Old News: n. 1.Current events that
are neither current or events
2.Millions of words left by a madman
to confound and mystify
practitioner -ie.
Old newsies never die, they just get put on the obituaries.
News
02 December 4706 - Thought Collage
This is what happens when you have a lot of half formed ideas.
For me, and this time, it means doing a little preview work of almost everything that's
been running through me mind. Starting with the wacky dream, natch.
There were lots of places, and I kept going between them
rapidly, as if I was just watching, but changing my perspective deeply enough that I was
really there. Like really immersive video chat, but I may have really been going from
place to place. I get the feeling that there was something more even before this, but the
first part that I remember is seeing Six from Battlestar Gallactica in a bright white room
in a real close-up shot, so I couldn't even see her mouth from my vantage point. It felt
like a facebook portrait where someone takes a shot of themselves holding a cat aloft.
Still, much better to cut off the chin than the forehead.
Six was telling me something that I don't remember, but it made me feel the need to go see
what someone else was doing, so then I was in a ship. It was a dim office room, somewhere
between Colonel Tigh's quarters and a generic barracks. There were two people there in
conference. Each had elaborate techno headgear on. One of them was a generic dude from
the Matrix, the other was Starbuck. Starbuck left the room, and then I got a message that
some...er...thing was on its way, and I had to get the generic dude to leave the matrix
before it got there. He almost made it, and I got to see that the bad thing in question
had wispy, shadowy tendrils like the Magic card Corrupt.
I guess I got out of the way soon enough, too, because then I was in a mostly brown place
with big wooden open-air archetecture and a cliff, but a friendly cliff. There were lots of
people I didn't recognize and a few characters I knew about. I was a waterfall. There were
at least two people I didn't recognize but felt friendly toward.
The whole thing was like a bad fanfiction, but it didn't feel that way while I was in it.
My best guess is that I wasn't seeing characters, but the spirits of people whom I could
interpret as those characters, and did not have another capacity for understanding.
I don't often remember my dreams, and I like to record them when I do.
+++
Next up: I've crafted yet another Castlevania Bestiary, this time for Circle of the Moon,
the initial Game Boy Advance title. This time, I only evaluate the monsters in the game itself, and
not with respect to any changes between games as I did with Dawn of Sorrow and Aria of Sorrow.
I get the feeling that I may make more bestiaries, perhaps for different games. Probably just for
Castlevania games, though, or games where the monsters really have some character to explore. They
are often called character designers in the game credits who give these assemblages of sprites and
variables life and meaning to the player. Good monster design is important.
+++
I'm not sure how I feel about the practice of making final projects in Access for a classroom. Final
projects for programs of this kind tend to be awful examples of how to use that program, because
rather than a focused construction built to serve a purpose, you end up with a file that has exactly
one of every different action, object, setting, and mechanism that the program can do. As nightmarish
as that would be for Access (and is, mind), I can't imagine what it would look like do this kind of
thing for Dreamweaver.
As for the current wave of Accounting students and their final project, I can safely say that I am
actually rather good at troubleshooting, even without much in the way of knowledge of the beast
itself. I cannot, however, troubleshoot a project into existance.
Macro not working? Button doesn't do what it's supposed to? Object not linked to a field?
Not a problem.
But if you come to me with the trouble of non-existance, I have nothing for you.
Oddly enough, this is a break from my usual self. Most of the time, I like being on the knowledge-
or content-generating end of things. I have a creative spirit those only thirst is construction,
from the first lego bricks I snapped together to the words I carve out of the aether to this page
right now.
Where it comes to this project, I am strictly off-limits from building the damn thing. I can't fill
your records or design your forms or make your images. Stop freaking asking me.
+++
Christmas persists in America as three cultures:
There is the religious Christian basis, who celebrates with song and feast and wistful anticipation
the anniversary of Christ being born on Earth. Most Christmas songs have this origin, for instance.
There is the consumer basis, who celebrates nothing in particular, other than celebration itself, a
kind of juggernaut of cheer and tidings. This basis is at odds with the last.
There is the scrooge basis, who hates one or both of the other basees. So I guess this one is really
two, but by and large they act the same, sortof, and so I'm lumping them together. The scrooge basis
is at its finest a counter-culture that absolutely hates all the consumer bullshit underlying the
holiday.
And here's the thing, none of these three is right or wrong. Rather, each has elements of rightness
and wrongness. For starters, let's look at what the Christian basis does wrong.
If the holiday is about the celebration of the birth of Christ, then be along for the whole ride. For
Catholics this means Advent, maybe Reconciliation, feast days, and other rituals. For any Christian,
this means remembering and expressing the fact that through Christians is Christ's love and charity
known on Earth. I would put further that every person is an expression of Christ's love and charity
on Earth, but few non-Christians hold themselves to that, so I see no reason to do so here. The key
problem is that the spirit of love and charity gets lost in the mix, the Christian basis sortof doesn't
do very much about celebrating the actual holiday, and consumerism rolls in and never leaves.
The consumer basis is not entirely wrong.
There's simply a different, and a little cockamamie, mythos that goes on behind it. Instead of Christ
we have annual gift man turned Santa Claus, who bears the mantle of the immortals and covorts with
other beings of myth and fact. No matter how it was constructed, this mythos has rules, and I'll be
damned if these rules don't themselves actually deserve meritorious standing among the citizens of
the upright.
I am solidly scrooge. Christmas music is tawdry, the lights are gawdy, and people prepare themselves
like idiots for it for no reason at all. I am critical of anyone who is doing it wrong, be they
Christian or consumer or scrooge (as if this miniture tirade was not itself enough for you to know that).
So what is someone to do who thinks everyone else is doing it wrong? In this case, I'm going to adopt
a running juxtiposition to comic effect across media platforms. I think I do know how to do it right,
so I'm going to make sure Justice is served. Except, every time I would want to say "Justice," I'm
going to say "Christmas" instead.
So look forward to me slinging bravado and talking about how Christmas is served.
Or that Christmas is the right and privaledge of every citizen.
Or that I'm about to drop the hammer, and dispense some indiscriminate Christmas.
Oh, and furthermore, I'm going to post here periodically about actual history of some of the shit
I'm talking about. It should be a good lesson for me at the very least, and an elucidating study
for you as well, I presume.
Christmas is blind.
06 November 4706 - Young Conservatives
28 October 4706 - Restriction 6
20 October 4706 - ...And Nothing Else
02 October 4706 - Sonnet: Autumnatons
22 July 4706 - Go Forth And Oink No More
18 July 4706 - The Past Little While
25 June 4706 - Becoming a Polycrypt
09 June 4706 - Old Yeller
27 May 4706 - Overhaul in Progress
04 May 4706 - My Name Is Kaz, And I'm A Vitriolic
02 April 4706 - Been Done All Year
16 Mar 4706 - St. Fratty's Day Festival
11 March 4706 - Brawl Adventure Mode
25 Feb 4706 - On Weird Energy
14 Feb 4706 - Valentines Never Fought Vampires
10 February 4706 - Devil May Croy For the Last Time
28 Jan 4705 - Car Show Gets the Boot
18 Jan 4705 - Dragon Sea Buffet
14 Jan 4705 - Office Limbo
07 January 4705 - Starting All Over
09 Dec 4705 - Application of Smilies
07 Dec 4705 - Pirates Hold Dreams
07 Dec 4705 - Pearl Harbor Day
02 December 4705 - By the Grace of God
29 Nov 4705 - On Call
05 Nov 4705 - Conic Sections Six
03 November 4705 - Poetry Pirates Gains a Level
31 Oct 4705 - Maybe I Wasn't Clear
30 Oct 4705 - Conic Sections Five
29 Oct 4705 - States 2007
26 Oct 4705 - Conic Sections Four
23 Oct 4705 - Conic Sections Three
18 Oct 4705 - Conic Sections Two
06 Oct 4705 - Kamina, Forgive Me
02 October 4705 - Glasses
30 Sep 4705 - Default Radio Buttons
19 Sep 4705 - Wicked, Wretched, Wrongful Champions
19 Sep 4705 - Eff is For For For For
12 Sep 4705 - Who Advances Design
11 Sep 4705 - Conic Sections One
05 Sep 4705 - Two Weeks to Midnight
01 Sep 4705 - Once, There Was a Girl
28 Aug 4705 - Phantom Hair
23 Aug 4705 - Something Didn't Stick
17 Aug 4705 - You Don't Have to Stay Home, But You Can't Go Here
13 Aug 4705 - Yours, Mine, and Hours
10 Aug 4705 - Some Words
06 Aug 4705 - Mo Fo Po
02 Aug 4705 - Harry Potter Spoilers, Secret Ending to Lost, Booster Gold Tells All
23 Jul 4705 - Frankly, My Dear, iDon't Give a Damn
17 Jul 4705 - Jovial Killers
13 Jul 4705 - Additive Editions End in Horror
12 Jul 4705 - Additive Editions End in Horror
10 Jul 4705 - Excerpt From Nowhere
09 Jul 4705 - To Go
07 Jul 4705 - Public Replies to Private Lines
07 Jul 4705 - Elocution is the New Black
06 Jul 4705 - Calling All Capitol Pirates
05 Jul 4705 - Amaya Boree or What?
03 Jul 4705 - Getting the Most from Your Friends
02 Jul 4705 - Quality Darkness Sweetness
30 Jun 4705 - Live Free, Die Hard, or Compromise
28 Jun 4705 - Why I Should Win Magic Invitationals
26 Jun 4705 - Informational Technician Versus Computer Scientist Round One
Million
26 Jun 4705 - Beeping Battery Life
25 Jun 4705 - One Zato
23 Jun 4705 - Nota Many
18 Jun 4705 - The Humor Is Salvation
15 Jun 4705 - No Title Given
14 Jun 4705 - Put Dvorak on D-Counter
11 Jun 4705 - Anachronistic Aerosol Project
9 Jun 4705 - Regionals Tournament Report
8 Jun 4705 - The Zede Word
8 Jun 4705 - It Is About Time
6 Jun 4705 - Tier_Talk
5 Jun 4705 - Probability Spike
4 Jun 4705 - Erring on the Upside
3 Jun 4705 - Harnessing the Power of Satan
1 Jun 4705 - Trained Attack Breakfast
29 May 4705 - Mock Physics Article
27 May 4705 - Risque Management
Arcanthus Umdaeti 5 - Call of the Caller
Arcanthus Umdaeti 4 - Call of the Passionate
Arcanthus Umdaeti 3 - Call of the Unliving
Arcanthus Umdaeti 2 - Call of the Memorial
Arcanthus Umdaeti 1 (21 May 4705) - Call of the Faithful
17 May 4705 - Commandeering Wisdom
17 May 4705 - Inscrutability Projects
14 May 4705 - Sounds of Fidelity
12 May 4705 - Humane Trap
11 May 4705 - Knowlege is Power
11 May 4705 - Speaking of Nippon
10 May 4705 - Longsighted Paternal Chutzpah
08 May 4705 - Transcribing the Bible
07 May 4705 - Intrinsic Nature
07 May 4705 - Form Up On The Dream
05 May 4705 - Tournament Report
03 May 4705 - My Dream Job
01 May 4705 - Honorable Mention
01 May 4705 - Dedicated Design Team
30 Apr 4705 - Startroid Update
29 Apr 4705 - Moonburn Wanderlust
27 Apr 4705 - The Common Problem Is Problems
26 Apr 4705 - The Perfect Ingredients
24 Apr 4705 - Coalescent Transmutations
23 Apr 4705 - Kill Them With Zombies
22 Apr 4705 - Let's Head Out...Out Questing!
20 Apr 4705 - Overdriven; Overdosed
19 Apr 4705 - Washing Quotes Clean
18 Apr 4705 - Computer Saga, Day Thirty-Eight
16 Apr 4705 - A Quaint Setting
16 Apr 4705 - The Wind and the Winnows
12 Apr 4705 - Taking Steps
06 Apr 4705 - Bus Speed: The Saga Continues
03 Apr 4705 - Beyond Batman
29 Mar 4705 - Sprite Based Systems
22 Mar 4705 - With Prestigious Acumen
20 Mar 4705 - Server Up, Compy Down
15 Mar 4705 - So Many Named March Days
14 Mar 4705 - Day of an Irrational Number
13 Mar 4705 - Oueval and Computer Trouble
10 Mar 4705 - Verisimilitude and the iiid Multiverse
08 Mar 4705 - Feel My Power and Tremble
06 Mar 4705 - Patience Is A Virtue
04 Mar 4705 - Vox Anomaly
01 Mar 4705 - Its On
27 Feb 4705 - I'll Believe It When I Pee It
26 Feb 4705 - Whining Motors
22 Feb 4705 - Late Hours
20 Feb 4705 - I Feel Like Screaming
19 Feb 4705 - Your Souls, My Tias
16 Feb 4704 - Where the Ice Falls
13 Feb 4704 - Cascading Shite
10 Feb 4704 - Evergreen Eclipse
08 Feb 4704 - Crying Acid
07 Feb 4704 - Serendipity: A Game-Night Primer
05 Feb 4704 - The Deathly Hallows
31 Jan 4704 - Marriage Fraud
30 Jan 4704 - Pirating a Single Image
29 Jan 4704 - Haiku for a Rage-filled Maiden
26 Jan 4704 - Filters
25 Jan 4704 - And Why the Sea is Boiling Hot
19 Jan 4704 - No Deadlines
16 Jan 4704 - Dear Dean
10 Jan 4704 - Freefall
05 Jan 4704 - New to You, Maybe
11 Dec 4704 - Parametric Models
08 Dec 4704 - The English Language
28 Nov 4704 - The Dadro
27 Nov 4704 - Dear Internet
20 Nov 4704 - Witch Doctor Modus Operandi: Save True Lives
17 Nov 4704 - Missing the Lady
10 Nov 4704 - Saying Goodbye to Pooh
26 Oct 4704 - Webdate, Settle, Sprode
20 Oct 4704 - The Avatar, The Spirit-Made-Man
16 Oct 4704 - Personal Rapture Index
12 Oct 4704 - Four Minutes
05 Oct 4704 - Ways of Life
22 Sep 4704 - It Wasn't Cold This Morning
16 Sep 4704 - Boldface New Days
05 Sep 4704 - Running Fevers; Walking Dogs
31 Aug 4704 - Like Nothing Ever
23 Aug 4704 - Shooting Story: Full of Holes
18 Aug 4704 - Birthday Greeting
30 Jul 4704 - One Month of Silence Follows Summer
Session
26 Jul 4704 - Cancer Discovery Follows Cancer
Treatment
24 Jul 4704 - Proliferation of the Small
18 Jul 4704 - Site Updates Roll Out
12 Jul 4704 - What Zeugma Means
10 Jul 4704 - Device Attached, Detached Advice
02 Jul 4704 - Detached Defect Affects Attached
09 Jun 4704 - Asskicking Season
08 Jun 4704 -
Who Puts Down
04 Jun 4704 - What I Did Instead
04 Jun 4704 - My Greatest Talent
22 May 4704 -
The Blue City
07 May 4704 - Ikebana-Ninjiutsu
27 Apr 4704 - Windup
20 Apr 4704 - Narcissistic Altruism
13 Apr 4704 - Synopsis: Synthesis
06 Apr 4704 - New Feature Available
04 Apr 4704 - Like a Dog
29 Mar 4704 - I Never Sleep
23 Mar 4704 - Magic Test Day
18 Mar 4704 - Review Article
08 Mar 4704 - Mlogging
28 Feb 4704 -
Blending the Styles
23 Feb 4704 - Radio Silence
14 Feb 4704 -
Schemes
08 Feb 4704 - Pain of Transition
04 Feb 4704 - Birthdays
31 Jan 4704 Dog - One Hundred-Four
24 Jan 4703 - Further Confusion
19 Dec 4703 - The Last Snatch
16 Dec 4703 - Missed Session
11 Dec 4703 - Finals Approach, Ask Directions
03 Dec 4703 - Ecoutez et Repetez: Listen and Repeat
28 Nov 4703 - Supplies
27 Nov 4703 - Evilism
18 Nov 4703 - Warp Control
17 Nov 4703 - Warp Speed
14 Nov 4703 - Mastering Dungeons, Ceteris Paribus
10 Nov 4703 - Conversational Tones
09 Nov 4703 - Actions
07 Nov 4703 - Doomsday Devices
06 Nov 4703 - Better Happy Than Right
05 Nov 4703 - Announced WWE Superstar, Ate Sandwich
31 Oct 4703 - Flash Update
28 Oct 4703 - Casting Wide the Candy Bag
22 Oct 4703 - Zero Hour at Ground Zero
21 Oct 4703 - Ten Days Until Halloween: Cold and
Windy Now
16 Oct 4703 - Empathy Raises the Stakes
13 Oct 4703 - Denny's Closed: 13 of 17 Doomsday
Prophecies Realized
08 Oct 4703 - Holy Crap, An Update!
04 Sep 4703 - Me First Drops Eff-Bomb on Favorite
Things
21 Mar 4703 - Smell My City
03 Mar 4703 - Sample Propriety
15 Feb 4703(Rooster) - Relapse
07 Feb 4702 - Weirdos Fall in Love, Have Weird Babies
20 Jan 4702 - Hamburger Augury Reveals More of Late Patriarch's Wishes
10 Jan 4702 - Young Couples Celebrate, Look Foolish
01 Nov 4702 - The Most Obnoxious
28 Oct 4702 - Night of the Spectacle
24 Oct 4702 - Common Knowledge
20 Oct 4702 - Vanishing Syndrome
16 Oct 4702 - The Rainbow of Potsdam