behavior that makes me want to avoid people because everyone seems to be looking out for themselves instead of each other. I don’t want to partake in that, and it suppose it’s a reason why my choices and behavior don’t seem “logical” to others even though all I am doing is, in a sense, trying to survive. It’s all anyone is trying to do.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the most impressive games I have played in a very long time. Right when I played through the demo, I could tell this was a game that was definitely needs to be played. After garnering such acclaim from every video game review source, it is not surprising that this game deserves so much praise.

One of the best things about this game is that it is a very original story written by Paul Dini, a veteran Batman writer whose work includes Batman: The Animated Series (a very good and mature cartoon series from the 1990’s). Voice actors from the animated series also reprise their respective roles in this game. Kevin Conroy, whose has been the longstanding voice of any animated Batman incarnation, instantly makes the iconic hero’s presence that much greater the moment you hear it. It stands out right from the start. Opposite Kevin Conroy is Mark Hamill as The Joker who also manages to really show you what kind of mania and destruction he is going to cause right as the game takes off. The moment these two characters go at it, you already know that you’re in for a ride. Arleen Sorkin lends her voice as Harley Quinn once again, and the interplay between her, Batman, and Joker really sets up the entire adventure.

Most free roaming games I’ve played haven’t been too thrilling (except for the Grand Theft Auto series and Mafia) mainly because they don’t really take advantage of this huge environment they have available to them. The entire game takes place on Arkham Island (which houses various buildings of Arkham Asylum) keeping Batman confined until the game is over. This makes the game’s entire storyline more coherent because it creates a sense that the madness on the island has to be stopped. Had the game taken place in Gotham City, the game would probably let the played walk around to do whatever until he was ready to take on a new mission; it’s a feeling of the typical crime-fighting night for Batman with a detached “epic storyline” to it. On Arkham Island, there are no random civilians to save or crimes to be stopped as you roam around. Arkham Asylum gives you purpose and meaning for every action you take. Every subplot is just part of the larger story at hand. Nothing ever feels out of place in the game from the trove of classic Batman foes to the hidden trophies scattered around the island with clues from The Riddler.

The real gem of the game is that it puts the player in full control of Batman. There is no walking around and fighting you way through each “level” (a term relative to 2-D side-scrollers but 3-D games tend to do as well) to get to an end boss and move on. You can sneak up on foes and silently take them out, utilize a variety of bat gadgets, glide through the air, and perform all sorts of combative moves. The game is more focused on what Batman needs to perform rather than being designed as a bunch of discrete events cobbled together by a crippled, half-baked gameplay that you see in other typical games. This is especially true of movie tie-ins which do a bad job of rehashing one work into an entirely different medium. The line, “It’s not who I am underneath, but it’s what I do that defines me,” (Batman Begins) is an appropriate quote for this game. Thankfully, Batman’s suit is also not invincible against gunfire. A quick barrage of bullets will take you out which emphasizes the stealthy role Batman needs to take when the inmates are running the asylum. As a classic “good guys win, bad guys lose” deal, the game is made to set you up for victory, but you have to put in the effort for it, and the experience never feels cheapened because of it.

Arkham Asylum is a complete Batman experience. Everything little detail of the game blends and flows together so well that it is hard to find almost any flaw. It does Batman a huge sense of justice because it perfectly captures the epitome of his character. It is one of those rare, well developed video games that can take a concept, transform it, and deliver a package of art.