Category: Pop Culture

Anonymous Has A Plan To Save The World

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Pop Culture, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

Apparently Anonymous has a plan to change the world.  Yay!  I’m so excited I can hardly keep from gagging.  For those not paying attention, that’s called sarcasm.  Why would I not be more supportive of a group trying to change the status quo and make the world a better place?  Fair question.

If I thought they were likely to make the world a better place, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If I thought their plan might work, I’d be more enthusiastic.  If the guy wasn’t wearing a V for Vendetta style Guy Fawkes mask while reading his little rant/manifesto, I’d have less of an urge to kick him in the “man-bits”.

A Guy Fawkes mask, really?  I think that annoys me mostly because I enjoyed the movie so much.  I might also point out that the actual heroes of the movie didn’t wear masks.  Of course that isn’t what Anonymous wants to hear.  According to them, their power lies in the idea that they are anyone and everyone.

Well, I can tell you they aren’t everyone, because they sure as hell aren’t me.  Oh sure, I share some of their concerns.  Corporations should be good citizens and take a leading role in charity work and community building.  Consumerism is out of control and we care more about things than people.  We need to close the gap between the very rich and the very poor.  Elected officials should have the interests of ALL the people in mind, not just the ones who gave money to their “war chests”, and never put their party above the people.

There are some key differences though.  I don’t think their protests are going to do anything at all.  I don’t think their plan is going to make even the tiniest bit of change happen.  Why?  Because I don’t think they understand the problem.  They complain about the uber rich and corporate greed and the deficit and consumerism and all their other issues, and they miss the truth.

The truth is, it’s not “them”.  It’s “us”.  We are the problem.  One of the terms I hear in connection with this is “Kleptocracy”.  This is just the sort of delusional misinformation I would want spread if I was one of corporate heads they claim to hate.  The idea is that those running things are robbing the people blind.  That we are in fact being run by thieves.

Truth be told, it’s actually a “Meocracy’.  We’re  being run by people who put themselves and their interests first.  Whether it’s corporate heads, the shareholders who drive them, or the unionized employees who demand more, they’re all me.  “Meocracy” is screaming for tax cuts because you don’t need the services they pay for, then screaming when the services aren’t there when you want them.  “Meocracy” is talking about poverty and starvation from the comfort of your home, with a full belly, a cellphone, laptop and big screen TV.

“Meocracy” is what drives our society.  The reason Anonymous isn’t going to change anything is simple.  Anonymous is the pinnacle of the “Meocratic” movement.  They are the ultimate expression of the denial of personal responsibility which is the hallmark of a “Meocracy”.  They see everything as someone else’s fault.  “People don’t starve because I didn’t feed them.  They starve because corporations didn’t feed them.  Billionaires didn’t feed them.”  This is the Anonymous mindset.

You can’t demand change.  Well, you can, but it won’t work.  The protests and other drama won’t change peoples minds.  If you really want to change the world, I’ll help you get started.  Give up your cellphone and your cable and your internet connection.  Take that money and give it to a homeless shelter, or a soup kitchen, or a reputable charity.  Do that every month.  Only buy domestically produced goods.  Stop supporting third world sweat shops.  Get involved in grassroots politics. Stop giving your money to corporations who don’t treat their workers fairly, or their communities with respect.  Educate voters.  Educate candidates.  Educate yourselves.  Stop believing your own press.  You’re not more enlightened than anyone else.

Do all of these things for five years.  Consistently.  Then  you can come and tell me your plan to change the world.  Maybe by then you’ll have thought up something more useful than protesting against things that mean nothing.  Maybe by then you’ll understand where Anonymous has it wrong.  What’s needed isn’t to band together against some powerful and corrupt “other”.  Change will only come when understand that the powerful and corrupt are us.

Here is a simple fact.  Apple has more liquid capital than the U.S. government.  They are immensely wealthy.  Does this mean that I’m going to give up my iPhone and boycott them as punishment?  Don’t be daft.  They haven’t done anything wrong.  They are a corporation.  Their job is to make money.  They just happen to do it very well.  They didn’t force me to buy their phone.  Me, I made that decision.

It was “Me” because I live in a “Meocracy”.  Apple, Microsoft, Chrysler, Hitachi, Acer, none of them are responsible for where my money goes.  I could as easily give it to a soup kitchen, but I choose to give it to these and other corporations.  It’s my money, and my choice.  That’s the lesson Anonymous needs to learn.  Changing yourself is your prerogative, changing me is mine.

You can’t force people to change.  No matter how much you might think they need to.

Cheers, Winston

EA To Sell Gamers To Advertisers.

On By WinstonIn Media, Pop Culture, Society, Technology, Uncategorized, Video GamesLeave a comment

The nice people at Electronic Arts (commonly know as EA) are rolling out a new service called “Legend”.  Sounds impressive right?  Well here’s the thing, it’s not.  At least not for gamers.  Or is it?

Confused?  Sorry.  I’ve got some mixed feelings about this one myself.  First, let me tell you what “Legend” is.  It’s an analytic tool which EA will use to provide advertisers with detailed usage habits of it’s products.  This would allow advertisers to be much more specific in their marketing efforts.

From the corporate side, this is a potential goldmine.  If it works as (you should pardon the joke) “advertised”, there isn’t a marketing department in the industry that won’t want a piece of it.  On the player side, my first instinct is, “Oh goody.  More ads shoved in my face while I’m gaming.”

But maybe I’m looking at this wrong.  Not that that ever happens, but maybe this one time.

Maybe this time, they’ll start to get it right.  What if they use this marketing data to develop a functional “less is more” approach?  How about using this new analytic to create ads which are more effective, and can therefore be less pervasive.  That could work out to being good news for gamers.

Only time will tell.  But if the vendors in Fallout New Vegas start trying to sell me a “Simpsons” t-shirt to go with my new “West 49” board shorts, then I’ll decide whether or not it’s a good thing.

Cheers, Winston

Guild Wars 2 Is Coming!

On By WinstonIn Personal, Pop Culture, Video GamesLeave a comment

I don’t play a lot of online games.  It’s a combination of not being competitive enough and not being willing to make the commitment to my fellow gamers.  GuildWars  was the exception to that.   There were a couple of things I liked right from the get-go.

There are no monthly subscription fees.  You buy the game, you play the game as much as you want for as long as you want.  What a concept!

It is one of the most visually stunning games in any genre in my opinion.   Many thanks to Daniel Dociu for that.  The man is a creative genius in terms of concept art design and art direction.   Google him if you doubt me.

The other perk for me personally is the ability to solo through most of the game with only AIs for company.  I know, the idea is Massively Multiplayer.  Not so much for me.  I thought it was a beautiful game.  I love the way it’s put together.  The story was well constructed and the worlds immense.  Why should I have to mess that up by hanging around with other people?  The nice people at ArenaNet seem to understand.  There are a few places where you have to partner up with real people, but for the most part, I can solo.  Their Design Manifesto on the ArenaNet blog http://www.arena.net/blog/guild-wars-2-design-manifesto promises to continue this in GuildWars 2.

Unlike the previous stand-alone expansions Factions and Nightfall, or the Eye of the North add on for the original GuildWars, GuildWars 2 is set to be a totally new adventure.  It takes place 200+ years after the first series and will feature new settings, new creatures, new threats, a more organic story system and five, count them FIVE playable races!

There are very few games that I am willing to say I can’t wait for.  This is the only one for me right now.  I’m not expecting it until late 2012, or maybe 2013.  That’s okay.  Whenever it gets here, it’s going to be most welcome.  Like an old friend too long absent.

I’ll post more as it gets closer.

Cheers, Winston

Guild Wars Copyright and Trademark Information

© 2011 ArenaNet, Inc. All rights reserved. NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, ArenaNet, Arena.net, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Eye of the North, Guild Wars 2, and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Gaming, Movies, And My Reality

On By WinstonIn Movies, Pop Culture, Self Awareness, Technology, Video GamesLeave a comment

As I mentioned yesterday, I really like Portal 2. I enjoy gaming, watching movies and reading. The commonality? They all take me out of reality for a while.  Not that my reality is even sightly terrible.  In fact, it’s pretty darned awesome.  I’ve got a wonderful wife, a great daughter, and the world’s best dog.  So why would I want out of it for a while?

Even billionaire playboys go on vacation.  It’s not about wanting to escape reality, it’s about keeping it fresh.  Truth be told, most of the time, my wife is sitting on the couch beside me using her laptop to play on Facebook. So even when I’m gaming or watching a movie, ore reading, I’m usually with my wife who will be gaming, watching TV, or reading or whatever.  Neither of us is the type to complain if the other interrupts what we’re doing.  Likewise my daughter and I watch movies or play games together.

We are a connected family.  That’s part of the reality that I love.  Really, when I’m avoiding reality, I’m still in the middle of it.  Sure, sometimes i game when they’re out, or after they’re in bed, but it’s not like I have to wait ’til I’m alone.  It just works out that way.

I love movies.  I LOVE my family.  I love games.  I LOVE my family more.  Likewise reading, listening to music, hanging out with friends etc.  These are all things that most people think of as taking people out of their relationships.  I’ve said it before in other posts, and I’ll no doubt say it again in others:  I’ve got an awesome wife, and I’m incredibly lucky to be part of her world.

I don’t game to avoid reality.  Games, movies, books etc.  are all part of that reality.  Why would I want to avoid that?

Cheers, Winston

Finally Playing Portal 2

On By WinstonIn Humor, Pop Culture, Video GamesLeave a comment

After months of having everyone tell me how incredible Portal 2 is, I’ve finally started playing it.   So far, I’ve got to say, it looks like they’re right.  More to the point, it sounds like they’re right.

The game play is exactly what I expected.  The controls are smooth, precise and easy.  The puzzles are clever, challenging and profanity inducing.  The visuals are excellent as is the physics implementation.  All of that is what it’s supposed to be.

The story and the humor are the payoffs for me.  The puzzles are clever, but the A.I. is more clever.  The person who created that character and wrote it’s dialog should win an award or two.  I can’t remember the last time I laughed that much during a game.  This thing is wildly funny.

If you enjoy puzzles, well constructed storyline and some twisted humor, this is a must play.

Cheers, Winston

The Internet Isn’t The Last Haven Of Democracy.

On By WinstonIn Global Issues, Media, Pop Culture, Society, TechnologyLeave a comment

Courtesy of a raging bout of insomnia, I was browsing some back stories on Maclean’s.  That’s when this gem caught my eye.  On Aug 12th, Peter Nowak posted this article: “Governments Must Adapt To Internet, Not Other Way Around”.  According to Mr. Nowak, democracy “is the de facto model that almost every online operation works on”.

“The popular and good rise to the top… the bad and unpopular is ignored or voted down.” It seems he is equating popular with good.  Hardly a supportable position given the current popularity of reality tv and Jackass movies.  Rising to the top isn’t necessarily a sign of quality, only of popularity and people’s urge to part of the “In Crowd”.  The fact that something gets 80,000,000 hits doesn’t mean that it’s good, only that nobody wants to be the one that doesn’t know what everyone else is talking about.  Popular doesn’t equate to good, more often, only to easy.  Lolcats get more hits than ethical debates.  Contestants on reality shows garner more votes than elected officials.  Yeah, popular is a sure sign of quality.

His next little piece of genius involves praising the hacker collective known as Anonymous.  These self appointed judges/juries/executioners are defenders of openness and democracy according to this guy.  He indirectly praises them for their attack on Sony in retaliation for their lawsuit against the person who posted an illegal hack for the PS3.  Peter seems to believe that it was wrong of Sony to take legal steps to protect their intellectual property.  On the other hand, he is perfectly okay with Anonymous using illegal steps to punish them.  There are a couple of details he leaves out in his paean to digital frontier justice.  The takedown of Sony didn’t just affect “Sony”, it affected the employees, the gamers, the people whose jobs rely on those services being up and running.  It’s like Robin Hood burning peasant huts so they can’t afford to pay taxes to the sheriff.  It sounds good in theory, but the sheriff is still going to want his taxes.

Anonymous is also the group who took it upon themselves to post the home addresses of members of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit police force.  This was in retaliation for BART shutting down cell towers to prevent protesters using them to organize.  Let’s deliberately endanger the live of the officers, their spouses and their children.  Way to pick your heroes Peter. If the persons responsible for that particular act are caught and convicted, they should be tossed into the deepest, darkest hole available and left there.  Pending further notice.

“The fundamental principles of the internet, therefore, are then same as democracy – each user is entitled to freedom and openness, so long as they don’t harm anyone else.”  Where he comes by these “fundamental principle” is never actually explained.  >he also doesn’t explain why Anonymous gets an exemption to the “don’t harm anyone else” part.  The fact is, the internet was created to share information.  Pure and simple.  Other people may have chosen to use it for their own purposes, but that doesn’t make it anything more or less than what it was designed to be.  Just because of bunch of spoiled children have decided that it’s easier to play “activist”as a way to act out when they don’t get their own way, doesn’t make them right.  When an allegedly serious journalist like Mr .Nowak buys into their fantasy, it just feeds into their bloated ego driven God complex.

His closing statement is the best illustration of his clearly delusional disconnect from the real world.  “Governments will inevitably have no choice but to acquiesce and adapt to what are ultimately basic human desires: to be open and free.  Otherwise, as advanced technologies make living in a virtual online world more realistic and palatable, people will inevitably abandon the real world and move into the ether permanently, leaving governments with no one to govern.”

If luck is with us, maybe Peter will be an early adopter of permanent virtualization.  Then any decent spam filter will keep his views in the junk folder where they belong.

Cheers, Winston

Tech Etiquette or Keep It In Your Pants When You’re Talking To Me!

On By WinstonIn Humor, Pop Culture, SocietyLeave a comment

Once again the fine people at Maclean”s have answered the perennial question, “What shall I write about today?” Thank you very much nice people. As you can see from the title, this post is all about tech and how we use it. Specifically, it’s about portable technology and how we use it to abuse those around us. Because so many people seem not to have figured this out, it seemed worth sharing this quick set of guidelines.

Here at the LakeArt Institute For The Advancement Of Simple Simplicity (Proud Developers Of The V.A.P.I.D. Goal Setting System) we have a mission. Our motto is “Making Simple Things Simpler For The Simply Simple-Minded”. Our products are geared to those for whom the Herculean task of understanding even the simplest thing is just too much effort. If you or someone you know falls into this group, DON’T PANIC! We’re here to help.

** If you are on call twenty-four/seven in some sort of emergency or life-saving capacity, you are automatically exempt from the following guidelines. For the rest of you, stop texting for a minute and pay attention.**

1. If you are in the presence of actual human beings with whom you are interacting, they take precedence. Before any of you scream “Heresy!”, let me clarify. I know you paid a lot for your techno-thing and you want to get your money’s worth. I get that. You just need to keep in mind that everyone else paid just as much for theirs so they don’t care at all about yours. When in the presence of actual people, turn it off/down. If you absolutely must use it in public, excuse yourself, move away and then phone/text/send pictures of your naughty bits. When you have finished, put it away and rejoin the real world.

2. Treat your techno-thingy like your private thingy. Dont’t whip it out and wave it around in public. While you may think your techno-thingy/thingy is the most impressive one in existence, others probably will not share this view. Even those who are awestruck by the size of your display will likely pretend otherwise (although they may discreetly ask for your number later). Use of your techno-thingy during dinner/movies/social gatherings should be treated like urination. It should only be done when absolutely necessary. It should be done as far away from others as possible. And remember that no one wants to hear about it when you return.

3. Just because you can share doesn’t mean you should. You know what I’m talking about. Those late-night, drunken posts about how desperately you need to get laid. Or anyone who has ever posted a Lolcat. Or anything else that you are the only person on God’s Earth who might give a crap about. Oh, and that also includes anyone who sends pics of their naughty bits. I know that when you are far from the one you lust for it’s nice to think of them ogling a picture of your bits. Just keep this in mind. If they can’t remember what you look like naked, they probably aren’t going to remember your name either. Unless you get it tattooed on your bits.

(On a related note, a recent survey found that ten percent of people under twenty-five feel it’s okay to text during sex. Here’s a tip for them. If you’re thinking clearly enough to find your phone, let alone text, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!) If you were surprised when you read this and made some very rewarding changes in your life, you can thank me later.

4. If the person you are phoning/texting/sending pictures of your naughty bits to is that that important to you, invite them out to dinner/movie/club. That way they too can have the opportunity to be all impressed by your techno-thingy while you ignore them. Of course, there’s a fifty/fifty chance that they will also be playing with their techno-thingy. If they are, that doesn’t make it okay for you to do the same unless the two of you are totally alone. Here’s some basic math for you. One Total Tool + One Total Tool is not equal to Zero Total Tools. When in public, 1TT+1TT=2TT. Two Total Tools are in fact more annoying than One Total Tool. The formula is pretty simple. Annoyance = Number of Total Tools * Number of Non-Tools within earshot * the Relative Importance of the meal/movie/event to the Non-Tools.

So there you have it. A simple guide to Tech Etiquette. You are probably not the most important person in the universe. The people around you don’t really care about your half of your drama. The glow from you phone makes me very angry when I’m watching a movie in a dark theater. If your text is that important that it can’t wait for the end of the movie: Leave. Fill in the same sentence for meal, party, get together, sunset, cuddle time, etc. Yes, that includes sex too!

Remember. If no one is about to die. Keep it in your pants when you talk to me!

Cheers, Winston

Max and I Liked Zombies When Zombies Weren’t Cool.

On By WinstonIn Media, Personal, Pop Culture2 Comments

Okay, so I know this may be a bit of a departure from the usual, but the usual is usually over-rated.  I’m a Zombie fan.  Not Rob Zombie.  Not Voodoo zombies.  I’m talking contagion driven, George A. Romero ZOMBIES.  Ever since I first saw Night of the Living Dead many, many years ago, I’ve been a fan.  Long before the current Zombie renaissance, I was a fan.

Their current popularity is kind of a good news bad news thing.  The downside is that you get a lot of people who don’t give an infected rat’s patootie about Zombies and just want to make a quick buck.  The god news is, it lets all the secret Zombie lovers out of the closet.  That’s where it gets fun.

One of those long term Zombie fans wrote a couple of books that you may have heard of.  “The Zombie Survival Guide”, and “World War Z: An  Oral History Of The Zombie Apocalypse”.  It’s not just that these are both brilliant additions to Zombie canon, they were written by the last person whose name you would associate with horror.  Max Brooks.

Now I can tell that all of you are sitting there waiting for the punchline.  You are probably wondering who Max Brooks is and why I think it’s surprising that he wrote these books.  Well, I’m glad you asked.  He’s Mel Brooks son.  You know, “High Anxiety”, “Young Frankenstein”, “Blazing Saddles”.  That Mel Brooks.

At first, I was blown away to think that the son of one of the funniest people in movies was writing Zombie books.  Then I read a bit more and realized that like me, Max is a long time fan.  Just because his father did funny, doesn’t mean he has to.  My father was a hard-rock miner.  Me, not so much.  Once I got my head around that, I could enjoy the irony of it.

Here’s hoping that Max Brooks can enjoy a long and successful career.  Us old-school Zombie fans have got  to stick together.

Cheers, Winston

Videogame Addiction 1.1a update

On By WinstonIn Media, Pop Culture, Society, TechnologyLeave a comment

This information is indicative of a more open position on the part of the APA. As such, I felt it important to post it in the interest of balance and fairness.

In doing some further reading, I discovered the APA (American Psychiatric Association) classifies video-game addiction and Internet addiction as “reward driven behavioral disorders”. It will include these and others in an appendix of the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. See, they really DO right the book on addiction. They still aren’t considering it an addiction, but are including it to encourage further study.

In the previous post, I indicated only that the APA doesn’t view video-game “addiction” as an addiction. The fact that they are encouraging additional study indicates it’s still a possibility. In the meantime, let’s try understanding instead of labeling.

Cheers, Winston

Videogame Addiction

On By WinstonIn Media, Pop Culture, Society, Technology2 Comments

So I’ve been reading again. This time, it was an article about the perils of video-game addiction. I actually found it sort of refreshing. In amongst the drama of neglected family and career, there was an item rarely seen in such an article.

Turns out, the American Psychiatric Association (the organization that literally writes the book on addictions) doesn’t believe that video-game addiction is real. I think that is great news. It’s not because I don’t believe that some people do really bizarre things in the name of gaming, it just removes the easy reason. Let me explain what I mean by that.

Many people seem not to really understand the concept of addiction. I have a teenage daughter (your sympathy is appreciated), and she and her friends use addiction to describe anything they consume in excess amounts. A song, a tv show, a snack, a celebrity, all have been preceded by “I’m totally addicted to….”

The culture of their youth was saturated with a conflicted message. Public Service Messages told them that alcohol, tobacco and drugs are addictive, but the social message was that they are enjoyable. This creates the shorthand association between pleasurable excess and addiction. My daughter understands that she isn’t actually addicted to the song, snack or whatever. It’s just a figure of speech. The problem is that common usage corrupts and replaces the actual meaning in peoples minds. That leads to a larger problem.

My daughter says she can’t possibly do dishes right now because she’s “addicted” to the show she’s watching. Someone else says they’re not attracted to their spouse anymore because they’re “addicted” to pornography. Is it really surprising that someone will say their life was ruined because they are “addicted” to video-games?

Jackson Toby, professor emeritus at Rutgers University writes, “I do not believe that the concept of `addiction’ is useful; it only describes strong temptations; it does not explain strong temptations. What makes the temptation so strong? The memory of past pleasant experiences with the behavior that we are talking about – in this case video-games.” He goes on to say “I don’t believe that someone can be addicted to video games.”. Addiction is a label, and the label isn’t the thing.

As soon as you apply that label, you avoid responsibility. “It’s not my fault, I’m an addict.” The person isn’t choosing to spend sixty hours a week playing World of Warcraft, they can’t help themselves. It’s not accurate, but if they see it enough in the media, it becomes real. The addiction label is also incredibly disempowering. Once the person believes themselves addicted, they assume the addiction has power over them. Not only are they being told they aren’t responsible for their actions, they’re powerless to change them.

The video-game addiction label is also a mask. It’s a false image hiding the real cause of the behavior. If a person can’t actually be addicted to video-games, then why are they destroying their lives? It’s easier to accept the mask than look at what it hides. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but that’s what we want.

When I was a teenager, video-games weren’t the boogeyman. I guess Pong just didn’t get it done for everyone. Back then, Dungeons & Dragons was the mind destroying addiction. One person killed themselves when their character died in game. Another was killed during a “live-action” adventure. Grades suffered as kids cut class to game. It was the “gamepokalypse” of it’s day. Then people moved on to the next media sensation and the hype died. Everyone realized that D&D hadn’t caused the tragedies associated with it. It was just a vehicle for deeper issues. Video-game addiction is no different.

If someone loses their spouse, children, house, job or even their life because they won’t stop playing a video-game, you need to wonder what’s going on inside. Saying “addiction” isn’t going to help anyone. At least not anyone looking for an answer instead of a soundbite.

Cheers, Winston