Casual Harangues

The Nintendo Revolution has a new name...the Nintendo Wii. Wii is pronounced "we" (or "oui" for you cheese-eating surrender-monkeys out there), as in "Wii will bring people together" etc. But the main slogan keeps in the tradition of DS's emphasis on sensory perception, and it is "Who wants to touch my Wii?"

Questionable of course, but not nearly as obscene as the title of the recent PSP game Me And My Katamari ("katamari" is Japanese for "giant penis").

That said, the name means much more than the monikers for the competition. "PS3" makes the bold statement,"So this is like, the third one of these we've made?....so....yeah" and "Xbox 360" is ironically straightforward in the way that they were travelling in one direction, they spun around, and...they're still going in the same direction. A 360 degree turn does not change your direction, just as Microsoft is not interested in innovating.

At first the name "Wii" struck me with the thought,"Whyyyyyyyyy yyyyyy!?!?" but it has grown on me. "Revolution" now seems just too obvious a name, whereas Wii is something new and different; the name itself is a revolution of sorts. After all, why stage a Revolution when you can just sit around and play with your Wii? It should also be noted that Wii is just so much more fun to say and could also be interpreted as "weeeeeeeee!" a joyful sound made while playing. Wii is also far superior to the rumored name Nintendo Go, which was way too mainstream. I wouldn't mind if Nintendo continues the trend of fun sounds and joyful exclamations. Perhaps we (or Wii) will see the Nintendo Hurray or the Nintendo Thwbbbbt in coming generations. My thesaurus also suggests the Nintendo Swell! and the Nintendo Oh, Boy!

If you don't like the name Wii, remember--it could be worse.

It could have been the Nintendo Katamari.

-Revan

It's been a day or two since prom, and I... do not regret not going. Probably never will.  According to what I heard, it was even more of an excuse to get drunk at an "after-party" and have sex than I thought...On the plus side one limo full of drunk girls did get expelled: for once justice is served.  Frankly I like my mind and would never do anything to deliberately screw with it, so why does everyone absolutely (or absolut, har) flock to alcohol? It is beyond me.  Naturally, most are more upset the girls got caught and punished, not that they were actually breaking the law, school rule, etc.  I for one find it hilarious and find the girls to be morons for doing this, just weeks before graduation (not that it would be wise any other time).

But what was our hero doing?  At around the same time everyone else was re-enacting Sodom and Gamorrah, I was watching The One on FX.  Not very proactive I know, but I was sore from doing a relay for life event the night before in which my sister and I were the only ones who actually relayed. Everyone else was just strolling around as if people with cancer could just die.  I jest, of course, but I am pissed at the NHS students that only did it for hours and raised nothing.

-Revan 

Later tonight will be my school's prom, and I am not going. Which brings up a lot of objections from people:
1. you have to! It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
2. You have to! You'll regret it later (if you don't go)!
3. You have to! It's so much fun!
and so on.

Frankly, I do not see how it is fun. You go to a place, where, in my opinion, the music sucks and the dancing is terrible (I've seen how "my" generation dances. No thank you!). But I don't have to dance, I'm told. I can just hang out, and bond with my friends. Which is odd, because I could do that any other time for free with much less fanfare.

What really irks me is how no one seems to think this through. Why do people sit back and let someone else decide what is and is not the pinnacle of their time at school? I for one, feel no need to conform, and the excitement is lost on me. This brings me to topic two: graduation.

Graduation is a funny event. I have always just assumed I was going to graduate, so why get excited about it now? Anyone can graduate with just the bare minimum requirements. Graduation guarantees nothing, but if you don't graduate, you are royally screwed, at least in the eyes of your parents. I can imagine this sort of relief and joy over, say, finally destroying the One Ring. But after twelve years of school? Not really. Sure it took a while. It just wasn't that hard. And while it marks the end of one chapter in my life, I'm just going to go back to school in a few more months, just with a change in location and a few protocols.

On a funnier note, after the much-lauded "Senior Breakfast" we are going to rehearse for graduation. Rehearse. For graduation. If my diplome grabbing skills aren't up to par by now, I don't see how I made it past elementary shool.

And that's all I have to say about that.

-Revan

It's a cartoon. Their purpose is for entertainment. Not to force an idea into someoens head. The plots are used for laughter and are intentionally illogical and even disturbing our beyond common decency. That is the purpose of the of the show. Push the envelope, or it will always be sealed. Push the envelope, or we will never know what we could do. Push the envelope, or basically surrender to anyone that claims a comment is offensive. The use of anything in any television program can be claimed offensive. As far as anything related to Islamic cultures, they should be just as open on television programs, books, cartoons, and anything else, because these are our rights. Don't back down to cowardly attacks. If you do, you might as well make this into a dictatorship. Then they would tell us what is right and what is wrong. You wouldn't have to make the choice of changing the channel to get away from something you don't like. They'd have what they want on our minds, wouldn't they. Be glad for the right to free speech, whether you like the contents or not. If you don't like a show, change the channel and get over it. It doesn't affect you in any way. All it does is continue the right to free speech. That's what I've been trying to say through this whole thing.

I don't know if I delivered all of my thoughts cleanly or even if they make sense above, but I hope you can get my message.

-Axiom

Of Rats, and Spines, and Broken Men

"Excuse me. Hello? Miss?" he said.
"What? Oh. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked.
"Yes. I'm looking for a Phillips" he said.
"I'm sorry. There's no one here by that name," she answered.
He sighed. "I mean a screwdriver."
"Oh. In the back, by all the... screws."
"Thanks." He headed to the rear of the store, determined not to come crawling back empty-handed this time.
"Phillips. Phil-lips," he muttered to himself, scanning the shelves. At last he found one, and slipped it off the rack, analyzing the price tag. Twenty bucks for a screwdriver?!? Those bast--his thoughts were cut off, as a distant thump sounded, and the lights subsequently died. He stood there stupidly for a few seconds, waiting for the emergency lamps to kick in. They didn't. Forgetting all about the Phillips, he began feeling his way along the racks, until he came upon an empty space that just had to mean a door and his way out.

Fumbling around, he located the handle, and with a little effort, jarred open the door. Once inside, he closed the door behind him and was disappointed to see a blackness that was if anything deeper than the one he left. He slid his hand across the inside wall, searching for a light switch, but froze when he heard a discordant screech rise behind him. Out of the encompassing shadow came a choir of such grating shrieks; then the scuffle of tiny claws on concrete; then the cries of airborne warriors. He whirled around and threw his arms up in defense, his body jolting with every impact of the crazed rodents. They were on top of him, inside his clothes, biting and shredding; tiny incisors puncturing his skin. Flailing around, he found their grip could not be broken by the swat of his hands, and more were arriving to the feast every agonizing second. A single rat launched itself into his mouth, and he doubled over, gagging. The thing would not have mercy, and shock began to overwhelm his mind. In the thick of the melee, one thought of reason was able to reach his conciousness: Is life worth it? With a wife of two years and the prospect of starting a family, the answer was a resounding "yes". He clenched his fist around the rat in his mouth, and when a mighty yank did not dislodge it, he proceeded to bite down hard. The squirming and frantic tearing stopped at once, and warm blood greeted his taste buds and mingled with the vile taste of fur. Next he attacked the rest of the vermin. Shaking and stomping the ones at his feet, his cries of rage echoed theirs. He grasped a rat hanging from his arm, and jerked it into an unnatural position, snapping its neck. He then applied this strategy to the others, and the room was alive with the sounds of cracks and crunches. His feet also rocketed up and down, falling on those below. By now there were only three sensations he could feel: his hands groping for another victim, eruptions of pain as still more rats inflicted their sting, and the boiling fury he felt within.

With each rat that felt the twinge from his wrenching hands the vermin were driven back, while the floor was littered with corpses and the air was brimming with screams. It was no surprise, then, that the creak of the door went unnoticed by all, as someone came to investigate the commotion. The newcomer's neck found its way into his hands, and in the mad frenzy of killing, that death was barely distinguishable from the others. Then a second later the body and the weight of what had been done landed with a thud. He stood transfixed, staring down at his latest, unintentional slaughter, as the other shoppers gazed at the scene from a now-lit store. His mind was reeling and spinning, agape at this unthinkable happening. He glanced up and was met by fearful and condemning looks. The cacophony reached a crescendo in his head, and his emotions went supernova realizing what can never be undone. He shouted something unintelligible and lunged at the nearest bystander, the obligatory question not surfacing, this time. Taking the head in his hands, he twisted hard and erased one witness to his crime. Finally they broke into motion, taking flight to the streets outside or cowering behind a display. It was these whose memories he would correct. His rampage was fast through the store, and those who gawked in disbelief had the truth forced on them when they fell awkwardly to the ground. Resistance was nearly nonexistant, but one put up her hands in an attempt to delay his. Their matching rings tapped against each other, but in an instant her spine was broken by his hands, and her heart was broken by his eyes. The nature of this conquest eluded him, and he stood dumbly, surveying the carnage. His madness not yet quenched, he dashed outside and immediately stopped short. Waiting for him were no fewer than five squad cars. More important were the five officers that stood with guns raised and the five slugs that quickly hammered into him. Choking on his last breath, he crumpled to the ground and was dead.

Across the way a sick old man watched with glee, snarfing down his pizza with excitement. A man with a notepad calmly scribbled down what had taken place, and the whole goings-on went unnoticed by a small child more concerned with the balloons he had just let go. The street was efficiently hosed down, and in an hour the memory of what happened had indeed gone away.

-Revan

I've just decided that censorship on television has grown too extensive. I've seen evidence that some have no pride, have no guts, and have no care about the first amendment.

I realized this simply from a show. Amazingly, it was Southpark. Now I understand that the show may be considered vulgar or otherwise, but many times they center on real political issues and show their views and oppinions. Of course it's done in their style, but the message they send for each one is clear and completely legitimate.

The new episode played on April 5th focused on the issue of terrorism and how it influences censors. The used the popular show, Family Guy, to make their point. They created a fake episode to have Muhammad, the Arab prophet who called himself God's prophet, present in a single scene for a few seconds. They had Fox censor the image, which lasted only a few seconds and did not speak or anything. All of this was created by Southpark, if you didn't catch that. the characters were panicing when they found out the scene was supposed to be held. They all went to a local gymnasium to try and protect themselve. The episode aired and they didn't watch it, but they thought they would have been attacked. They grouped to make a solution to protect themselves when the second episode of Family Guy was announced to show Muhammad again, uncensored.

They decided to burry their heads in the sand. That part as hilarious, and very symbolic. Fear of Arabs due to a cartoon clip. Burrying heads in the ground is a jesture of cowardliness. A pretty intelligent way to display it.

At the end of the episode, a narrator said things along the line of: will the terrorists attack? will they survive? And the best part of that is the final question: Or will Comedy Central puss out? I thought that last question was intended to be just comical, not literal.

The second Southpark (second piece of the last show I just talked about) aired April 12th (last night). They featured on this a discussion between a character and the president of Fox, to convince him he should let the image air on the Family Guy, or it's basically bowing to terrorists, and along the lines of dropping the freedom of speech. Every other religion and character is allowed through the show. To block this one is to surrender our freedoms.

He convinced the Fox president to let the image appear. When the fake Family Guy clip rolled, Comedy Central actually DID censor away the entire piece of it which included and showed Muhammad. The writers of Southpark proved what they were talking about. A weakness to censorship and virtually a threat to the freedom of speech.

The Arabs decided to retaliate to the show. The writers used their retaliation to show how anything else but Muhammad is allowed. The Arabs designed a cartoon piece of Americans crapping on eachother and all over the place. Then a pregnant woman came out and did the same. Then came President Bush, who did the same, and then as the final punch to PROVE their point came Jesus, who also did the same.

They pinpointed and proved their thoughts perfectly. The concept was clear and even evidence formed. Just this show has made me realize the lack of pride found in censorship. There is no respect to the people's rights and even the country. By Censoring that one piece of one religion and no piece of any other, and they show fear. Fear towards terrorist organizations, not all Arabs. That disgusts me. These spineless censors can weaken the country. Censoring pieces like that is the same as getting on your knees and asking for forgiveness.

Freedom of speech is our first amendment. Could it begin to fade away just from censorship? Little steps even like that show to me that we are pointed in the direction of 1984. Just my oppinion, but I believe that to be an accurate interpretation.

Go ahead censors, show your weakness, your lack of pride, your gutless, spineless, disrespectfull decisions you make to keep images from a single culture of people off of television. You have my pitty.

That's all I've got for now, but I may have more things to hit on.

If anyone else has seen these episodes, or not seen them, I'd love comments.

-Axiom

I have great news!!! I have started to write a book, like I've always desired to.

Now I've got a few questions for anyone out there who may have a logical, believable answer. I want this to be a true novel. I'm pretty sure it needs to be a good sized book. Any idea how many pages of computer typed text would make a book at least 200 long? If its in a large hardback book then I know it will take at least 200 pages, I'll assume. Ahh I'm full of questions and that one feels stupid but it has to roll out.

That's about all I need now. Comments are loved.

-Axiom

There was an article in my paper today about Alan Parsons, which I thought would be a good thing, but it spent a lot of it's time just insulting prog. It starts out with a bang, calling prog-rock a "horrid hyphenate," "sleeper hold," and "bo-ring." Now what is boring about constant changes in time signature, an actual focus on virtuosity, and well-thought-out lyrics not about sex or how much the listener is a victim of authority? Next up, Parsons supposedly "made prog rock palatable, bridging the gap between indecipherable babble and melodious goodness." Indecipherable babble? Surely prog is amazingly complex, especially to someone not used to it, but mainstream music doesn't even have anything to decipher. As far as melodies are concerned, the Flower Kings have more and better melodies in one song than, say, Linking Park does in its whole library. Parson's debut album Tales of Mystery and Imagination is decried as "nutty" by the pop critic, because it is "a sonic salute to Edgar Allen Poe." I think this proves once and for all that no one expects or wants the music industry to be an art form, akin to literature (How can you not like Poe?).

In other news I'm working on a new story. This one will be my most disturbing yet, and if you liked Axiom's two, you'll love this one, so stay tuned...

-Revan

Baseball days are here!  I love baseball, and for the first time in my life I am actually paying close attention to the entire thing.

 

"Take me out to the ball game
Take me ou to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks
I don't care if I never get back
So lets root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
'Cause it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game!"

An absolute classic.  It's impossible to dislike that jingle. *deep breath* Ahhh....... The smell of fresh-cut grass, the touch of clay, the feel and scent of a bat a ball and a glove.... how I miss the days.  But they're brought back by my baseball craving.Just writing out some thoughts.  Pointless really.

-Axiom

Some how, after four years at a school where I only knew about fifty people, I guess, I have a chance to win Prom King.

I've been elected to run for the Prom Court and I don't know how I could possibly make it even that far. Does anyone know how those are figured out? Who votes? All the seniors don't, 'cause I haven't seen a ballet or anything. Each person with the potential to win comes from a school organization. I was picked in my Newspaper class. I don't know if I will make it.

I don't know how I could possibly win this. It's kind of unusuall because all of a sudden people that I have never talked to and never knew their name and even that I have never seen say hi to me or other similar things. I'm confused. But I appreciate the attention.

I'm only 5'5" so if I win I will be shorter than the queen, unless I would be very very lucky. I would enjoy this experience a lot. I'd be happy with just making it onto the court. Hell, I'm happy enough to be nominated by newspaper.

Just thought like I wanted to make a post. No real reason other than to tell it. Comments are loved.

-Axiom

I am looking forward to my new college life, very very much. I'm positive that there will be stories and tales to tell. They basically go along with the package.

Now the truth behind that is I have no idea what things might occure. Any college students out there, I'd love to hear examples.

I am destined for Florida State University. I've been set for there since I was born. I remember thinking about going there and wanting to go there as early as kintergarden. My dream has come true thanks to all the work I have put in.

Things I am looking forward to:

• Great Stories
• Great Pictures/Video for display forever
• Solid classes for my future of course
• Watching people get completely trashed, without me ever touching a drop of anything for the entertainment
• Good food and as much of it as I want
• Dorm rooms with constant things going on
• Meeting a whole bunch of new people
• The ratio at FSU is 2:1 women over men
• Tons of other things that I can't think of now

I'm suspicious that some of these dreams may be true and some not ever going to happen. I don't care if some are rare, but I believe they all will be there. Any thoughts about that?

My Dad told me a great story from one of his years at FSU. Here it is:

One of his years at the school (doesn't matter) a ton of people from a nudist group (I'm talking over a thousand plus if I remember) was protesting on the campus for some reason. They were all completely nude. And most of the members were women, of course, since I think it's much more common for them and far less for men. My Dad didn't bring the camera he normally carries around, so he couldn't get any pictures unfortunately. Instead, he climbed up a tree and sat there for a long while watching all of them run around. The school newspaper had gotten some pictures and they included them all over their next issue of course. I'll be shown that as soon as he finds it, and this story alone is one of the best I have ever heard about college. Anyone have a story that can beat that?

FSU has a few fast food restaurants, and they hit three of my favorites. Burger King, Chick-Filey, and Pizza Hut. There are more I believe and I suspect a Subway and others that I love. Anyone know of others for sure?

I've selected the perfect plan for food anyways. In the dorms' "cafeterias" I can enter and eat as much food as much as I want. I don't have a set number of times I can use my card. I can do it whenever I want. It's open from something like 7am to 11pm, if I heard rigt. That will be great. Here comes the Freshman Fifteen.

Ahh.... I don't know what else I can include to describe everything I am excited for. Of course I have already vaguely included the piece that meeting new girls is one of the best parts. Friends would be great, but more would be better you know. I don't expect anything along those lines. Expect nothing and you are never disappointed.

Hmmm.... that's finally all I have. I'd love to hear from any of you about anything related to college. Leave a comment if you know anything for me!!!

-Axiom

This entire post will be talking about the new movie, "She's the Man." DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOVIE BEFORE YOU SEE IT. THIS WOULD RUIN IT ALL.

O man... lets see where to start. First of all I want to guarentee you that there will be no exagerations of over-done explanations about this movie at all. Anything I state about the physical pieces of the movie are completely truthfull. Any oppinionated pieces are mine of course, but they will be thoughts that many of us would have.

I knew that going to this movie I would be walking into a girls movie, but I was going with a lot of my friends so it should have been alright. I knew the plot would be similar to a mix of a lot of movies and stories I have heard before. Two twins are trading places. We've all heard of it before. That was the only thing I thought I would only believe it to be "OK".

First issue: In every scene of the movie you can see one or two microphones that drop into the viewing area. Every scene, without lying. They drop in revealing about half of the microphone. In one particular scene from a restaurant, when two characters were up close on a small table, they were talking softly of course. We've seen pieces like that before. The mics have to be close. One dropped so far into the scene that it almost hit one character square on the head. Missed by a few inches.

Every scene they popped out, some worse than others. On a soccer field on a windy day, one of the microphones with the big fluff around it (which avoids the wind) dropped its entire mic piece into the scene for a moment.

Of course they are at the top of the screne, but they are always visible. None fall to the ground, but they sway into the scene. Right into positions that you could not miss.

Well those pieces of information made me laugh during the movie. I felt better about the $6.50 I put in to see it because I laughed at some scenes and at the mics on others.

Now onto the plot. Things worked too coincidentally too quickly and too easily to save the main character from big problems. Also, they wanted her to be very out of place since she was a woman trying to be a man. They blew the idea way over the fence.

Small point: the movie is supposed to be held in a major high school, so I expected a fancy one. Students stayed in dorms, and everyone at the school was tall and stronger than high schoolers most of the time. This was easily called a college environment by me. Very very far from even high class high schools.

Now into some major plot issues. Soccer was a big part of the movie of course. Toward the end, an important game was played and luckily for the girl, her twin brother had shown up and managed to get on the soccer field and in in uniform for the first half of the game. They had been caught by two bitchy students and the students revealed how they proved it to the principal. He went down of the field, and the guy swore he is a guy. He was asked to prove it and he dropped his pants. Completely. Luckily nothing was shown or I would of had a seizure. He wasn't expelled and the game wasn't affected? And he wasn't kicked out by a ref or the principal? That's bull shit.

Next, they switched places at half time so she could accomplish her goal of the entire plot. For some reason half way through the second half, she revealed to a guy she like and everyone that she was indeed a girl now. By the way, their mother and father are in the stands and they witnessed their son and did not get angry, offended, or embarassed at all. The principal did not believe she was a girl even when she took off her wig and let down her hair. So She ripped up her shirt and flashed two boys soccer teams, her principal, refs, the entire stadium, and of course her mother and father. And then she was allowed to play as well. And her mother and fater were proud of her suddenly. Also they had been hating eachother and were divorced and suddenly are getting better about it. Unfortunately, nothing was shown here either, just a view from her back.

At the end of this game, the man guy character heard some sad comments by teamates and gave his explanation with an old comment the coach had made. It was suppsed to be something about pride. Statements like these can be very meaning full, but it should not be jumped right into. It should be led into the hard hitting parts. But, he tried to nail it instantly. It was so gushingly horrible and disgusting that it was neither relevant to anything about the game or the movie, and it was dripping with over-influenced statements that tried to follow the plot but obiously could not. This comment would have worked like climbing down a mountain to be successful. Slow and meaningful. It was actually like jumping off the Grand Canyon. Only it wasn't a quick and painless death. No joke about this, I almost threw up. That unintended corny and highly over-sugar coated method of communication slugged along for the last fifteen mintues of the movie.

Oh and I forgot something. The girl was basically being forced to be a debutant by her mother, and in the meeting that they show, she gets in a cat fight involving several girls in the bathroom, and they all were still allowed to be debutants. When the official ceremony happened,of course she paced down the lane like she was suppsed to, but suddenly here is the guy she wanted in front of her in a tux and she jumps down and starts dancing with her. Music suddenly jumps on and everyone dances. I may have totally screwed up that last part because I barely remember that part at all. By then I was just trying to maintain my own stability and keep my pulse around somehwere normal. If I got that messed up and anyone knows the right way, tell me about it.

I can only think of one way to explain how this movie was formed. Well first of all the girls were all hot just like they were supposed to be, which was worth maybe half of the $6.50, and for the girls watching all the guys were handsome. The only thing I can assume is that they did not have a lot of tape to re-film scenes. Some of the lines sounded made up and they would have DEFINITLY seen the mics if they ever watched it themselves. No editors? No director? No publisher? How could all of that exist?

I do not exagerate or over run it when I say that this is the worst movie I have ever scene. Of course regardless to the loathsome physical characteristics of the piece. I don't understand how your minds work ladies.

Well, I just needed to get that all off of my chest. Mostly because if I didn't it would have dug in through my skin and squeezed my heart until it burst. I hope none of it lands on you all. It hits like a cinder block off a plane if you see it expecting something good. Fair warning to all.

I love comments, so if you have any about anything whether you liked it or not, tell me.

-Axiom

The movie industry is killing itself in the name of progress, and this is how they're doing it: With the transition from VHS to DVD, we have seen a great shortage in the time a film goes from theater to retailers. For instance, King Kong was just released on DVD and one or two theaters in my area are still playing it. In the past, people knew they had to see a certain film now, or it would be a year or more before it popped up again. Now, of course, one does not have to wait that long. Naturally this causes theater attendances to drop (this is also because movies are sucking more and more, but that is another issue). After all, why shell out $6.50 to see something once, when you can watch it over and over for all time for just $20 or less? And that $6.50 is just for me; I hear in New York it's like $15 or more to see a film. However, one doesn't buy DVDs like one goes to the movies; no one randomly calls up a friend and says,"Hey! Wanna go out and buy a DVD?" Basically there is very little motivation to go out and buy DVDs, and as stated earlier there is also significantly lower motivation to go to a theater.

But this is not the end. Studios envision releasing films simultaneously in both theaters and on DVD format. I believe that will ramp up the factors stated already and kill the industry. Also, "they" seem intent on switching formats once again to either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, which is completely unneccessary. Honestly, the meager difference between DVD and VHS does not make me enjoy a movie more, and this next improvement will have even less effect. This may have been boring, but sue me. Seriously, you people didn't comment on the last few posts and those were AMAZING!

-Revan