Tides of Disruption

This week I stumbled upon a trove of interesting tidbits in the form of Malstrom. I'm not sure if that is his real name, but his articles are quite a read. http://malstrom.50webs.com/ is his site and deals exclusively with Nintendo and their current business model. I really enjoyed the two recent articles about the shields and sword of asymmetry. It still amazes me that so few are willing to see what is right in front of their eyes. Well, saddened is more apt; there goes my misanthropy again! I guess time will tell if things progress along those lines or not. Although Nintendo's current trajectory seems to be just that, one of disruption. I'm excited to see how the industry will be transformed.

Whirlwind of Life Took Me Away

It has been quite sometime since I have written anything here. In January our second daughter, Milena, arrived and with work and school I have had little time here. Likewise, I've had little of note to write about. All the previous left me with severe apathy toward the blog. Who knows maybe I'll post more again, not that anyone reads this though.

Joining the Unwashed Masses

Well, it finally happened...I won something. I haven't won anything since I was eight years old and won a custom G.I. Joe from my local Fox T.V. station. But history aside, I am now the owner of a XBox 360. I'm excited because Too Human comes out next year and was the only reason I wanted one. I own six other game systems from NES to a Wii, and game time is short with a family. However, I now have a small list of 2008 titles that interest me on the XBox. Omega Five on XBox Live is begging to claim my money when it hits this month. Huumm...arcade style shooter game...drool...naustalgia...oops! Hahaha, sorry couldn't resist. I like the main interface on the XBox, although I do prefer the interface on the Wii. My only real complaint so far is the fan...my goodness that thing is loud! I have to turn the volume up just to hear the game! I haven't had much time to get to know my new addition, because when I do have time to play it is almost always taken my Persona 3. That game is stellar, I have no compliants about it. I'm at level 95 now and boy, I can't get enough. I'm tempted to do the Clear Game after I beat it, but too many games have piled up since I started in August. Metroid Prime 3 Still begs to be played and don't even mention Mario Galaxy I just got or any of my new XBox games, sheesh! I only wish I get caught up, I still have Gamecube, DS, and PS2 games to finish before starting/ finishing the Wii games I have. I've got old NES games that plead for my attention. Now that I'm older I just don't have the time, what with family and work to finish everything. ...Sigh...
Anyway, I digress. I have played the Turok demo and I'm excited about that title. It really reminds me of the N64 original I used to play. Some of the dialogue is modern FPS macho nonsense, but we are talking about the XBox. My internet at home(I'm at work now) is having problems that AT&T hasn't really addressed since it started four months ago, I'm not holding m breath for that to change, so I've not really been able to try "teh Multiplaya" yet. I really have a great adversion to it anyway, have since it's consection on PCs in the Ninties. Well, I've rambled on long enough. Well, at least now I'm part of the "Next-Gen" gaming(what a farce)-sarcasm added-

Releasing My Inner Skeptic

I know that most people will disagree with me and heatedly so...but I can't bring myself to believe that Global Warming is the bogeyman in the closet. I recently read an article about Al Gore receiving a Nobel Peace Prize in conjunction with a research group over something about Global Warming. History repeats itself and it amazes me how the scientific community ignores previous research because it doesn't fit with the current theory. Fears about global warming and/or global freezing have been around since at least the 1900s, it just flip-flops between the two. I know a lot of people would point to the "facts" that the world temperature is raising and that the Polar Ice Caps are melting, etc. Except that previously the scenario has already played out and the temperature then went back down. The current world temperature is lower that a few years ago, it just smacks of human pride to assume that we can destroy the world. If we ignited every nuclear weapon at once, it would destroy life as we know it not destroy the world.
Now, while I may not buy the whole gloom and doom nonsense about the mass extinctions and being burned alive by the Sun's radiation, I do believe that mankind should be conservative. While the world won't be destroyed by us, we can in fact bring about our own extinction. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere doesn't alarm because of supposedly widening the whole in the Ozone, but because of the detriment of smog. Our actions have consequences and many of them are negative and left uncorrected can harm our well being. War and terrorism has a larger effect on mankind as a whole in my opinion than does alleged global warming. I guess the whole point of my diatribe is that why focus such attention on a threat that isn't a threat when millions of people suffer in poverty and disease. What good will a perfect atmosphere (taking the profound leap that the threat is what its made out to be) if the majority of the populous can't benefit from it. An apt quote come to mind "clean first the inner vessel, then clean the outer".

Thou am I...I am thou; I spring from the sea of your soul.

Lately I've been spending some quality time with Atlus title Persona 3. We get along wonderfully, too wonderfully. I'm 40 hours into it and I LOVE this game. I haven't been this into a game for quite some time. The only one close was Twilight Princess back in November of last year (good times...good times). I usually get really bored with RPGs at about this point, but I'm frothing at the mouth to get back to this one. The dungeon crawling is broken up between school activities and developing social links with people you meet. The dungeon battles aren't random which I prefer, random battles grate on my patience when I'm not in the mood to deal with a slime or whatever. The leveling up isn't to tedious and comes with distinct benefits IE. better personas and more abilities for said personas. Like the other Persona games you do a lot of the heavy damage with the personas, different from the previous games in the series is the method of calling forth these personas. In the previous installments there was some physical trauma that sent you to the world between reality and dreams where Philemon, a ambiguous benefactor, bestows upon you the ability to call forth personifications of your true self, or other personas. This time the characters use a pistol like "envoker" to traumatize there psyke and release the persona. Just like before not every one can use personas, just a select few have this ability.
The divergences from the RPG norms to me, make it fresh and a blast to play through. The not so subtle psychoanalytical symbols, such as delving into Tartus like climbing higher into the human mind and having to face trauma to really face your true self, are not lost on me and make it very intriguing. The story is a nice one with each social link you develop having a unique back story that is not related, in most cases, to the main story at all. It's actually like being a student with magical abilities and saving the world before finals. I can't count how many times I fantasized about that when I was younger and to some extent still do. Great game and almost as fun a good book.

Bemuu...sed??

Well, in keeping with the posting more often here I am. Not that anyone actually reads my ramblings, but at least I get some kind of enjoyment out of them. Working for this new firm is great, its a real testosterone farm! No whining or one-a-month PMSing here! The girl that was working here when I came relapsed into cocaine use and for some odd reason they let her go...surprised? No, didn't think so. That leaves me doing the job of two again, ala DeMent and Gammon again. This time; however, I get the marks for it which is good. It's hard not to notice since I'm the only assistant/paralegal/receptionist(harhargh). My computer has a subwoofer, so...the benefits are mounting. Seriously, I do love my job and the firm I work for is great. I do wish I had some intelligent conversation, but the world isn't perfect is it?
Anyway, I recently found the joy that is Objectionable Content, a webcomic, I laugh quite a bit and the snarky characters and sarcastic humour really is up my alley, if you get me. It is to music sub-culture what Ctrl+Atl+Del is to gaming. Good stuff there. I found the comic in links for Dr. McNinja, which rocks the raptors you know, a comic I do so enjoy. What's not to like about a ninja that is also a doctor?! That's what I thought. I have realized that although my music tastes vary into many genres, the artists/groups I tend to like the most are usually obscure to the common man and or small, furry, woodland animal. I guess that says a bit about my personality, what exactually still escapes me.

Bad Bacon Can Make You Sick

Well, it's been a LONG time since I've had time to post here. Things with the last firm I was at didn't work out really. I'm grateful for the opportunity, but I've got a family to provide for. Speking of that, my wife is pregnant with our second child. We won't know what it will be until next month, we're very excited! Aaliyah is growing too fast though. She's already starting to talk a little. The house we bought is great and I'm so glad we took the risk and bought the house. I feel more secure somehow, that might not make sense, but there exists a sort of completion in owning my own home.
Shin Megami Tensei or more commonly known as Persona 3 on this shore comes out over here tomorrow. I like that one, it's a great RPG(which I'm not very into really). The big thing though is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption that drops the 27th! Can we say belated birthday present to myself? I knew you could... Sorry inside joke there. Well, gotta run. Hope to post more often, but chances are probally not very likely.

Bringing Home the Uncooked Bacon!

I just changed firms I work for and now I deal mostly with Hispanics, which is fine because I need the help with my Spanish. I also don't think that community as a whole gets a fair shake, you know? I lived in Brasil and as a foreigner things can be hard to adapt to. Anyway, I'm getting closer to the end of this semester and studying like crazy. I kick myself for waiting so long to go to college. It seemed like a good idea, but now going at night is like a slow, creeping death! The light at the end of my tunnel never seems to get any closer. I know no one reads this blog, but it feels good to start writing again. I got Sonic and the Secret Rings a bit ago and Super Paper Mario this month, not much time to spend on them though. I played a good bit on Sonic, not so much on Mario.
I really haven't had much time to spend gaming, which I lament, but I have just finished The Children of Hurien that just came out. I love Tolkien! In two days I finished the narrative, and it was very well done. The depiction of a tragic hero was great. I knew what was coming, but it was still awesome! I would recommend that book to anyone. It feels good to get back to writing again.

Politics

I know most of the time my posts are about video games, that's what interests me, but I do read quite a bit about politics and current events. I've read a lot about the hopefuls for 2008 Presidential Nominations and I don't see anyone that I'm willing to vote for. Obama might make me cross party lines and vote socialist, but I doubt it. At least with Bush/Kerry I had the lesser of two evils to choose from. I at least knew what kind of social conservatism to expect from President Bush, and got exactly what I expected! This time around I'm not sure so far who to vote for. It's sad when to not have a dog in this race for so long. Is Washington Completely populated by politicians? God, I hope not(Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get that out).