I'm tired of it. (non gaming rant)



Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Bible holds the answers to all or most of life's basic questions, yet only half of US adult citizens can name even one of the four gospels and most US citizens cannot name the first book of the Bible.

Atheists, 'Christians,' followers of Christ, Political groups and the like all use the Bible to push their agenda. No one takes the time to read what the Bible really says about anything, because that would take thought, and a lot of it. We'd have to discuss the Greek and Hebrew languages, as well as all seven tenses and it would tear down your emotional based arguments, and bring up real conversation.

Just hold up the Bible and make it say whatever you want. God forbid you read it and think about it on your own.


Anonymous and terrorism.

Well, great. Anonymous claims that they aren't terrorist, so they target Eric Hirshberg posting his personal information for everyone to see. Isn't that the very definition of terrorism? If you don't do what we say we'll harm you in some way.

Definition of TERRORISM

: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion

Yep. That would make them terrorist.


US and China

Did you know the US and China are currently in a cold war now? It’s not like the cold war with the US and USSR with a military and nuclear build up, but an economic cold war.

Right now, China owns 1/3 of the US debt (approximately 14.3 trillion dollars). They own it in 0% interest US Treasury Bonds*. This is a policy of mutual destruction with the US as well as giving China a huge influence over US foreign and domestic policies.

The way that the mutual destruction works is that China would call in the US Debt. The US would have to print the money, killing the value of the US dollar, to meet the demand. This would effectively kill both of our economies.

*The reason the 0% interest bonds is important is because the US has little to no incentive to pay China back because there are US Bonds that give up to 5% interest, and paying back bond that incur interest is a higher priority.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that the North Korea invades South Korea (as they have just threatened to do). The US would support our allies in South Korea right? Not if China threatens to call in the US Debt if we do. The PotUS would have an extremely difficult decision to make. This is why I cringe when the PotUS says that he is increasing the debt.


The Dark Side of an All-Digital Future

With rumors of an all-digital next generation (Microsoft and Sony) I have some serious reservation about the price of the content. When we look at DLC (which, for the most part is restricted to consoles connected to the Internet) they stay at the same price. Look at the DLC for Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, or any other game, you’ll notice that the prices haven’t decreased. Why? Simply, there isn’t a need to. Yes, they’ll go on sale occasionally, but they stay at the same price point (for the most part).

Retailers will put games on sale to lure costumers into their stores with the hope of driving additional business. When we loss this, there is the strong potential for games to remain at their original price point. They have almost no incentive to lower the price. E. g. when I bought Battle Field 3 on Origin it was $60. Now it’s $40, but that is because the retail price dropped first, and you can still buy it cheaper from retail.

Mass Effect 3 is on sale at Target for $49.99 this week. That’s a great value for the price. If it was solely on Origen you’d be forced to pay the $60, and people will pay it. If you really want to play the game, you’ll have to pay the price. Maybe the price will drop on Origin after 6-12 months. Do we really want to wait that long to play the new hotness? If the retail prices remain at $60 for eternity, would Origin ever drop the price?

Businesses are in it to make money. I get it. They aren’t producing games solely for us to enjoy. When we take retail out of the picture, and we are stuck buying directly from Microsoft or Sony the future isn’t bright.


Casual Rape

I was just playing Battlefield 3 and I realized how many players are participating in digital rape, i.e. teabagging. Ever think of it that way? [Text removed by moderator]. It’s kind of horrific.

I know a lot of people on the Giant Bomb Forums make the RapeLay joke about what games to play with a significant other, but this isn’t a joke. [Text removed by moderator], and you're making the real person, playing the game, watch it.

The worst part of the whole thing is how casually we do it. It’s almost second nature, and we’re encouraged to participate


My Unpopular Opinions Less-Lethal vs. Non-Lethal and Propaganda

Let me start by saying there is no such thing as a non-lethal weapon. Any weapon that is designed to incapacitate has the potential to kill, which is why they are referred to as less-lethal. What happens when you pepper spray someone who is allergic to pepper, or tase someone with a pacemaker? There s always the potential for death.

I’ve been watching the show Whale Wars. It’s strange, and it kind of upsets me. The propaganda in Whale Wars is rampant. The way Captain Paul Watson manipulates people, and the media is incredible. What really bothers me is the fact that people are buying his crap.

There is an episode where Watson claims the Japanese whalers have shot him. He opens his jacket to reveal his bulletproof vest and pulls out a bullet and says he’s been shot. What the hell? Let me ask you this, have you ever played baseball/softball and been hit with a ball? What about someone throwing a something at you? Not only does it hurt, but it leaves a bruise, and considering that object is only moving between 10-100mph it’s not that fast. Now consider that a bullet is traveling between 900-1700 Feet per second (fps) or 600+mph (FPS x .6818 = MPH).

I’ve been in the US Army for several years. My good friend was shot in his IBA (Kevlar Vest) by an AK47 (a larger bullet 7.62 and travels around 2400fps). He was picked up and thrown backwards almost 20 feet, but Paul Watson doesn’t even stumble. My friend’s chest had an imprint of where the IBA was slammed into his chest, it was bruised for almost a month, he had a hard time breathing for weeks, but it saved his life. Paul Watson, nothing happened. Yeah… it’s a lot of propaganda and people are fooled.

There is a lot of propaganda out there. Some of my favorites have been the “Blood for oil” campaign when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. Which is funny considering that the US gets the majority of its oil from Canada (over 50%). Supporting documents.

Remember these videos?

The Propaganda

The Real Video - This kid is classy.

I’m not going to get into the whole occupy movement, it deserves its own post, but there is propaganda on both sides. Fox News shows stories of police being attacked, where as the Huffington Post talks about tear gas being used on peaceful protesters. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Don’t just believe something because you agree with it, but question everything.


Assassins Creed: Hawk or Dove?

I believe in religious literacy. We need to understand people and their points of view rather than grouping them into stereotypes.

Here’s a little background for you, In the Middle East there are two types of Jewish view points: hawk and doves. The same is true of the Palestinians, they have their hawks and doves. Hawks take an uncompromising stand in dealing with the Palestinians, support the notion of a greater Israel, which implies keeping and annexing the territories occupied in the Arab-Israeli wars, and advocate Jewish settlements in the territories. Doves, by contrast, support compromise with the Palestinians, advocate exchanging land for peace, and oppose Jewish settlement in the territories (Bar-Tal et al. 1994)

I wonder if the eagle on the towers is really a hawk, showing Altair and Ezio’s points of view. Before you get mad at me for suggesting they are Muslim, you should read about the Hashishin.I know that the assassins have Eagle Vision, but that could very easily be an idiom.

It would be taking terminology from today and applying it very subtly into the world of Assassins Creed. What do you think?



Is there anything that spreads hate, fear, and lies like the Internet? (Insert your Fox News / Huffington Post jokes here).

I’m just amazed at the number of people who are upset at Alyssa Bereznak. The way people are treating her is just wrong. Yes, she was wrong to write a blog about her date, but is #NotRightForAlyssa the appropriate response?

We all have our preferences for dating someone be it: blondes, brunettes, redheads, old, young, smart, dumb, thin, fat, conservative, liberal, religious, completion or whole host of other characteristics. Not dating someone because they play Magic is just as inane as not dating someone because they wear glasses. She is still a human being, and the way some people on the Internet are treating her is just abhorrent. What ever happened to treating people the way you want to be treated?


My Unpopular Opinions

The school year has started, which means all types of debates, talks, and people losing their minds. Unfortunately for me, I find myself in the minority of the popular opinions. Some of these debates are just ego battles. For example, who really cares who the protagonist is Lord of the Rings. You can make a good argument for almost all of the main characters. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight we can talk about the symbology, but all of those symbols change with time.

I’m going to start a blog (which will be titled Unpopular Opinion) about the other debates, more meaningful to life, and not just flaunting knowledge. So, if you want to read them, I’ll be posting them soon. They aren’t flame bait. It’s to bring up discussion and see how our opinions differ and why. Skeptics make the world a better place.

Also, I know the title is a fragmented sentence, but I like it.

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