I weigh in on everything in the genre I deem worthy of my attention... Basically BBC scifi, Star Trek and South Park. You will occasionally find legitimately important topics, but mostly my thoughts and rambles about whatever's on.
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who types like they're a monkey bashing its head against the keyboard?
I feel like the monkey is probably better at both
typing and spelling.
"but i liek to typ3 li3k dis" is often a defence for such crimes against language, or "its shorter 2 not type it all out and ur super dumb 4 not doin this 2" is an alternative. Why? For the first one, why would you want to look like a drunk ape learning how to use a complex piece of equipment? I honestly don't see the allure in looking like a complete moron in a setting where everyone across the globe could conceivably see your act of idiocy. For the second one... well, you're using a full keyboard. Can you honestly not spare the extra half-second it takes to type "to" or "too" instead of using the digit? If you're really that busy, should you honestly be wasting your precious, precious time on an internet forum or the comments section of whatever it is you're browsing? Quickly, get off your computer and get back to your life-changing work.
Seriously, these monkeys know what
they're doing.
Surely, if you are a lover of languages like myself, or at least a human being of moderate intelligence, you've wanted to, at some point, correct at least one egregious error in your time on the internet. Perhaps you've restrained yourself for fear of being labelled a "Grammar Nazi" for the whole internet to see.
My question is, why be afraid? Why fear being known for proper use of your language? Since the internet really started to soar in popularity, the quality of grammar everywhere has been deteriorating. It's gotten to the point where people, grown, adult people, have no idea how to use simple words like "your" and "you're" properly, and are simply confounded by the idea of "there", "they're", and "their" being different things with different meanings. Please, don't even get me starting on using "then" rather than "than" to make comparisons. This is simple grammar people should have picked up in grade school when they were learning how to read and write. No amount of wifi should ever change the fact that this is important linguistic knowledge.
Yes languages change an mutate over the years. Otherwise, we'd still be going around asking "what light through yonder window breaks" or "how art thee this fine morrow?" However, languages should not mutate to the point where words lose their meanings, or become so confused with similar words that no one knows how to spell or use them correctly without several visits to a dictionary. My point here is, use a darned dictionary, learn what words mean and how to use them, and I'll stay off your back. Until you do that, I will continue to be one of the last crusaders for linguistic purity.
The Nintendo Wii U is set to be released sometime soon, and it's helped convince me that Nintendo's finally gone completely bonkers.
Let's take a look at the controller:
It's large, it's clunky, it doesn't look like it can fit into someone's hands comfortably. Now, having spent my fair share of time with controller in hand, I can tell you that carpal tunnel from gaming is a real thing, and it's exacerbated by controllers that are uncomfortable to hold. This... this thing is a giant rectangle. It has made no effort to conform to the shape of a human hand, which really leads me to believe that Nintendo has some inside information about an impending robot apocalypse and they are preparing for our soon-to-be robot overlords. Robot overlords that have square-shaped hands or something. I honestly feel like the people who designed this have never sat down and played a game before in their lives.
Now let's talk about how you actually use the clunky controller:
It's a touch screen. Like on a DS. I bought a DS when it first came out. Then I bought another one when the Lite came out. I think I may be partly to blame for the inflated ego Nintendo's gone and grown itself. My point is, I don't need ANOTHER DS lying around the house. And that's basically what this is. It's a bug, clunky, not-foldy DS that works with your TV. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd love to play some of my DS games on the big ol' telly screen (Dragon Quest, anyone?), and if the new system allows me to do that, I will probably shell out my hard-earned, hard-to-come-by money for one on that principle alone. I'm not perfect. But if I'm going to have to look at a smaller screen instead of my TV half the time I'm playing the game, I'd rather not spend the money on the new system and just play my games on the consoles I already have. Because, you know, I'm responsible with my money.
This stuff just materialized on my shelf. I didn't spend money on it. I swear.
While we're on the subject of the touch screen, it appears that I will have to actually tear my eyes away from my pristine telly screen to fumble around with my bloody box-controller, presumably while I'm dying on the larger screen where the actual game is happening. Maybe Nintendo is looking to encourage team work, having one person operating the large robot weapon controller and the other looking for potential threats on the main screen. But what about lonely basemen hermits like myself with no one to spot them? Are we not allowed to play your games, Nintendo?
Now, let's talk games. Let's see, the hot titles Nintendo;s keeping from us are...
Stick [insert random word] Edition on the end and BAM! new game.
Games we've already had for quite some time and have probably become sick of by now. It looks to me like Nintendo's just gone and taken the hottest games from the past year and gone "That's great... but I think adding clunky multi-tasking-required controllers will make it ten times better." Because that's how you get people to love your games right? Making them hard to play.
Let's talk connectivity. Ever tried to watch Netflix while hooked up to your PSN?
Then you've probably been filled with rage by this thing.
Annoying right? You're trying to watch a film or a very charming serial killer killing people, when little notifications keep popping up on your screen. A lot of the time, it's messages from the same person. "Hey, I see you're online, but not playing the game I'm playing. You should fix that." "Hey, are you listening to me?" "Hellloooooo?" The point is, they start to sound like Navi.
Back to the Wii U. Apparently, it's a completely connected userbase. Basically, everyone can see and message everyone. You see where this is going. Those "Hey! Listen! HEEEEYYYY!" infuriations are going to start happening. A lot. And there's nothing you can do about it. You'll be getting messages when you're trying to concentrate on a game, and a lot of the times (you know it will happen) it'll be some ten year old going "Hi." I can only imagine the mass console slaughters that will occur within a week of the Wii U's release. So, er, Nintendo... good luck with that.
A panel from the upcoming issue in which Sam is introduced.
Oh my, it has been quite some time since I've posted anything, I'm not used to actually having a life. Its strange to me.
Marvel's been making news recently with their announcement that Northstar and Kyle will soon be tying the knot. And if you're anything like me, you're waiting so impatiently to see it you're wearing a groove into the floor with your pacing.
DC, as they seem to do, is following suit, bringing back Alan Scott as the Green Lantern (I hear he'll eventually be heading the Justice League!) and their puling him out of the closet. The second issue of Earth 2 (written by James Robinson) will introduce Sam, Alan's lover, who in my opinion is adorable. It's out soon, I can't wait!
This is such a big step forward for the comic book world and I am so excited to be able to witness such a major change.
I, of course, had to draw my own.
It's obviously not as good as Robinson's.
If you’re about as organized as I am, you’ve probably had your Christmas shopping done for months… yeah, that’s a lie, you probably haven’t started yet. So, going through ideas for friends, I’ve found a whole bunch of stuff any self-proclaimed geek/nerd would love to get. I’ve assembled them all into a nice list for your perusing pleasure.
The deus ex machina droid that does all, has come up with a brand-new function no one saw coming: grinding up pepper for your dining pleasure. The perfect gift for any sci-fi fans who are also big fans of cooking. It’ll help brighten up any kitchen.
For any girl-nerds on your Christmas list, this is one of the most awesome things she could receive. Not only is it a handy purse for carrying all those necessary girl things in, it’s also a piece of art for carrying around on your arm.
This is for your craftier friends or children who happen to be on the nerdier side of the spectrum. From what I can tell it’s got 25 craft projects, perfect to keep you busy on your down-time or keep the kids busy during the holidays from school.
What’s another staple of this time of year? Cookies of course! Why not keep them safe in the most logical way: a cookie jar, in the shape of the most logical being around, of course.
Got any children who’ve followed in your noble nerdy footsteps? Looking to spoil them? Why not get them a fancy Dalek shell to ride around in on their quest for galactic domination? I know I wish I could have had one.
Got someone on your list who likes cute and cuddly things? Can’t afford to kidnap David Tennant for them? Why not get them a nice Adipose plush instead? Nothing says cuddly like “fat that just walks away”.
Got a distinguished fellow to buy for this year? Why not treat him to the coolest accessory of them all? If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that bow ties are cool.
Any distinguished gentlemen who don’t think bow ties are cool? A delightful pocket watch might just be the thing for them. Available in both plastic and die cast, it’s perfect for the classy gents on any budget.
Who doesn’t love a 51st Century man with charisma? Why not don his coat and some of that charisma for yourself? Perfect for a special someone you don’t mind spending a little extra on, or perfect for spending any gift money you may receive.
Zombies have become quite popular lately, and I know they’re quite a few die-hard fans out there. If you know one, why not gift them with a nice fancy mug? That glows in the dark.
Any self-respecting Wash fans know that this is obviously one of his greatest lines ever, and movie fates notwithstanding, he will live forever in awesome tees like this one.
This is something I actually did buy for a friend who loves Monopoly. Not being one for Monopoly myself, I’ve never played it, but she really enjoys it. So if you’re really into the game or your friends are, this is a fun thing for get-togethers.
Yeah, I did all my window-shopping on ThinkGeek, gimme a break, I’m a lazy internet shopper and they have great stuff from pretty much every fandom. And most of these things can be found in collector's shops and the like, since it's last-minute now, no time for shipping. I know I've seen most of it while out and about.
So, in my abundant free time, I often watch people's children, thus fulfilling my quota for social interactions until the next week. I get along pretty well with children, considering I have the maturity of a four-year-old most of the time, but sometimes there's a problem keeping them entertained in a way I never was a kid, meaning, let's not plop them in front of the TV for six hours and then we'll talk to them. This time, instead of running around in the freezing cold and possibly breaking some bones on the hazardous ice, I decided we should make gingerbread. The theme? Something all of us had in common, ie. the game I made them play and they turned out loving: Final Fantasy VI. (III in America, I believe.)
From top left: Edgar, Terra, Kefka, Sabin, Celes, Mog, Chocobo, Shadow
Aren't they precious?
So, I basically made the dough, the kids helped by turning on the mixer and such, seeing as they're young and I don't much fancy eggshells in my cookies. The gingerbread is the same recipe as the last batch of cookies, so we won't talk about that. If I'd had fondant they probably would have been a lot nicer, but it wouldn't have been as much fun for the kids, so we mixed up a couple colours of icing and I let them loose. They had a blast. They made a mess. I cleaned it up. Life is good when you're eight and six. They treated me as though I were Leonardo da Vinci himself as I taught them how to use a piping bag, although my skills (seeing as it's impossible to tell apart the ones I decorated from the ones they did) are lacking at best. Point being, we had a great time.
Cyan, Strago, Locke, Relm, Gau and Setzer
I had been planning on doing South Park cookies this year, but seeing as most eight-year-olds (myself excluded, apparently) aren't avid South Park fans, I figured I'd better switch the plan up a bit. So now I have a batch of FFVI gingerbreads, and life if pretty damn awesome.
Gogo and Umaro
Making these cookies was pretty straightforward. We mixed the dough and put it in the fridge for the necessary hour. During that time we looked up pictures of what we wanted to do and prepared icing and such. Time passed relatively quickly. I rolled out the dough and they went to town cutting out the people. Funnily enough, we had just enough dough to make all the characters and a chocobo, well, we'd had two chocobos but one was stolen by an evil passing adult. They cooked rather fast and while they cooled the kids wanted to play the game, so we did.
This one's my favourite. It's both cute and Setzer. ♥
After that, with the icing we prepared earlier, we decorated our cookies. These children are obviously prodigies. I am so proud.
This was the biggest pain in the ass since I had to move back in with my grandmother.
Well, my cookies are done, and I'm already feeling far more jolly than I normally would at this time of year. I think a victory fanfare is in order.
I'm sure a lot of people have already seen Rick Perry's latest attempt at scrounging up any possible votes from any place he possibly can, seeing as, well, he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. I'm not going to do him the favour of linking his video here, if you haven't already seen it, go ahead and go look for it on Youtube, but make certain you have no sharp objects on hand, you'll probably want to stick them in your head upon hearing him speak.
Let's start with his first claim about 'not being ashamed of admitting he's a Christian'. Alright, that's cool. There's nothing wrong with having your own religious views, knock yourself out, you live in a free country, believe what you want. I just want to take a minute to question your wording there: why are you saying it as though it's something most people are ashamed of, or as though it's something people might be shocked to hear you say? I mean, I don't have any statistics here, but I'm pretty confident in saying a LOT of Americans are some form of Christians, be it Catholic, Protestant, etc. I don't see how coming out and saying that Christianity is your thing is supposed to be shocking. Perhaps if he'd come on screen and said "I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a big supporter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster", people may have done a double take and questioned the man's sanity three seconds into the ad instead of only ten seconds into the ad. As it is, I really think religion should be left out of politics, but his announcing his Christianity is not all that shocking.
Next, I want to talk about the part of his ad that really hit a nerve with me; the part where he claimed that 'there's something wrong when gays can openly serve in the military...', ohh. Let's not open that can of worms with me, Mr. Perry. I, and many people I know, would have flayed you alive if we were in the room when you said that. I like to think that as a species, we've evolved over the years, past the point where we fear people who are different. We've pretty much gotten over the sexism thing, sure there's places in the world where apparently intellectual evolution has yet to reach, but we're doing rather well. I like to think the racism problem is going away in an absolutely swimming fashion, once again, exceptions and hiccups, time will tell. Is it not about time we get over the sexuality hump (yes that pun was intended, sue me why don'tcha... please don't, I have no money) and just get on with our lives? I will be the mature one here and not point out that Perry's jacket is shockingly similar to Heath Ledger's in Brokeback Mountain... oh wait, guess I'm not going to be the mature one then. But seriously, let's not even go there. People are FINALLY growing brains and starting to figure out that what you like to do behind closed doors is really not that big a deal. Unless you know, it's some screwed up stuff I may or may not know about growing up near Hicksville, Hickington; then that stuff is probably illegal. What I'm getting at is: get over it. Some people are straight, some are gay, some are asexual, some are bisexuel, the list just goes on. My point: let people be. You want to be allowed to celebrate Christmas openly? Let others be openly gay, regardless of what profession they desire to pursue. Point finale.
Now, to my main point: his strange idea about America having a "Christian heritage". Now, I'm not an American, but I am a history buff, especially when said history has to do with religion. I do seem to recall reading that the good ol' US of A happened to be a country founded on free religion, meaning it was founded with no particular religion in mind for the country's "main" religion. Seeing as the founders had varying religions themselves, they figured it would be best to found a country with no religion at all involved in the government. How did it come to be that religion, ie Christianity, has become so prominent in American politics? Emails were sent around about Obama being a devout Muslim, a false claim, seeing as Obama said himself he was not raised in a particularly religious household (and as an atheist, panromantic girl raised in a rather strictly Christian, pretty closed-minded household, I am VERY jealous), but my question for them was, who cares? Number one, the Muslim faith is not one of violence, it is a faith of peace, like Catholicism is supposed to be, yet extremists are capable of violence, and I would like to draw attention to something called the Crusades (if you don't know what that is, please look it up, it's seriously messed up and may change your mind about religion being a good thing in the world), but I will say nothing more about them, having exhausted my rant about them. (I was alone against a large grounp of people in a "debate", it was more a lynching, and I really don't want to start that again.) I can only hope that the world is beginning to produce people who aren't afraid to ask questions about the things they hear, and learn to think for themselves, and not do things simply because some ancient book (written by people, I'd like to point out, not faxed down from some dude on some astral plane) tells them to do them. Anyways, I seem to have strayed from my original point; my point is, Rick Perry, you're a closed-minded idiot. Please, stop. It appears you are so desperate for votes your clinging hopefully to religion in the hopes of grabbing the Evangelical vote. Who knows? It may work. I can only hope the rest of the country is completely stupid.
Here's one of those legitimately important topic I warned I might talk about sometimes. This guy rubbed me the wrong way, and after several Facebook and Twitter debates, I felt a need to really rant about it.
Let's freak out some homophobic Matt and Trey fans, why don't we?
I'd like to say that BASEketball, like pretty much every awesome thing, belongs to Matt and Trey and all those other people who matter in the movie. They aren't gay... but man do they act it well sometimes.
So, it's that awful time of year where I get depressed due to snow overload, decorations creating eyesores everywhere, terrible songs getting stuck in my head and the stress of finding a gift for everyone. (Don't call me a Grinch, dammit, this is one of the worst holidays ever, besides, I like mistletoe, that's a point in my favour.) To cheer myself up I like to make fun cookies, since apparently it's the time of the year gingerbread, the most delicious of all cookies, is really "in style". And of course, being me, I can't have them be just normal gingerbread men... no, they have to be characters from whatever currently holds my fancy. Last year's cookies were Star Trek: The Original Series-inspired (You'll be seeing those in a minute). This years theme has yet to be decided, but I do have a few things in mind. (If you've got a cool idea, you should drop me a line.)
Yeah, so they're not very detailed. Sue me. They were for fun.
Now to make awesome cookies like these, all you'll need is a basic gingerbread recipe. If you want mine, it can be found here, but it's in French. But they're really good, and the recipe even includes one for icing, if you need one. Seriously, this man is a kitchen god.
Guess which cookies got eaten first.
Make your cookies as directed, yaddy yaddy yadda. Make icing as direct, etc, etc. You have to leave gingerbread in the firdge for a good couple hours, so I suggest making these when you have a lot of free time or when you have something to do in between. When you take them out and roll them, you can use a basic cut-out like I did for my people out of laziness, or you can hand-sculpt, like I did for my Enterprise. Bake as directed, etc. Let them cool before you apply the icing. (Protip: To cool them faster, you can put them in the fridge, or outside if you live in the freaking arctic circle like I do.)
I was really amused that it was Spock-cookie's hand that got split down the middle whilst baking.
Now, depending on what kind of characters you're making, you're going to need a wide variety of colours. I used primarily red, blue and yellow, but had a sort of gold colour for insignias and rank braids, as well as a dark brownish-black for hair and faces. The Enterprise didn't really need icing. I was going to ice her, but I got lazy and was being kicked out of the kitchen. So she just got a label out the left-over gold.
Laziness at its finest.
After you've got all the colours you need, you just apply them in the places your characters' clothes should be. I recommend having reference pictures nearby, that way you don't have to run to find them if you need to have a quick look.
BEHOLD my *cough* amazing *cough* piping skills.
Voila! You have made your very own character cookies. Be proud.
