Gaming generations

I've said before that I'm a gamer, but it's kinda strange that I got my first PS2 when I was 15. I never played the NES or SNES, or the PSOne or Nintentdo 64. I played a bit of Sonic on the Sega Genesis (don't know why I say Genesis instead of Sega Mega Drive, but there you go) but there are a lot of games I missed out on. So even though I consider myself a gamer, there is a lot of stuff that I just haven't played, because I jumped straight to PS2. I really feel now that I need to hunt down these classics; my PS2 is backwards compatible, the entire PSOne library is open to me. I actually bought a Sonic Collection for a tenner in Game, and feel I should try to hunt down a lot of these.

Interviews

My first 'evening muse', as I have had friends over all day and had no time to get out a blog post. I had a job interview today and got rejected for a job I was interviewed for last week. And I started thinking; interviews are a stressful thing to go through. You sit in front of several strangers and let them spend an hour judging you. But it must be really difficutlt from their end. They need to be certain that they pick the right person for the job, and have to decide between you and the other people they interview. I guess if I were to put myself in their shoes, I'd be inclined to hire someone with previous experience in a role, rather than taking a chance with someone you would have to teach. It sucks for people like me who need someone to give them a chance, but I guess it makes it easier to handle rejection if you think about it from their point of view.

Internet Celebrities

In this day and age, it is possible for a person to become 'internet famous' or an 'internet celebrity'. You've got people who run their own fan-sites, and then you've got webcomic artists, then you've got YouTube. The rise of video sites like Youtube and Blip have made it possible for many people to create their own video series. The best internet projects are the ones that people do for fun, but there are a lot of people out there who seem to do anything to get attention; one of these is by flaming popular internet people. Some people find that negative attention is better than no attention, and this is a shame really. The other thing people do is think that they have the right to tell people what they should be working on. In his latest History of Power Rangers, Linkara had to dedicate a full six minutes of the video to this topic, after people complained that the series wasn't coming out fast enough. I really agree with what he said; that it is supposed to be fun, being hassled to make a series turns it into work, if it stops being fun he'll stop doing it. It just bugs me that people think they have the right to tell strangers whom they've never met that they should spend every free moment making something to entertain them.

Opinions and Law

It's interesting that moral debates can really show where we differ in terms of opinion. For example, I'm completely against the death sentence. I don't believe killing someone carries out justice, it just makes you as bad as the person being sentenced. But there are many people who think differently; when life in prison dosen't always mean life, some people believe that we should have the death penalty. It's interesting, because we all think so differently, and I don't think anyone is wrong in their beliefs, just that certain things are important to different people.

Internet Reliance

I lost my internet connection this morning, hence the later than usual post. It was quickly resolved by rebooting my computer, but it's interesting how much we rely on the internet now. I remember when I could only go on at the weekends, and even then I couldn't go on for as long as I wanted because it would rack up the phone bill. Now I use it for pretty much everything; email, bank balance, job applications, entertainment, so when it goes down, there's a lot of things I can't do. The internet is a pretty important part of our lives now, and I think this is a good thing, but I also think we need to be able to cope without it (and now I'm having flashbacks to that South Park episode!)

Make-Up

This is something I've never really understood; for a lot of people, make-up is one of the most important things. Many people won't leave the house without wearing any. I dunno, I wear make-up on nights out, and occasionally wear a bit of eyeliner, but it just dosen't seem worth it every day. I think it's an appearance thing; when someone wears make-up all the time it becomes the norm, and suddenly they can't go without. I just think it's a shame that so many women are so concious about their appearance.

Uni versus work

It's funny to think that this time last year I had a bunch of assignments I was frantically trying to get through. The weeks leading up to Christmas were some of the most stressful I had ever had. As a student, you have a lot more time in the day to do these things, but somehow there is always a last minute rush. The thing I like about being out of uni and in a job is that I can clock out at six, go home, and it's no longer my problem. I can spend my free time as I like. Have to say though, I do miss the student loan. It's also funny to think that the next fourty years of my life will be spent working.

Holidays Approaching

Now that we're in late November I now feel it's justified to start thinking about Christmas. I think it's silly how early shops start selling Christmas stuff; the one I work at started at the beginning of October! And people were actually buying stuff! I suppose mince pies can be excused, they are only in the shops this time of year, so if people really like them they will buy them as soon as they appear on the shelves. But buying a Chrismas pudding in October? Seems a little silly to me. From a business standpoint , shops want to make money and Christmas is a good time of year for that, I guess it's down to us to decide when to start buying stuff.

Deathly Hallows Part 1

Since I went to see the new Harry Potter film yesterday, I thought I'd give a few of my thoughts on it. First of all, they definately made the right choice by splitting it into two films; the pacing of everything seemed just right, and it would have been difficult to cover everything without rushing it. My main issue is that I feel I could have sat down for the entire two part film in one sitting, and it was annoying to be cut off. I was always wondering where they would split the films, since it must be hard to find a cut-off point. I was surprised that they covered so much in the first film, it leaves about three major events for the second film, but I suppose that gives them a chance to dedicate a lot of time to the final battle. I would definately recommend seeing the film, I would say it's one of the best, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that they have the time to really tell the story.

Race and Work

Something that really bugs me is the assumption that this link is important. My first job was in a petrol station, and I always used to joke about being the 'token Brit'. About a week after I got the job, a customer was surprised that I was English; fair enough, I was kinda in the minority, but then he said I was "too good for this place" and that really bugged me. I'd been working there a few days, I was the most junior member of staff, the only advantage I had over most of my collegues was that English was my first language. I was the most likely person to mess up, and before this job I had no retail experience whatsoever. The fact that he judged me purely on my nationality really did bother me.

Fanart and Pageviews

I have been on Deviantart for many years now (not very actively though, I haven't drawn anything in months), and fanart has always been an interesting subject. The main argument a lot of people have made is that people draw fanart from a popular series for the sole purpose of getting pageviews. I don't think this is the case. If someone enjoys drawing fanart then why shouldn't they post a lot of it? When it comes to fanart I like my drawings to reflect a thought I've had about the series in question. Then there are people who constantly complain about the fact that the fanart in their gallery gets more pageviews than their original work. Of course it's going to, people actively search for fanart. The piece in my gallery that has the most pageviews is a static shot of the cast of Final Fantasy IV. Sure it kinda bugs me since I think I've drawn better stuff, but I enjoyed drawing it at the time, it's still drawing people to my account, and I'm grateful for that. I think fanart is just as legitimate as original work, and shouldn't be looked down upon.

Spare a Penny

We always get annoyed by all the loose change handing around in our purse/wallet, but this is one of the easiest ways to give to charity. Sure, putting 20ps worth of pennies into a chairty pot might not seem like much, but it's still a contribution. And if it's a busy place, if everyone donated 20p it would soon add up. I think it's better to give change to charity than to hold up a queue to unload it on a cashier. Another thing that's interesting is that children are obsessed with putting money into charity pots. I don't really know why, but I've always liked the fact that children have this mindset, and it's not the sort of thing a parent can say no to without looking like a jerk.

Characters as a function

Another character-writing muse from me, this one looking at how characters are created. As the title suggests, my characters are a function before they become a person. I think; what is their purpose in the story? Are they the hero, the brains behind the outfit, the helpful friend, a mentor figure? Once I've established their purpose in the story, I start to give them  a backstory and basic personality traits (although these can change, as I've said before, stories write themselves to a degree, so the personality I plan isn't always the one I go with). Sex is an interesting one; most of the time a character's sex is decided around the same time as their function (if they are a love interest, it's pretty important). But there is one character I have created who was planned to me male, but as I started putting the character together it made a lot more sense to make the character female, so she changed sex. Not everybody writes characters this way, and I am interested in seeing other peoples' creative process, because there have to be a lot of ways of building a character.

Bag guilt

I suppose the environmental message has really started to affect people, to the point where if I ask someone if they want a bag for their shopping, they hesitate for a good thirty seconds as if it's the hardest question they have even been asked. To be honest, I'm not going to give someone a guilt trip about it, plastic bags do have their uses. I tend to take a backpack with me when I do my weekly shop, and I'm kinda surprised more people don't do this; it seriously makes it easier to carry stuff. The only thing that really bugs me is when people want a bag for the most ridiculous things; a toothbrush will fit in your handbag, or could go in one of your other bags, there is barely any point in taking a bag for something so small. I don't think we need to feel terrible each time we ask for a bag, we just need to assess whether or not it is necessary.

You really can analyse anything

I was thinking this yesterday while watching the latest episode of Linkara's 'History of the Power Rangers'. I never watched Power Rangers, but it is interesting to see an analysis from the perspective of a fan. If you can do a serious analysis of Power Rangers, I think you can analyse anything if you're passionate enough about it. I guess it comes down to fans reading more into things than the writers intended, or that certain themes will crop up even if the writers didn't intend them. Six months ago I was an English lit student, so my mind has been trained to analyse not only books, but pretty much any story. I think it's good to look at fiction this way, I think analysis can often make something more enjoyable, because you enjoy it on more than one level.

Association

Something I've found a lot is that people don't like their interests to be associated with certain words, because they feel it demeans it. I suppose the biggest one is 'cartoon'. The word cartoon has a lot of associations with children's programming, or something silly. While I would use the term animation to refer to anything animated, I'm generally okay to call any western animation a cartoon, becuase generally it is. Depending on the content, I am less willing to refer to anime as cartoons, because when you have shows like Fullmetal Alchemist the word just dosen't sit right. It's a cultural thing; in the west, animated works are not always for children, but a lot of the time they are childish. In Japan, animated works can be silly and childish, but also deep, complex, emotional and violent (then there's hentai, but I'm not getting into that). Some people would refuse to refer to any anime as a cartoon because there is a huge cultural difference, some just don't want to admit they are watching a kids' show. I watch disney films, so I have no problem with stuff meant for children.

Priorities with Money

It is interesting to look at different people in the world, and they way they spend their money. Some people find some things more important than others. Jamie Oliver, in the introduction to Jamie's Dinners said that if he ever suggested going out to a resturant for a night out, people would say they couldn't afford it, but if he suggested a night out drinking, people would find the money. It's all about people's priorities. I personally put a big emphasis on food quality, I don't generally buy Tesco Value food, my policy being it's 3p for a reason. I lower my budget when it comes to clothes; I very rarely spend more than £20 on a top, but to a lot of people, good quality clothes are important and many people are perfectly fine with buying cheap food. The phrase "I can't afford it" is really more a case of "I'd rather spend my money on something else"

Violent people

I was having this discussion with my sister last night, about how video games are blamed for children committing acts of violence. The thing is, if someone has violent tendancies then they are going to find inspiration in anything, just like a creative minded person finds inspiration. I always refer to A Clockwork Orange when talking about this, since the main character listens to Beethoven, and if you've read the first chapter, well, you should have an idea of what sort of person he is. Later in the novel, he talks about how he enjoys the violent stories in the bible. I never approve of blaming TV and video games for violence, because people who are violent wouldn't be stopped if they were banned.

Remembrance

For the last few days I had been a little concerned that we wouldn't be doing the two minutes silence at work, but they made a point of doing it. It makes you think, no matter how busy life gets we will still take two minutes to remember those who have died in duty. I don't think that the two minutes silence is the only time we should think about them, but it is good to have a specific time dedicated to them.

As far as the poppy goes, I have been told at least three different stories about why we wear them, so I'm not so sure of their significance. I also don't really approve of the campaigns England has had this year that guilt us into wearing poppies. It shouldn't be a burden to remember those who gave their lives for us, and just saying wear a poppy means nothing if you don't understand the reasons behind it. Saying "It dosen't hurt to wear a poppy" just says you should wear one, not why it is important. And if you just take a poppy and don't give a donation to Poppy Appeal, what does that mean?

I think the media need to rethink their angle for next year, and show what rememberance day is all about, rather than just guilting people into wearing poppies

Jak II: Renegade First Impressions

A month or so back I found Jak II and Jak 3 (dunno why they changed their mind about the numbering there) in the bargain bin at Game, so I picked them up.  Having just finished the first game, I decided to give the second a go. It seems pretty good so far, the platforming is nice and the controls don't make me want to tear my hair out. One thing I would say is that it's a lot darker and grittier than the first game, it has a RPG/dystopia thing going on, with Jak as an escaped test subject working for the resistance. Oh, and I think Jak and the guy in the resistance he is running errands for are trying to have a grizzly voice contest! None of this necessarily makes the game bad, I enjoy dystopia stories, it's just that I generally expect platormers about fictional creatures to take themselves a little less seriously. Jak II also seems a little linear compared to the first game; right now I'm just running errands for this guy in the resistance and it's basically go to X location, do some platforming , blow stuff up, repeat. I haven't played it for long, so I'm hoping I get a little more freedom later on, and once I get into the story I'm sure I'll love it. I think this game is going to be pretty good, it just depends on how everything plays out.

Germs

I'm sure you've all seen the adverts for the antibacterial sprays that "kill 99% of all known germs". Okay, so this sounds pretty good, but people forget that most of these germs won't actually harm you. The media makes a big deal out of protecting your children from germs by buying their sprays, forgetting the fact that children need exposure to germs in order to build up a healthy immune system. I'm not saying that people shouldn't clean, just that I don't think it's necessary to spray down a surface every time you touch it. I always take issue with adverts that create new fears in order to make people buy their products, in this case it's "did you know how much bacteria is in your house? Buy our product to get rid of them". Generally speaking children from extrememly clean hosueholds are more likely to have allergies and get sick easily, and it just bugs me that the media try to create this fear that really dosen't need to exist.

Jak and Daxter

Since I just finished Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for the PS2, I thought I'd give a few of my thoughts. I might do a more in-depth review for The Critical Angle later, but you'll get the gist from this.

I picked up Jak and Daxter off ebay, seeing it as a logical progession from the awesomeness that is Ratchet and Clank. I would say I still prefer RaC, but it was pretty good. It was a little infuriating at times, and really could have done with more checkpoints, but it was a lot of fun when I wasn't tearing my hair out. One thing I would say is it's a lot shorter than I was expecting. When I reached the final boss I was quite surprised to be there so soon. The story is pretty simple, and the characters are pretty good. I'm not always a fan of mute heroes, because they generally have less personality, but Daxter was a laugh and the two had a good dynamic (and one of the best victory dances ever)

If you're looking for a good 3D platformer and you've already played RaC, I'd recommend picking this up if you can find it cheap.

VHS to DVD to Bluray

To be honest, I don't have a great opinion of BluRay. I watched a BluRay film recently, and there didn't seem to be any difference in picture quality from a DVD. VHS to DVD, there was a huge difference; DVDs had much better picture quality, and could hold much more information on them. Of course VHS has the advantage of having smooth fast-foward and rewind, and they are much harder to damage, but it was inevitable that DVD would take over as the main video format. I believe BluRays have more space on them than DVDs, but the picture quality isn't good enough to justify an upgrade. At the same time, I know that the time will come when DVD will be phased out, and when that day comes, I will have enough reasons to buy a PS3 (right now it's only RAC: A Crack in Time and Final Fantasy XIII). Rather than it simply being a superior product, companies are encouraging us to buy the BluRay releases by giving them extras that the DVD dosen't have. I feel that we reached the peak with DVD, and now companies are just trying to make more money from BluRay players and HD TVs.

Diet starts tomorrow

First of all, I know it's not the morning anymore, but I slept in. Sorry. There seem to be a lot of women who are obsessed with the idea of losing weight. I've known a number of people who seem to be on a permanent diet, but continue to eat cakes and chocolate. I don't think diets work. Temporarily changing your eating habits just means that if you lose any weight, you will immediately put it back on when the diet ends. Claiming to be on a diet changes nothing. I think it's better to try and live a generally healthy lifestyle, eat a lot of fruit and veg, and then you don't feel so guilty when you eat an entire packet of cookies (guilty!). Funny too that the majority of women who seem to want to lose weight are already a size 8 or 10. I'm somewhere between a 12 and a 14, what does that make me?

Discrimination

A couple of days ago I had to read a booklet at work about disability discrimination, and it got me thinking; because we are all different, it is difficult to know how somebody wants to be treated. As an example, I've known two different people who have broken their leg. One wanted additional help, such as people holding doors open or carrying bags, while the other still wanted to do everything with as little help as possible. By offering additional help to someone with a disability, you are treating them differently to how you would treat others, does that count as discrimination? Most people would say no, but some people don't like the extra help. It's hard to know what everyone wants.

Getting a Job

Having just sent off a job application, I have been thinking about how you have to sell yourself to the company in question. Understandably they want somebody who is passionate and enthusiastic about the job, so you have to show that you really want it. The thing is, if you apply for five different jobs, you have to do this for each application. This means that you can tell one company that you think they are great and want to work for them, but then you have to tell the exact same thing to another company. There's no way around this, unless you only apply for one job at a time (and that is a silly idea, there are too many hurdles in job applications to only try for one place). It just seems less genuine, but it's the way the world of employment works.

Happiest Moment

I remember in an RE lesson when I was about twelve, there was a question about what the happiest moment of our life was, and I honestly couldn't answer it. Not that there was nothing happy in my life, just that there was no single moment that seemed to deserve the place. I was twelve, I hadn't had enough happen in my life to have a happiest moment. I thought it was something I would get when I was older; getting married, becoming a parent, something big that changes your life. You can't really put “that time I got the toy I wanted for Christmas”. There are many things in life that make us happy, but I think it's pretty hard to choose one as the best.

Today's muse is a bit of a cheat, since I actually wrote it yesterday. Blogger wouldn't let me sign on, so I wrote it in OpenOffice with the intention of posting it later in the day, but I found the App for my phone and got one written before work, so I had this one saved. For the future, if I really cannot get on to Blogger, I will post entries up on my Deviantart account: summoner-julia.deviantart.com

Thank you Android

This is my first blog post done via my phone, thanks to a handy little app I just downloaded. I've only had a smartphone for a month and its definately worth the contract. It's funny to think that ten or so years ago mobile phones were barely used, and now we have the ability to post blog entries on the bus to work.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

When's the next episode?

The infamous question that the creators of internet parody series constantly get asked. It's kinda funny just how impatient some people can be. Thinking back to last year, when it was announced that TeamFourStar's newest video would be up on their website by midnight of October 31st. I looked on the message boards at one point and it seemed like everyone was staying up until stupid hours in the morning to watch the video, even though with the huge demand on the server it could only be watched at thirty second intervals. I don't understand why so many people couldn't just wait until the next day. I mean, there's always a months wait for Dragonball Z Abrided content, what's a day more? Before the days on YouTube, the only way would would have been able to see the series would be if you went to a convention where they were showing it. We should really be grateful for everything the internet has to offer, and not constantly demand more. I guess peoples' priorities will always be different, just, I think sleep is more important than waiting for a video to load.

Fear

Everyone has a fear of something, in my case, it's heights. When I'm really high up I often start to freak out a bit, no matter how much I assure myself that I am not going to fall. The thing is, there seems to be a common misconception, especially in the media, that when you face your fear, you conquer it. I really don't think this is the case. It might be if it is a fear of the unknown; for example, being scared to go on a roller coaster for the first time. Once you've done it, chances are it will be a lot easier because you know what to expect. But I didn't realise I was scared of heights until I was in a high place, and I've faced my fear a number of times; I've been on the London Eye twice, I've been in a aeroplane, yesterday I went on Detonator, the ride at Thorpe Park that I have been avoiding for years. Am I still scared of heights? Yes. Am I willing to face it if need be? Yes. You can face a fear a lot more easily than you can conquer it. I think conquering a fear would be a very complicated process, because you would need to understand why you are scared in the first place, and even knowing wouldn't make it stop. Of course somebody who actually knows about Psychology is far more qualified to talk about this than I am, but for now, these are my thoughts on the matter.