:: Hey....He Puts Weasels Down His Trousers! ::

:: 2.26.2003 ::

Working helpdesk for the Illinois Online Conference has been interesting.

It's kind of got the feeling of a fly-by-night organization, seat of the pants sorta.

The people are interesting and nice and cooperative. It's just something almost bush-league about the whole operation.

Don't know if the tech-supplier actually knows what they are doing.

Anyway, this was/is day one. Day 2 tomorrow. Might be better, might be worse.
:: Cameron 2/26/2003 07:13:52 PM [+] ::
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I've become a lot more interested in international news since the tragedy (and that word is not used lightly) that was 9/11.

I've found my thoughts turning back towards that recently-- with the explorers and pioneers aboard the Columbia, and with the rhetoric being bandied about with the situations in Iraq and North Korea.

Here's some links I've come across. I don't read for political bias, I'm not much of a political guy. Be wary of bias in these articles. They don't strike me as being very neutral.

But they are good reads.

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-al-khoei022103.asp

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/02/18/sprj.irq.chirac/index.html

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=foreign&s=salam021903


:: Cameron 2/22/2003 01:28:05 AM [+] ::
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Ok, let's see if I can actually get this update online.

Since last time I posted, I've read _Neverwhere_, _Snow Crash_, _Clash of Kings_, and _Priam's Lens_.

And I really don't feel like reviewing them right now. So I'm not going to. Sorry.

Not really sorry, just don't feel like it right now.

Trying to figure out what the differences are between NetBEUI, Nbt and SMB/IP packets.

My Advanced Routing instructor posed me that question earlier this evening, when I was talking to him about things I'd like to get into this semester (my last one there) and things that I wished we would have had time to cover in TCP/IP.

Anyway, after surfing the net exhaustively for about five hours, I have come to the conclusion that I don't know any more about it than when I started. Go me. He did say that his help in IS wouldn't be able to answer the question either, so I don't feel too idiotic, but still. He's a guy I respect and was wanting to impress him. Ah, well. I'll try again tomorrow. Got his class again Wednesday, so I'll tackle it again tomorrow when I get home.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra are musical gods, though. I do want to say that and put it "in print."

Need fundage to go out and get their cds. Although even with the funds, the music is harder than hell to find in central Illinois. This place needs some culture. (And yes, calling TSO "culture" is a bit pretentious, but damned if they don't bring the most out of their musical talents and orchestrating. I love their music with a rabid fandom.)

Anyway, if I had broadband I'd frequent some mp3 sites and maybe install the Great Satan-- filesharing-- to get the songs until I could afford/find the TSO cd's. KNEW I should'a got them when I was in San Diego.

Yes, chillen. There is a HUGE difference between San Diego and Oakland/Charleston/Mattoon IL. Believe it....or not.

Savatage is another band that's hard to find. I have kept current on their playlist, but need to get a bunch of their older stuff on cd.

And thus ends another day of rambling.

:: Cameron 2/18/2003 01:19:16 AM [+] ::
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Wow, just finished Neal Stephenson's _Cryptonomicon_.

Which was a surprise purchase when the local bookseller didn't have _American Gods_.

Expect a review tomorrow or Thursday. (Damn night classes.)


:: Cameron 2/11/2003 10:34:31 PM [+] ::
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George R.R. Martin.
_A Game of Thrones_

Interesting, really. I don't understand why quite a few people on one of the newsgroups I frequent (rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan) dislike the works so much, but arguing about something online is a complete and utter waste of time.

AGoT is the first book in what will be a longer work, _A Song of Ice and Fire_. I'm really glad to be 'round when epic fantasy is gaining more and more converts and getting published. Hell, you've got Goodkind's borderline BDSM epic, _The Sword of Truth_, Melanie Rawn's soap opera with dragons, Jordan's epic, plodding _Heaven's Gate_ of epic fantasy _The Wheel of Time_ and even Eddings' books, _Belgariad_, _Mallorean_, _Elenium_ et al. are good vitamin-free reads.

Martin's main catch is the story. It's kind of like watching _Oz_ on HBO-- don't find yourself getting too attached to the characters, because the story takes precedence and if a character happens to be in the way, they're going to get steamrolled. This happens a couple times in the first book, but one is majorly surprising. At least on the first read-through.

The story encompasses the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, with one side-story taking place in the Dothraki Sea. The story's told from point-of-view perspectives by major characters. In the three volumes, (AGoT, _A Clash of Kings_, _A Storm of Swords_) POVs are added to give a more encompassing view of the story itself. And being a "POV Character" is not a balm against dying. As new readers will find out rather quickly.

Most first novels (of a series-- GRRM has a long writing career under his belt) spend a lot of time giving the readers a sense of familiarity with the setting. While AGoT does this, a lot of the background of the world and idiosyncracies of the setting are left to the reader to glean from the telling of the tale. I like this. Some of the descriptions of the characters themselves are left sparse, and the character tends to be drawn in the imagination of the reader rather than in sordid detail on the page.

Martin doesn't shy away from sex, either. This surprised me in my first reading of the novels, especially some of the more taboo subjects that are brought up. All in all, it is merely a side detail and not the be-all-end-all of the books.

Some of the characters will surprise you, in that they are written well and you become to care for them, even though they may not be the 'heroes' of their particular story arc. Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, is one good case. He's become one of my favorite characters. As has Davos Seaworthy, the Onion Knight.

The world is well-drawn, the characters are fully-fledged living people, there is very little "black and white, hero and villain" and people do what to them seems right and just, only to have horrid consequencies.

There's very little twee about this book.

All in all, AGoT is in "pride of place" on my bookshelf, with its brothers in the Song, Stephen King's Dark Tower series, _Snow Crash_ and _Neuromancer_.

******** (8 stars out of ten)

Now reading: _Snow Crash_ (Neal Stephenson) | _Neuromancer_ (William Gibson)
Preparing to read for the first time: _American Gods_ and _Coraline_ (Neil Gaiman)

Now playing: _Resident Evil 0_ (GameCube) | Final Fantasy VII (PS2)


:: Cameron 2/8/2003 04:42:35 PM [+] ::
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Hey, yeah. Forgot about this thing.

More because I'm trying to stay away from the "God(s), my life is horrible, you suck, the world sucks" that I've seen while browsing a lot of the blogs out there.

Bad couple of days, but on the good side, George R.R. Martin's _A Game of Thrones_ is indeed as good as I remembered. Should have a review up sometime this weekend.

ResEvil 0's bogged down for now. Probably be next week before I finish that.

Am probably going to watch a few movies (DVD) this weekend. Not quite sure what, but I've got quite a few DVDs and am wanting to post my thoughts on 'em. Especially Brazil.

:: Cameron 2/6/2003 11:16:30 PM [+] ::
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Finally, the Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem review that I talked about three days ago.

ED:SR is a game by Silicon Knights for the Nintendo GameCube. When I bought the GC for my ex-fiance a few months ago, I picked up three games. Super Mario Sunshine, ED:SR, and Resident Evil Remake.

When we split, I took possession of the GameCube. I'm a vidiot, what can I say? Still haven't played Super Mario Sunshine, and Resident Evil Remake is on my list of Games To Beat (right behind Res Evil 0).

Anyway. ED:SR.

I picked the game up because I had heard that it was very Lovecraftian in nature. I'm a sucker for H.P. Lovecraft's battery of work, and from fellow Lovecraft fans a good grade on a video game was high praise indeed.

What I didn't know is that it would be so /easy./

There are three paths to go down in the defeating of this game. Ch'turgga, Ulyaoth, and Xel'lotaoth. Along the way you'll also meet Mantorok. Think of the main 3 as a celestial game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. One beats another which beats the third which happens to beat the first. In the first section of the game, as a Roman centurion, you choose one of three artifacts. Red, Blue, or Green. Each of which matches an Ancient above. There is no artifact for Mantorok, as that ancient is imprisoned and....well, if not an ally, he's one hell of a helping hand along the way.

Choosing the Ch'turgga (hereafter referred to as "C") artifact has benefits and minuses. You'll take more physical damage throughout the various levels, but you'll do a lot more damage to Ulyaoth's ("U") minions.
Choosing U gives you an advantage over Xel'lotaoth ("X") but enemies that drain magic will drain more from you.
And X's artifact gives you a higher sanity loss than the others, while giving you an advantage over C.

And that brings up Sanity. Quite a good idea, could have been better executed, I believe. There are some good effects, like phantom noises, or a "blue screen of death." The best one I saw was trying to save and having the game change it's mind and start removing all the data on the memory card. Bit of a shocker, 'til I figured out it was a sanity effect instead of what was actually happening. They are neat, and some new ones pop up every now and then, but the novelty does wear off.

Beating the game on one color path is essentially the same as the others. There's really no variation except for FMV scenes (which are very well done, by the way) and it gets repetitive. When you beat the game, you save to a file. Start a new game and carry settings over and you get to choose another artifact and move from there. Beat the game with all three artifacts and you see a different ending which describes a bit more about Mantorok, and why he was aiding you.

Combat is repetitive-- hack off the head. Hack off an arm. Hack off the other arm. Rinse. Repeat. Works for damn near every enemy. Start with the head, can't go wrong.

There are some interesting levels. The revolution-era biologist (the autopsies are really nifty), the canadian fireman in Kuwait right after Desert Storm, the archaeologist, Indiana Jones style (without the whip, though).

All in all, a solid game built on the ResEvil style, but with improvements. The sanity meter is the best and most obvious advancement, but the simple combat makes up for it.

It's a very solidly average game. If your local vid store has week-long rentals, I'd say it's a definite renter. Don't buy it without playing it first. The repetitive gameplay leaves something to be desired.

Rating: 5.5 stars out of 10. Slightly above-average game. Still fun.
:: Cameron 2/4/2003 07:32:30 PM [+] ::
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(Eternal Darkness review gets pushed back another day)

Was over a friends' house this evening, and we watched Goldmember and then got talking about favorite movies. I have a top 10 list, I think anyone that watches a lot of movies does. So instead of the ED:SR review, I think I'll just toss my top 10 movies out there.

The top three are the only ones that I can say "Yes, this is definitely my favorite movie, yeah, that one's just a smidge less beloved, and that one's definitely below the second." The others can be mix'n'matched.

1. Blade Runner -- the moody film noir/dystopian classic that was a precursor to the cyberpunk scene. William Gibson said that what he was writing in Neuromancer was there on the screen in Blade Runner.

2. Brazil -- Ye gods, what a gorgeous movie. Another dystopian movie, but a Gilliam dystopian movie, which means it's filled with weirdness, eye candy and a cameo by "Bobby" De Niro. Great flick.

3. The Abyss -- Ed Harris at his method-acting best. Is the ending a bit full of milk product? Yeah. But the journey's the thing, and damned if the journey isn't powerful and worth every minute. The Special Edition DVD is just that-- special. Full of extras. You could spend all day in the Abyss and not miss one second.

4. The Shawshank Redemption -- Truthfully, this is more a nod to the novella and the movie, than just the movie in and of itself. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is a great work by a decent author, but the movie is a wonderful journey. Morgan Freeman as Red? I wouldn't have believed it, but it was a Great Thing.

5. The Fisher King -- Strange choice, stranger movie. Another Gilliam movie, lesser budget than Brazil, but it works Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges-- neither one of my favorite actors-- work very well together, and it has a very strong Arthurian bent in modern day. The Quest for the Grail lives on in this movie, and it's very well done. By the end of the movie, you have to wonder-- who was sane?

6. Akira -- My introduction to Japanese animation. Yeah, it's a cliche. Yeah, it's not as good as the manga. No, I'm not a drooling anime fanboy. A good flick, if a bit confusing the first time.

7. Perfect Blue -- Might as well put the other anime movie in right here, get 'em over with. The blurb on the cover of the DVD says that this would be the movie if Alfred Hitchcock worked for Walt Disney, and I agree. A very well done thriller that just happens to be animated. Good movie.

8. Silence of the Lambs -- Lecter. Fava beans. Anthony Hopkins, to me, is the consummate Hannibal Lecter. The control that he has, the feeling that he's in his cell because he chooses to be there....wow.

9. And now the Kubricks. Full Metal Jacket-- F. Lee Ermy's drill instructor. "What is the major malfunction, Private Pyle?" The retribution. "I am in a world of shit." Great movie.

10. A Clockwork Orange -- Alex and his Droogs introduced me to the book by Anthony Burgess. The book is an order of magnitude better, due only to the inclusion of the final chapter, which Kubrick elected to leave out of the movie. If you like the movie, read the book.


As always, comments are welcomed.
:: Cameron 2/4/2003 02:42:49 AM [+] ::
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Lords and Ladies
Terry Pratchett

To anyone that keeps in touch with my reading habits, Terry Pratchett is a name heard often. I am in love with the Discworld, and Pratchett's style has kept me coming back with Good Omens (a collaboration with Neil Gaiman of Sandman fame) and the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy (Only You Can Save Mankind!, Johnny and the Dead, and Johnny and the Bomb).

Lords and Ladies has all of the factors that got me hooked on Pratchett's world and his style.

The book is a brick in the Witches' storyarc, which means that Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick are the protagonists. This book happens just after the events of Witches Abroad, which detailed how majorly narrative convention governs the Disc.

Granny and Company get back, Magrat and Verence get to be engaged, then something happens.

The Kingdom of Lancre comes down with Elves. The Gentry. The (wait for it) Lords and Ladies.

Enter Mustrum Ridcully, Ponder Stibbons and the Librarian from Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University, Casanunda the Dwarf (the world's second greatest lover (we try harder)), and the usual rustics of the Kingdom of Lancre along with Elves that aren't the cute li'l nice fairies that you may think of.

The humour of Pratchett's prose is well-documented elsewhere online, so I'm not going to go into many details here. L&L is a book that falls straight smack-dab in the middle of the Discworld series (20+ books, all good) so the characters aren't full of the expectations one gets later on. (Carpe Jugulum falls into this "later book" category. You know who's going to win, you just wonder if it's going to be the same way or a new way)

Agnes Nitt and her co-inhabiting personality Perdita X. Nitt are introduced in this book, and they become characters in their own right later on in the Disc's timeline.

I would highly recommend any Discworld novel. L&L is a good one, indeed. Should you start off with this one if you've never been introduced to the series? I wouldn't. Small Gods is a good starting point, or Guards! Guards!, or Witches Abroad.

I give L&L seven stars out of ten.
(And yes, I realize this means nothing because I haven't rated anything else yet-- this will become clear in time)

Now Reading: _A Game of Thrones_ George R.R. Martin | _Snow Crash_ Neal Stephenson | _Neuromancer_ William Gibson (all re-reads)

Now Playing: Final Fantasy VII (PS) | Planescape: Torment (PC) | Resident Evil 0 (GC)

Expect an Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem review up here probably later today.



:: Cameron 2/3/2003 12:37:18 AM [+] ::
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Games Playing right now: Final Fantasy VII (PS) | Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GC) | Metal Gear Solid (PS) | Planescape: Torment (PC)


Books reading right now: _Lords and Ladies_ Terry Pratchett | _A Game of Thrones_ George R.R. Martin | _Snow Crash_ Neal Stephenson (all re-reads)

:: Cameron 2/2/2003 04:14:47 PM [+] ::
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In my twisting path around the 'net, I've heard of these things called.....'blogs' but I never really /looked/ at them.

Well, I have looked and now I'm going to experiment.

I'm going to try and keep this to a "hey, this is something neat that I've found!" blog, plus my thoughts on books and vid games mostly.


Should you read this, please enjoy it. =)
:: Cameron 2/2/2003 12:58:11 PM [+] ::
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