J Marcus Daily
Thick-skull 4 year olds
Children’s minds are like sponges. Except when you need them to be. Like when teaching them their ABC’s and their123’s. Then they are Cro-Magnon man thick skulled. You blurt out ass or shit once under your breath and they won’t shut up about it. Standing in line in the Grocery store the four-year-old standing in his cart shouting Ass-Hole over and over. Good fun.
This sound familiar. It should. Every kid seems to do this or some version of it at least once. While every parent has had to endure embarrassment from their crass verbal language skills. My son decided during a busy 5 o’clock grocery store shopping to go around calling my wife, and a few of the women in the vicinity “hot mamma”, “Hottt Maaamaa” “She’s a hot mamma”. Until we told him to stop and try saying something else.
Sign, sealed and delivered; we got exactly what we asked as he started belting out ASSHOLE over and over in a number of very catchy rhymes. It was amazing at four-years-old how creative he could be with that one word. Needless to say there were a few turned heads and more frowns than smiles on the lines of people in the checkout.
This comes to mind mostly because we’ve been working on his numbers and his alphabet. While he is making headway it seems he picks up all the negative things we do, this mistakes we make as parents and so on rather then use that same mental energy being able to remember 26 letters of our alphabet.
Although this doesn’t exactly come as a major shock. There are plenty of adults who can recite the complex stats for every major league baseball player, NBA basketball player and member of the NFL for the last 25 years. Yet, they probably couldn’t remember most of the Presidents of the United States. They can probably do complex math in their head when it related to baseball stats but can’t remember much of algebra. They probably have such an aptitude for rules as they can show off with quoting the book on football penalties, ---- wait a minute that one might account for how many lawyers we have, scratch that, it makes sense.
So much for my little rant----
Oscar the Grouch in Spamland
Junk mail. Spam. Clogging up our inbox on a daily basis it drives us all crazy. I won’t go into a tirade here. We all feel the annoyance and anger every time we check out e-mail. I did have to comment though on the spam itself. Typically, I read about the common spam, Viagra, weight loss schemes, and the ever-present porn advertising (something I honestly wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t mostly of animals with fat old people). While I’m sure, I’m not the only one receiving a variety of spam I still find much of what I see worth a quick comment.
-Lending Tree: How to save money on your mortgage?
-Lotto Tickets 4 Free
-Advertising disguising itself as a weight loss survey
-OralBright: Keeping smiles bright
-Ladies Only: Change your love life forever. (In case you haven’t realized I’m a man.)
-Get Ephedra now
-Java Judges advertising posing as another survey. This one for coffee.
-Introduction letter from Mr.Blah-Blah of the Blah-Blah International company looking for a representative in the US. (This one is a variation of the Nigerian scam the Secret Service has been dealing with for a couple of years now. One of the more innovative ways to rob people of money.)
-Turn your PC into a super TV.
-Free Ipod, PS3,Xbox 360. This one is becoming more and more common.
-Free Ringtones
-Hair restoration
-Inexpensive Breast Enlargments (I don’t care how cheap it is I don’t need my breasts getting any bigger).
-Drugs for less. (Who knows what’ll you’ll get if you send away for these pills from Thailand. If you’re lucky it’ll restore some hair or make your teeth whiter.)
-Timeshares, Casinos, Cars and Ebay. More mortgages, books, health insurance and scholarships.
In two days, I’ve accumulated 90 junk e-mails in my personal e-mail box. The one I don’t use for anything but close friends and relatives. I won’t get into what I get in my public e-mail. Suffice it to say there is a lot of spam out there and somehow it seems to be profitable for companies to send this crap out. We all wonder just who is stupid enough to click on and buy this crap. I suspect there is more to it than that. This is advertising. It works because we all talk about it. Even if no one clicks on them they are still getting their product out there to people.
As far as getting the e-mail, we should all know by now that if you look at the junk mail it is the same as sending them an open invitation to send us more. Their robotic mail systems get reports as to which e-mail addresses are real based on if the mail is opened. With Outlook Explorer and Express, if the preview pane is open then it’s the same thing as clicking on the message. Close the preview pane and you’ll see a significant drop in junk mail within a few weeks. Go on vacation for a couple of weeks and let your box fill up and you’ll see an even larger drop. Of course, these are other tips on fighting spam.
One word of warning, there are few methods particularly software solutions that do more harm than good. Beware of installing programs on your computer to block spam because many of them are sponsored by spam and legitimate spam (ha-ha) companies.
Of course, some of this isn’t true spam. Some of it comes from my signing up for a particular service and receiving third party advertising. I keep telling them to quit sending the stuff but it seems to be nearly impossible to get off some lists. Luckily, my spam filter does a good job of removing the stuff I don’t want to see.
Then again maybe the best way to stop it all is to get rid of e-mail, quit answering the phone, picking up my mail, or answering the door.
Be our guest-Be our guest
When visitors come to our home we seem to take great joy in showing off the latest changes. A lamp here. New tile in the master bathroom. An ever-changing configuration of bookcases and desk space in my office.
I can’t be certain how interested our friends and family truly are in our constant remodeling and home purchases. I can see someone being quite bored with it all. Knowing when they step in the door, they will have to get the tour de’farce of Home Depot purchases.
We don’t drive fancy cars or take exciting vacations every month. We put most of our time and effort into our house. It isn’t anything special, a standard suburban two-story home, but we enjoy it. Something we’ve worked for and the only material thing my wife ever really wanted. So, while it might not be so bad that we take pride in our constant attempts to make this place better, it may not make us the most exciting of dinner hosts.
Only slightly worse is my electronics habit and the continual stream of new gadgets on parade for visitors. At times, I am quite caught up with the newest robots and PDA’s I forget not everyone gets a hard-on from technology. My friends and family humor me and take it in stride. Hopefully it is because whether it is our house or my gadgets we don’t do this out of arrogance of what we have and what others don’t. We aren’t boasting. It isn’t a game of keeping up with the Joneses. We are simply excited.
D&D: Stormreach
There are a number of online MMORPG’s on the market today. The newest Dungeons and Dragons: Stormreach opened their doors for the general public on Febuary 28th. As a fan of RPG’s and online games I took this one for a spin to see if it was worth the wait.
First off, this game isn't for everyone; most especially fans of Ultima Online or World of Warcraft. If you like the elements of most of the MMORPG’s such as PvP and running around leveling up killing chickens then this isn’t the game for you. No grinding away for hours in order to reach the next level. No quick fixes here. You have to work for every step along the long road to the higher levels.
Based after the original pen and paper role playing game Dungeon and Dragons; this online game is more about role playing and performing missions then about buying houses and reaching outrageous levels through a zombie program. There is a lot to like about this game. The odd thing is how much it isn’t like all the other MMORPG’s on the market, when in effect all RPG’s are spin off from D&D. Now the genre has come full circle and there are high expectations indeed for a franchise that seems to be getting into the game a bit late.
The best aspect of this game is it is built around an online community. The concept of playing together with a group of adventurers is the cornerstone of this game and virtually the only way to progress. Many missions can’t be accomplished without a full complement of professions to work out the many traps and puzzles. A powerhouse character can’t do it all and will ultimately fail in many missions without a cleric to heal, a thief to detect traps or a wizard with their intelligence to open specific areas of the game.
The game isn’t about killing your friends or stealing their treasure. Two things you can’t do in game. Everything points to a well-rounded mission based world that readily allows the formation of groups to overcome the many challenges in the game. This is also one game that gives each class a chance to shine. Rogues for once have an integral role to play and are not given the standard gloss over that most publishers have given this profession in other games. I dare say you can’t succeed in this game unless you routinely travel with a Rogue in your party.
-As a past D&D player it’s a shame they chose the world of Ebberon instead of the Forgotten Realms campaign, my personal favorite. There were many reasons for their decision but still Ebberon lacks a full sense of history and the amazing locals of the Forgotten Realms universe.
-Being mission based and taking into account the basic framework of the game it makes Stormreach a world where players can’t influence the story or the world. At least as far as I can tell. In some ways, it’s akin to a choose-your-own adventure but without any consequence for choosing. In the business, this is called a persistent game world and there are a number of online games that use this model.
-The interface for making parties is easy to use and well thought out. Keeping a list of friends you’ve played with could be simpler with a point and click option instead of having to type in the name. Sounds like a petty complaint but in the fantasy genre names are never straightforward and it’s easy to mistype a compatriot you’ve spent the night traveling through dungeons. And in this game, when you’ve met experienced players who work well as a group you definitely want the chance to play with them again.
All in all Dungeons and Dragons:Stormreach is worth the monthly fee. At least for now. As with all online games, the real test is in how they manage new content. Keeping the world fresh and exciting for new and experienced players alike is a challenge. One that hasn’t been met by the likes of Ultima Online. (Every new release and update brings more items and locals but it feels like the same old fare. Never anything truly new and different, nothing that brings more depth to the world or the character you’re playing.)
Annoy-a-saur-ous Rex
Littlest dinosaur---Annoy-a-saur-ous Rex
As a learning activity at school they decided it would be great for the kids to learn how to act like a dinosaur. Stomp like a dinosaur. Slash your claws like a dinosaur. And roar like a dinosaur. My son really took this exercise to heart.
Being the dramatist he is, he roars frighteningly loud like a regular T-Rex. It has become his favorite greeting, especially to other kids. Walking within inches of their face, and yelling R-O-A-R over and over until he gets a reaction. Timid kids go running and screaming, otherwise it causes a near nuclear chain reaction with each child in the vicinity taking up the call of the Roaring Rex. I’ve watch helplessly as an entire playground has been transformed into Jurassic Park within five minutes of my son stepping foot on the bark chips.
I say helpless because try as we might we cannot break him of this habit. The more we make of it the more enjoyment he gets out of Roaring through the house, at the dinner table, and in public restrooms.
It would almost be funny if it weren’t so darn annoying, and loud. He times it for the exact wrong moments, a trademark of children to be sure, but nonetheless an acute skill for Tristan. In public, either people laugh or act horrified. The look of “can’t that father control his child” and “Kids now days have no manners because of parents like that” written all over their perfect Parenting magazine model citizen winner faces.
The only time I can’t help but laugh is when we check on him in the middle of the night and he bolts upright from a dead sleep to R-O-A-R before returning to his comatose state.
Bits and Tids March 22nd
-Looks like Vista, the new Microsoft operating system won’t make its targeted release in November. No word on exactly when it will appear but one thing is certain it won’t help PC sales for the holiday season. How much it will affect the industry is uncertain. With high expectations for a strong holiday season, dashed Microsoft will have to rely on its release of the new Office.
In the end, this may be as much about marketing as it is about the product not being ready. Volume licensing customers will still be able to get a hold of Vista this year, only a few weeks later than expected. Allowing them plenty of time to integrate Vista into their products. Detractors and loyal Microsoft users will not be surprised by the delay, as it has become second nature to the software industry and particularly Microsoft in general. However, after the issues involved with the release of XP a great many people welcome any delay that could affect the reliability of the operating system. Perhaps a January launch will mean just a few less instances of users being bombarded by the blue screen of death.
-Google will be complying with a court order to hand over information from its search engine to the U.S. government. While their fight highlighted their desire to keep the information, secure both for their users and their own trade secrets it has also brought to the publics attention the fact that search companies have detailed lists of everything users have searched. While web savvy users have known this snippet, the general public has largely ignored this fact. There are many on forums taking this news to heart and questioning what they type into their favorite search engine for fear it could come back to haunt them.
-With Sony announcing a November launch for the much-anticipated release of the PS3, speculation abounds as to how much of a market lead Microsoft can cash in on before the competition begins. For both camps in the Sony versus Microsoft console wars, this news is great. Either because it gives Xbox 360 more time to build a loyal customer base or the PS3 more time to coordinate a better launch. It’s clear the Blueray-HD DVD fight enters into their decision along with their attempts to outdo their competitors at having a successful worldwide launch.
Any discussion about the PS3 really doesn’t matter until pricing is released. While PS3 having a Blue-ray player will give it a higher technology edge, they may be pricing themselves out of casual gamers budgets. By the time the next tech conference rolls around there should be more definitive information on the PS3. One this for sure, if Microsoft wants to make the most of their time on store shelves without direct competition they’d better start releasing more games and better games.
Mask of Decency
The measure of a man is not in the truths he tells others, but in the lies believed by his heart. The stubborn fantasies and inconsistent fabrications of reality that makes all sleep well at night. Their internal monologue and view of their world depend on lies embedded in their psyche and lull them to partake of each day without despair. Do not look to the man for the truths he shares with the world. No, it is the lies he tells himself that are his true measure.
Seeing past this mask and into the heart of a man is to peer into absolute darkness.
Be glad we don’t look deeply into the true psyche of mankind; for our civilization is built high upon the lies of decency inherit to our species. This isn’t negativity. Merely the heritage of our ancestry. To deny this is to deny truth, and then we truly have done little to evolve from the animals with which we came to behave with the decency as humans with which we aspire.
Crazy Oregonians
Oregonian
Each part of the country has its own regional and local flavor, the personality of the people and cultures beat in tune to a slightly different drummer depending on where you live. A sense of identity seems infectious as those living within the state proudly proclaim themselves Oregonians. Living in the natural splendor of this diverse and amazing Northwest environment is a very important part of being an Oregonian. No matter where you live in the state, there are things to be quite proud of and they almost all come from the climate of where we live. Great monumental works of art and culture, the tallest of buildings or historical sites don’t hold the same stature in our Pacific Northwest. Our history and our pride comes from the environment we live in, from the majestic wilderness, our mountains and valleys, the farmland and coastal areas all seep into every aspect of our daily lives.
Yet, in this ever connected world where the concerns of outsiders and the rest of the world becomes our concerns. Where Oregonians interbreed with Californians and the rest of the nation, we have grown into a larger and more complex state. Somewhere along the way, or perhaps it was always there, our independence and individuality of living out West, has made us a bit odd. And that oddness has never been a bad thing, until it seems now.
Recently, I’ve noticed we are no longer odd ducks to just the rest of the country, where we like our gas pumped for us, and hate sales taxes. Now, we are becoming estranged from one another and we aren’t even making choices that are in our own best interest. At times it seems as if we are more concerned with fitting in with the rest of the nation that our own voice is getting lost. Our sense of who and what we are is getting lost in the shuffle of growth. Growth isn’t a bad thing, it is a part of the natural order of a modern, or seemingly modern society. The issue isn’t growth, but what we are growing into. Our ideas while once radical and oddball have become provincial and small minded. We have opinions on a state and national scale but our concerns are still over ourselves, and screw your neighborhood farmer. We want to protect the spotted owl but not our friends.
Why can’t we do both? Why must we seem like environmental activists instead of neighborhood naturalists trying to protect our land and people jointly? Instead we vilify anyone who is not us and we pass judgment on things that don’t really concern us directly, or that we know little or nothing about. If a person doesn’t have the decency to learn a bit about a subject before decreeing what should be done about it, then we have all become petty despots and tyrants using our freedom of speech for nothing but name calling and our vote as a battering ram. We are free but what we chose to do with that freedom is the mark of a civilized nation. To squander the rights we have is to spit on every person who has none.
But I’ve gotten off track. In Oregon we don’t really have liberal and conservative, Democrat or Republican. The concerns of the parties don’t fit the concerns of Oregonians, but that’s okay we’ve always been a little odd here in the Pacific Northwest. The problem is Oregonians are too ----. .
Natural Forces
There is a natural force of evolution at work in all our lives. A living breathing entity designed to further our adaptation to our environment. It works beneath the scenes yet we feel its presence in all aspects of our lives. In direct opposition is our very human desire for the status quo, for life to just be and to let us be. We want the happiness of youth, the good times of our short sided and selective memories. Change is our enemy, as is the adaptation that comes with it. We don’t want to get used to the changing environment we want the world to stop changing so fast or so much. It isn’t logical, or even conscious, it is another force of our lives that works in ways mysterious to the fabric of our lives.
Apologetic ramblings for posterity
The future. Posterity.
The consideration for how others will regard us in the tomorrows of tomorrow. Leaving our mark, a legacy, a family, anything behind to say we were here. Everyone experiences this; it is part of the human condition. Short term, long term it doesn’t matter. From graffiti punks to Presidents we all want to leave something behind. It is a profound statement of our mortality and short existence. A yearning to live past our years. The motivations behind what we do, how much of an impact we have differs by person depending on experience and their station in life. But its importance cannot be overlooked.
There are times when personally, writing is wrapped up in this whole idea of the something to live beyond ourselves. Times when I was writing more for future generations, my children, or grandchildren than for any current readers or myself. Somehow, I tell myself the lack of readers now is fine so long as there is the hope that someday someone will read what I have written. That on some level someone will remember what I have to say. That desire to be heard by the future is so strong at times; I don’t even care about the message. At times, it shows in my writing.
I ponder how this affects people differently. There are those whom I’m sure don’t even realize it is a factor in their lives. It is transparent to them and remains a subconscious motivation. Then I wonder about all the people who only have their ability to reproduce, to have children as a means to immortality. How much does that eat away at their relationships with their children when they don’t live up to their expectations? When these creations don’t reflect the image their parents wish to leave behind.
Presidents are automatically memorialized in history books the moment they are inaugurated. So long as this young nation continues, their names will be remembered. Schoolchildren will be forever compelled to memorize their name along with the likes of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. As if all the parts of that position weren’t full of enough things to think about and contemplate, they also have to consider how they will be remembered. How will they leave their mark? By name alone, or will they do something during their watch? Or will they forever be the one who died within days of being inaugurated, or the one who was impeached, or the one forever linked with cigars and interns in the Oval Office?
And if all the books are burned and the cities crumble, when the next civilization builds upon our ashes what does it matter if none of us are remembered? Should that quest for posterity and immortality truly have such an important mantle in our lives? Are there other things more important than this?
Surely. There must be.
If that is so, then why write, why have a child? If we remove the vanity inherit in leaving our mark behind, then what is left of these parts of my life? Having children gives balance to my life. It requires that I grow, that I hold something, someone in greater regard than myself. It forces me to take care of a being that needs me to grow and mature. A chance to watch as this baby becomes a person and learns to make their own choices and live the life they want.
As far as my writing, if you strip away the ego of posterity, I do it because I love to create. Writing is more of a way to organize the images in my mind. Providing a framework for the insanity writing gives a creative form to what is already in my mind. I can’t paint, or make movies. But I do like words and I have an affinity for language, so I bring my visions into being by writing. If I didn’t write, I would just spend that same time daydreaming, and imagining. Letting the movies inside my mind overwhelm my life is no way to live, so I write.
Since writing doesn’t come naturally to me, I have to work at making it match what I see in my mind. Everyday I work at being a better writer so I can do my dreams justice. I think understanding this helps. It eases the guilt I feel for not bring as good a writer as I would like. So when you read something I’ve written and it seems to either have mistakes or not quite make its point, be assured I already know this. I’m working, always working at being better. And so I can never be one of those self-important writers who are so sure of his or her literary merit as to be a scholarly snob. I guess this is a way of saying; I’m trying to do better as a father and as a writer.
Thank you for your attention and your time.
Xbox 360: wait for now
The mad dash for the Xbox 360
Take it from an avid gamer, unless you are an early adopter (and you know if you are) then there is absolutely no reason to purchase an Xbox 360 right now. I admit it is difficult not to be caught up in the craze created by the media and marketing bonanza Microsoft has unleashed on the world. However, if rationalization takes root you can see there are few good reasons to be one of the first 3 million people to own one of these machines.
Most people don’t understand business let alone the gaming business. It’s hard to understand how a powerful machine like the 360 is released without there being great games for it. While Microsoft has done a superior job in the number of titles available at release this is only in comparison to the original Xbox. In the end, it won’t mean as much to average consumers, only the early adopters that I mentioned earlier. The reason, quite simple the average gamer doesn’t like every single genre of game in the marketplace. For the 360 this means the typical casual gamer won’t find more than one maybe two games for their new machine to play. With the high cost of the machine and all of its necessary peripherals it doesn’t make any sense to buy a $400 machine to play maybe two games. Aside from the visual power of the 360 games coming out for the original Xbox will be far superior to anything coming out on the Xbox 360.
I can hear moans and complaints even now from the peanut gallery at this one. But come on folks really look at the situation and you will see for the vast majority of people out there I’m right. Especially all those soccer moms I saw standing in lines on release day to get an Xbox 360 for their kids. If they knew anything about games, they’d be better off teaching their kids something about the virtue of waiting and then buy them a great game for their Xbox. At the end of the day, they will get a lot more bang for their buck.
Of course, the points I make are only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many issues when adopting a new technology that the casual buyer can’t possibly be prepared to accept. So unless you have money to burn or base your coolness factor on owning the newest things on the market, take a deep breath and wait for the Xbox 360 to mature a bit before rushing to the stores. In six months, the 360 will be a far more interesting machine and a lot more fun to own. Trust me, and all the other folks still loving their original Xbox machines.
In the end those too excited to contain themselves will invariably already purchased their Xbox 360 fix. If you’re still waiting to get your hands on one, think hard and long about this purchase. You’ll find yourself sorely disappointed if you buy one today. Wait. Wait until there are enough great games to warrant spending so much money.
Battlestar Galactica: The one show worth getting excited about--
Battlestar Galactica 2nd Season
The second half of the second season of the new Battlestar Galactica on the Sci-Fi channel wraps up tonight. A show that if you’re not already watching, you should be. It’s the best drama on TV and may very well be the best show overall on television. However this re-imagining of Galactica put people into three distinct camps.
-Those who hate it, those who like it-love it, and those who don’t care (don’t know anything about it, dislike Sci-Fi altogether or don’t watch television). The difficult part in discussing this show is while it may be on the Sci-Fi channel and does take place in a realm usually relegated to the Sci-fi genre Galactica is far from being a typical science fiction show.
Aside from the backdrop of the story, it’s a drama. The storylines, the characters and their motivations, the show nearly in its entirety centers around the dramatic tension created by a remaining handful of human survivors desperately trying to survive against insurmountable odds, albeit self created from the typical human conceits and frailties. With a keen eye on the news of the world around us, the stories resonate with a familiar chord, as there are many parallels to our post 9/11 world in many ways.
For fans of the old show, or of classic network television science fiction many don’t like the show. They dislike a female Starbuck, the redesigned Cylons, the real human issues being dealt with, and a whole host of other issues making this entirely different from the original Battlestar Galactica. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the old show. For the time it came from, with the sensibilities of 1970’s viewers I think the old show did a great job of being fun. The problem is while we may watch older shows with a sense of nostalgia and a great deal of understanding for their old school ways, the same show would never work today. Viewers expect more grit, more sex, more violence and more shows following longer story arcs. The continuing storyline of the old Battlestar Galactica was ahead of it’s time, and has become not only the norm but also the expectation for a show to be successful.
I could go on, on about how great this show is, and how everyone should be watching. In the next breath however, I could rail about what they screw up. (And there is a plethora of issues.)
You have to love the faults right along with what makes it great; key to any successful science fiction show. Star Trek fans love to picks apart their favorite episodes. An integral part of a genre that attempts to bring science into fiction but only with a long list of rules made by network executives, the fans and the medium of television itself. There are bound to be mistakes, misjudgments, and plain hokey crap.
This nitpicky attitude is essential to the success of a Sci-Fi show. Nothing better exemplifies this then a friend of mine who is a fan of the show. He hates the new Baltar. Not for any affection he may have had for the original character but because the way he is portrayed on this show, annoys the hell out of him. Every scene with Baltar brings as much venom to his lips as bile belching in his throat. It isn’t that he loves to hate this character, as many did with the Cigarette Smoking Man on X-files, he loathes this character. Still, he remains a faithful Galactica viewer. The show has that much going for it. Enough strong characters and fulfilling storylines to make him keep coming back for more torture. This is the mark of a fan and a good show.
Unfortunately, with the hiatus of Battlestar, there is little to keep me interested on television. Surely nothing to get excited about. At least we still have re-runs to further analyze and pick apart.
