Digimon

I've been playing Digomon World Data Squad for the past few days, and I must say I'm really enjoying it. I've always been a fan of the Digimon series. I feel that it was a more epic drama with better characterization that it's competitor, Pokemon.

Unfortunately, the video game adaptations are seldom done well. I was really excited when I first heard about the original Digimon World, and it wasn't really that bad except for 1 concept. Each of your Digimon stages last about 4 hours of real time, and if you didn't get your stats set right to digivolve, then your Digomon died and you had to start with an egg again. There was so much grinding just to fail again and again before getting it right.

Digimon World 2 had a similar flaw. This time you got three digimon to work with at a time, and you could get more. However, they had level caps. In order to pass the level caps, you had to combine two more powerful digmon and start over again with slightly better stats. Unfortunately, the level cap was set by the weaker digimon, so you always had to sacrifice two strong ones or you got screwed again.

Digimon World 3 was actually a better adaptation. This time you had three characters, who each had one digimon. They introduced the concept that a single digimon could digivolve into multiple creatures and change back when it wanted to. This was a good step forward. The downside was that would have to level up each form separately, so there was a lot of grinding.

Digimon World 4 changed the game from an RPG with trainers to an action game where you play as the digimon. The good news is that you could still choose from multiple forms, but you had to retrain every form to use weapons, and there were six different styles of weapons. To make matters worse, weapons had skill requirements, so you could be using the best weapon in the game, and you go back to the starter weapon when you digivolve. The game required you to store dozens of weapons just to be able to work up your attack power again. Other than that, it was a decent game.

Digimon World Data Squad seems to have finally learned what the game is about, though. They are back to the RPG aspect. Digimon get and retain multiple forms. There is no need to retrain at all once you level up. So far I'm really enjoying the play and variety of Digimon forms, though I still don't know why four of my characters turn into Numemon.

Hot Fuzz

My wife and I enjoyed watching a movie together last night. My buddy RT lent us Hot Fuzz on DVD, and I must say it was a really great movie. I loved Shaun of the Dead, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have once again made an amazing film. Shaun of the Dead was primarily a parody of the standard zombie apocalypse film. However, Hot Fuzz actually has a serious character driven drama at it core. The comedy is well done, and for the most part doesn't detract from the seriousness of the film itself. They did an amazing job balancing the two elements, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do next.

Rantasaurus

Grrrr. I am so sick of dealing with people who think nothing is more important than what they want. Don't bother consulting the employee when you start making up new policies and scheduling them for conference calls. Don't bother asking your trainer whether you can switch the two training sessions, just invite everyone to show up for the wrong one. Don't bother selling the product for it's actual price, just give it away because you don't think anyone will buy it otherwise. I especially am sick of people who are too lazy to do their work and then get mad when you can't take up the slack. I am incredibly close to telling someone off or storming out right now, and I just hope that getting this out can calm me down a bit.

Words of inspiration: There is only so much shit you can put in a 5 pound bag before it explodes and gets shit all over everyone.

Why Geeks and Nerds are Worth It...

I know it's two posts in one day, but I found this on best of Craig's list and had to share it. There is hope yet for all you geeks out there. There are women who understand your worth. If this ever gets seen by the person who posted it, post a comment. You're the best in my book.

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It...
Date: 2005-04-03, 9:30PM PDT
In the wide world of dating, there are many options. Do you go for the flashy guy with the smooth smile, or the dude in the corner typing away on his laptop? The following are reasons why I think my fellow females should pay more attention to the quiet geeks and nerds, and less attention to the flashy boys.

1.) While geeks and nerds may be awkward, they’re well-meaning 9 out of 10 times. That smooth dude with the sly grin and the spider hands? Wonder what HIS intentions are... plus, I’ve never had a geek guy not call me when he said he would. Score major points THERE.

2.) They’re useful. In this tech-savvy world, it’s great to have a b/f who can make your laptop, desktop, and just about anything else that plugs into a wall behave itself.

3.) They’re more romantic than they’re given credit for. Ok true, their idea of romance might be to make up a spiffy web-page with all the reasons why they love you, with links to pics of you and sonnets and such... but hey. It lasts longer than flowers, plus you can show your friends.

4.) Due to their neglected status, there are plenty to choose from. You like ‘em tall and slender? There are plenty of geeks/nerds who are. You like ‘em smaller with more meat on their bones? Got that too.

5.) They’ve got brains. Come on now, how can intelligence be a bad thing?

6.) Most are quite good at remembering dates. Like birthdates and such, especially if they know it’ll make you happy. Due again to their neglected status, they’re more attentive than guys who “have more options”. Plus, with all that down time without a steady girlfriend, they’ll likely have mental lists of all the things they’d love to do once they GOT a girlfriend.

7.) Sex. Yep. Sex. I’m not really familiar with this myself, but I’ve friends who’ve been intimate with geek guys and it’s raves all around. They say a virgin wrote the Kama Sutra... all that time thinking about sex, imagining sex, dreaming about sex, (they are male after all) coupled with a desire to make you happy? Use your imagination.

8.) They’re relatively low-maintenance. Most can be fueled on pizza, Twinkies and Mt Dew. No complicated dinners needed here, so if you’re not the best cook, eh. Can you order a pizza?

9.) Most frequent bars as often as slugs frequent salt mines. You won’t have to worry much about your geek guy getting his “groove” on with club hotties because, frankly, he’ll be too busy rooting around under his computer wondering where that spare cable went. You won’t have to worry about him flirting with other women because, 9 out of 10 times, he’ll zip right by them in a perfect b-line towards the nearest electronics store. I’ve seen this happen. Me: “Eww. Victoria Secret’s Models... They’re so skinny. How is that feminine? You can see her ribs!” Geek Guy: “ooooooo...” Me: “Hey!” *notices he is staring lustfully towards the computer store* Geek Guy: “What?” Me: “Never mind...”

10.) Although he may not want to go to every outing with you, you can arrange swaps, as in, you’ll go to his Gamer Con dressed as an elf princess if he’ll take you to the ballet. Plus, if he doesn’t want to go someplace with you, you won’t have to worry much about what he’s up to. You’ll probably come home to find him asleep on his keyboard in a sea of Mt. Dew cans with code blinking from the screen. It’s ok. He’s used to this. Just toss a blanket over him and turn out the light.

11.) His friends aren’t jerks. I can’t stress this enough. You’ll more likely get “Omg! A GIRL!! Can I see?!” than “Hey hot stuff back that ass up here and let me get some grub on...” They’re awkward geeks too and will, 9 times out of 10, treat you with the utmost respect and, more than likely, a note of awe. A cute girl picked one of their clan to date? It could happen to them! Hope! Drag some of your single girlfriends over, open up a pack of Mt. Dew, crack open the DnD set and get working. Nothing impresses geek guys more than a girl who can hack-n-slash (well ok maybe if she can code... a geek can dream).

12.) They’re rarely if ever possessive. They trust you, so you can be yourself around them. You like to walk around the house in a ratty t-shirt for comfort? He won’t care. He does too! They won’t get pissy if you don’t wear make-up or don’t want to bother primping your hair. If you gain a few pounds, they won’t try their best to make you feel like crap.

13.) They’re usually very well educated. Physics majors and the like. See #5. You won’t have to listen to him blathering on about his car (ok maybe a little), he’ll have loads of other interesting things to talk about. Politics, world events, how much the chicken burgers down at the local place rock, so long as you douse them in hot sauce...

14.) You’ll almost never have to hear, “Yaw dawg whazzap!!” plop out of their mouths. Unless it’s in jest. They spell properly, use correct punctuation, and are able to tell the difference between the toilet and the floor. They almost never get “wasted”, so you won’t have to worry about coming home to find him and his friends passed out on the floor amidst a pile of beer bottles. Mt. Dew cans, perhaps...

15.) And the final reason why geeks and nerds make great boyfriends: They actually give a damn about you. Not how you look (though that’s a plus), not how skinny you are, not how much make-up you primp yourself up with, but they like you for you. That kind of thing lasts longer than “DaMN baby you got a fine ass!!!” Believe me.

PostingID: 66795671

Slaves in the Workplace

There is a line between what you should and should not be required to do as an employee. The question is, where is that line. Unfortunately, it's usually hidden in greyspace. Many employers think that anything they want done is part of your job. Many employees will go along with that for fear of losing their job. When I was younger, I followed this mindset. When the manager of the meat market asked me to use nail polish remover to remove the dates on meat packages that had just expired, I did it. I didn't feel right about it, and it was almost definitely illegal, but I did what I was told.

Do what your told. Don't ask questions. Be a team player. If you aren't a mindless drone, then you aren't a team player? There are a lot of people who believe that. I am no longer one of them. I believe in doing things right and doing the right thing. I will recommend better ways of doing things. I will ask questions to clarify issues and make sure I understand. I will also call bullshit when I see it. It has been said about me that I make career limiting remarks. I say, do I really want to work for a company that doesn't want to think before instituting what could be a very costly procedure. There is a line that comes up so often that I have stopped saying it, "I seem to remember pointing this out a few weeks ago." It's funny how some people become irritated with the person who points out an issue for pointing it out and if it actually becomes an issue.

Anyway, I thought I would share some over the top examples of people I have actually worked with. At one job, the owner would call the manager to bring him donuts if he felt like a snack. This was usually on a weekend, and they lived in different counties. The manager would do it because she felt she owed the owner for her job.

I worked at another job where the owner made one of his employees come out to his ranch every weekend to empty a dump truck full of horse crap. He got to use a bobcat, but that's still not a job I would want. To make it worse, he didn't get paid for the time he was doing it, but he did it for fear of losing his job.

A good friend of mine had a boss that would call him at all hours of the day or night for any thought that came into his head. We used to joke that he had to call and ask how to wipe himself. I remember one Fourth of July where my buddy had a bunch of friends over for a cookout. His boss called three times while we were there. One of the calls was over 45 minutes and none of them were even important. My buddy took them all, though, because he wanted to keep his job. He helped the guy go from a two man operation to a multi-million dollar restoration company, and in the end, he got fired because they could pay someone less to do his job.

Is all the anxiety really worth it. Despite my perceived troublemaker attitude, my first instinct is not to make waves. If something strange comes up once, just go with it. However, if your having problems all the time, stand up. You will either live in constant fear or eventually get fired anyway. Why deal with all that crap and end up in the same place in the end?

Gamers

I'm taking a speech class this semester. It's the last class I need to get my degree, but I hate the concept of standing up in front of people and giving speeches. Somehow, this doesn't really make sense as my job is to train people to use our software. I give 2 webinars a week, and train about 50 schools and clubs throughout the year. I also handle almost all of the client support issues and communication with our clients for both our school product and our home use product. It really makes no sense at all that I have an anxiety attack at the thought of presenting a speech in front of two dozen classmates who I will likely never see again.

Despite the inherent paradox, my anxiety still exists. I've come up with a plan to get me through this class, though. It's my belief that the anxiety is more of a product of the fear that people will judge me rather than the actual speaking. I have already made a fool of myself in one class activity, but since it was my intention, I had no problem speaking my part in our skit. To remove this fear from the four major speeches that we have to deliver, I have decided to reveal my deepest darkest secret in the first speech. I'm a gamer. What more could I say or do to make people judge me more? Here's the outline for the speech I intend to give:

When I was in High School, I took up a new habit, one which made people look down on me and caused no end of trouble for me at home. My mother didn't know how to cope with my new friends and my new habits, so she forced me to see a counselor. My entire family looked at me as a disappointment and a freak because I had become a gamer. Gamers are a little understood and much persecuted minority, but gaming actually improves the character and cognitive abilities of the gamer. I shall share styles of gaming, benefits of gaming, and details of my own struggles with gaming prejudice.

Gamers usually fall into three general categories, but many will actually participate in more than one style of gaming. The most common and generally peer accepted is the video gamer. Shooters are usually played by competitive and social gamers. Real Time Strategy games, or RTS, are usually played by competitive gamers. Massive Multiplayer Online Games, or MMORPGs, are usually played by competitive gamers and social gamers. Player versus Environment, or PVE, is designed for gamers who prefer to face of against a computer. Player versus Player, or PVP, is designed for players who prefer to face other live players.

The next most common and least accepted form of gamer is the table top roleplayer. Most roleplayers play in fantasy settings such as Dungeons and Dragons, Hack Master, and Middle Earth Roleplaying Game. Many roleplayers also enjoy science-fiction settings, such as Star Wars or Star Trek. Still others enjoy less popular genres such as old west, anime, super hero, or post-apocalyptic settings.

The last group of gamers is fairly small, but generally accepted. They are the wargamers. Most wargamers are interested in historical re-enactment. Many wargamers also enjoy fantasy settings. Most major roleplaying games have their own miniatures. Finally, there are a wide variety of starship combat wargames.

Gamers will usually display several advantages over their non-gamer peers. Gamers generally have better reading ability that their peers. Many games have copious manuals that must be read to play the game. Many games have charts that must be consulted to determine the results of certain actions. Most gamers also enjoy reading novels about their favorite games or settings.

Gamers generally have better math skills than their non-gamer peers. Most game systems require adding, subtracting, or multiplying several numbers to determine the results of a player's actions. Most game systems require players to keep track of constantly shifting modifiers to determine the results of the player's actions. Many players attempt to min/max their characters in order to maximize their potential in the game.

Gamers can usually adapt to odd situations better than their non-gamer peers. Decisions on how to deal with a new situation are usually based on one's prior experiences. Gamers are forced to make decisions about how they would react to situations that non-gamers would never be exposed to. Gamers are usually inclined to work with others to solve a common problem.

Gamers tend to face persecution, whether actual or perceived, for the hobbies that they enjoy. Movies, such as Mazes and Monsters with Tom Hanks, depict gamers as incredibly strange, crazy, or uncaring. Many people will blame the behavior of sociopaths on their hobbies, such as gaming, rather than other sources. Religious fanatics often equate gaming with devil worship.

Gamers very often feel like outsiders. Cruel peers will often call people geek, freak, weirdo, or the like for having habits outside of the perceived norm. Perceptive gamers quickly learn that non-gamers have no interest in a story about their last gaming session. Gamers can face job persecution as few bosses want to promote the weirdo, regardless of performance at work. Many women will immediately become disinterested in a man at the first hint of his gaming activities.

I have faced constant persecution from my own family for my hobbies. Despite regular church attendance, I was accused of devil worship. Despite exceptional test scores, I was constantly lectured for gaming when I should be doing my homework. My mother would sneak into my room when I was out and throw out the gamebooks that I had spent my hard earned money to purchase.

Despite, or perhaps because of, persecution for my gaming hobbies, I have developed into a mature, confident, and intelligent adult. I am a husband, a father, a provider. I am a Mensa and an educator. I have worked in a dozen different fields and done and exceptional job in each. I am a gamer, and I owe most of my success to the skills that I learned while gaming.

Where Does the Time Go?

It is amazing how quickly we can lose track of time. I can't believe it's already been more than a week since my last post. It always seems that the more you try to get done, the less you accomplish.

Gaming Post

We had another game of Witchhunter this weekend, though I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. I've started school again on Saturday morning, so I'm not catching up on any sleep now. Staying out until 4AM Sunday morning is really starting to take it's toll on me during the week.

We headed down to the Carolina colony for this session to hunt a monster that was attacking settlers out in the wilderness areas. The governor was offering a hundred pounds to anyone who could kill the beast. We rented a canoe and headed upriver to see what we could find.

First, we discovered a small settlement that had been burned to the ground. There was no sign of any survivors, though we did find some strange tracks that were almost ape-like. Farther up the river, we found a tent of Middle Eastern design with several sets of manacles scattered around. We also discovered more tracks. They appeared to be human up to a point and then changed to the ape-like tracks. To our gamemaster's dismay, we promptly decided we were facing were-dragons. Poor Eric doesn't know how to handle us sometimes.

Before we could do any more investigating, a large group of canoes arrived. the governor had arrived with a mass of incompetent, would-be hunters. They promptly set up camp and ruined any chance of us catching the man-apes if they returned to this camp site.

One of the funniest events of the entire session was when Dolph was on guard duty. An Indian approached him to warn him about the monsters who made their camp where we were. He promptly replied that he was pretty sure that was why we were their. Ryan played his character's stupidity so amazingly through the series of question that followed, that the Indian was forced to ask if there was someone else he could speak to. The entire camp was roused to Dolph's shouts that an Indian wanted to talk to someone. It goes without saying that the Indian was gone by the time anyone arrived.

We left camp early the next day to track the creatures, and the Indians approached us again. We decided to join forces with them despite the two strikes against them. 1. We don't have much luck with Indians in this game. 2. Bird are always the harbingers of bad luck for our party. The Indians name was Soaring Eagle.

We arrived at a nearby Indian village to find it under attack by the man-apes. We quickly sprang into action to save the day. I had the third best fighter on our team, and likely the second most damaging. Unfortunately, I am incredibly unlucky when it comes to rolling dice. I botched two of my attack rolls, severely injuring Dolph and prompting him to threaten to pummel me when the fight was over.

Luckily, I did the most damage to our party during the fight, so we didn't take much of a beating. We finished off the man-apes in short order, but somehow, the governor had arrived while we were fighting and gotten himself killed, so no reward.