Who would play Kuato?

izz naaht uh toooomah

PS: some of you on the Google Groups might have noticed some jerkface assclown spammed the group with some porn themed postings. I've since reported them to the Google Hive. Let's see what happens. I'd originally left the group open so anyone could post, but I've now restricted it. The internets are an amazing place that we each have to police. Let's make the world a better place...one keystroke at a time.

3 columns of simple joyful handclapping

So I had been pestering Ross to take a look at my blog to see if he could assist in helping me add left sidebar column, then I realized...wait a minute...what if I consulted the internets?

So I did, and guess what, someone had already put up instructions on how to do it. I'm using a Blogger template called Washed Denim, and these simple steps describe how to create the right CSS definitions in order to add the column and resize the main wrapper accordingly. Well done! Thank you bizwhiz, Jen, and Kumar.

This is good, because now I don't have to buy Ross a bottle of single malt, small batch Scotch which he so snobbishly required in order to even right-click --> View Page Source.

What do you think? You like? You no like?

BioShock Complete

I finished it. Just now.

Not the best of endings, but an ending. I'm glad I saved the Little Sisters.

Can I sum the game up in one or four sentences? It's straightforward tale of crafted identity woven into the elaborate tapestry of mankind's struggle for dominance over mankind. You play the protagonist, whose true purpose only becomes evident in the latter chapters of the story. And you get genetic upgrades like telekinesis and the ability to emitt electro-voltaic, fire, and subzero currents from your body in order to assist your struggle. Can you develop Natural Camouflage to allow you to stealth in your strategy: yeah, that's possible.

BioShock's design and 'emergent gameplay' style will no doubt be emulated by others. The replay value alone gives you at least 2-4 playthroughs, as there are different strategies and approaches one can take.

This was by far one of the best games I've ever played, and which spurred my interest in writing a blog entry on IGN's competition to win a copy of the new Orange Box in the Half Life 2 series. BioShock got me thinking about how 'successful' elements evolve from title to title. Check out the blog on IGN and have a think.

There is no Dana only Zuul

Zuul (a 'real-life' Sumerian god of destruction) being the evil omnipotent internet and all things digital, of course.

Is the obscure Ghostbusters reference throwing you off? Remember in the movie when Bill Murray's character, Dr. Venkman, goes over to Signourey Weaver's apartment and finds that Dana Barrett is possessed? While Dana is in the throes of possession he asks to speak to Dana to which she replies: there is no Dana only Zuul.

[crickets]

Well, the point is that I've finished that Keen book, and have to say that while it raised some interesting and valid points, for the most part I found it to be self-serving sensational hyperbole with an elitist spin. The internet is Zuul.

Keen seems to have a decent understanding of today's internet technology, but only to the point where it serves to bolster his arguments. He falls victim to the same behavior he describes in his book in telling how people only go to blogs that mesh with their ideologies: because they're biased and looking to have their own views reflected back which allows them to reify their contentions or creeds.

I'm assuming this is why he crafted his own blog, but I find it ironic given that he mourned the fact that so many blogs (and splogs) litter the ether, but then comes to the conclusion that he's mature and responsible enough that he can pepper one more on the digital landscape.

With the nature of the internet and digital technology changing so quickly, one major issue he had with regards to privacy are now moot with search companies like Ask.com leading the way by being the first search engine that will allow users to opt-out of data collection and have that information deleted within a few hours of their searches. Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo are all following suit so that search history can either be eliminated or completely anonymized.

For the most part, he highlights cases where Web 2.0 and the digital age have hurt those who are either lax or uninformed with regards to the permeable and ubiquitous nature of the information economy. He highlights the woes of Wikipedia, and how it's detracting from efforts exerted by experts.

His solutions are mostly common sense:

1. become better informed on Web 2.0
2. if you don't like something you see on the internet, then don't visit it again
3. parents need to rally in order to shield their kids from bad inter-neighborhoods.
4. if you have a router, you can configure it to restrict access to sites, or you can use software to monitor your child's usage.
5. don't put personally identifying material on the web if you're concerned about privacy

Bottom line: the tools and information to protect yourself are there.

Now I can finally pick up something interesting from the library, Cormac McCarthy's The Road. For my son, I've got one from my childhood: Island of the Skog.

Has blogging caused the rate of dumbening to increase?

There was a piece on PBS a few nights ago where bloggers, journalists, and the dean of journalism at Columbia were interviewed to discuss "citizen journalism" or "acts of journalism". As one might expect, the piece explored both the positive and negative aspects of blogging: some say that bloggers are, on the whole, too uninformed and are diluting the relevance of online information, while others countered that the technology empowers people by facilitating the ease of dissemination of information and perspectives.

Coincidentally enough, Andrew Keen, a SV entrepreneur, published a book "The Cult of Amateurs" where he goes on to skewer the majority of people who've exploited mashup publishing technologies making it easier for individuals to spout all kinds of uninformed nonsense. I'm assuming that he means folks who are making use of blogger, typepad, myspace or whatever to publish pieces on politics, sexism, racism, facism, what myspace friends are doing, porn, movies, games, porn, sports, friendster, stocks, blog tricks, news, various social commentaries, porn, etc.

From what I've seen so far, I'd say his tone smacks a bit of elitism and there are chewy undercurrents of hypocrisy, as Keen himself has a blog, and a book, which are used as delivery vectors of his perspective on the phenomenon, but apparently it's okay for him to make use of the technology or for him to speak about his ideas: he's mature and erudite enough.

The rest of us? Slack-jawed yokels we are.

Needless to say, I don't think he's giving people enough credit. Or maybe he's not considering that it doesn't really matter that there's a lot of chaff out there...people who want to use the internet will have to become savvy enough to locate what they're looking for, and in the end I think they'll be the ones to dictate what content is deemed worthy for consumption and therefore what will become usable and meaningful information.

He apparently also discusses issues of identify theft, online pornography, and online gambling and how these are eroding the core tenets of American culture, but of course, it would seem that the amateurs are at fault here. His bottom line is: less banal banter is more meaningful. We'll get there, as we're early in the game for Web 2.0. We're definitely going to go through some iterations first.

Or maybe, I'm just one of those people who's spouting off a useless uninformed commentary, or maybe I just need a book deal in order to validate my ramblings.

I think I'll check out his book, but I'll be borrowing from the library on this one.