Favorites of a Video Game Geek #1: WOLFENSTEIN

I'm a gamer. I'm not shy of admitting it. Here is the start of another semi-regular series of blogs, like the Women Warriors installments!

Some of you might not have even been born before the early 1990's...the World Wide Web was launching, the U.S. played bodyguard for Kuwait by kicking Saddam Hussein's ass for the first time, and mobile phones were so big if you tried to hit a person in the head with one you'd be charged with attempted murder. A computer game came along in 1992 for MS-DOS that, while not exactly groundbreaking, became insanely popular as well as highly offensive to a very vocal few. The game was "Wolfenstein 3D", the game that put first person shooters on the video game map forever.

Broken down into shareware 'episodes', "Wolfenstein 3D" was as straightforward a game as you can imagine. The gamer is put in the combat boots of an American soldier killing Nazis in WWII and must navigate through a maze of castle halls to make a great escape. However. People were already getting correct even in the early 90's, and a big huff was raised. Wait, you must be asking, what's to object about? The object of the game is to kill Nazis! Well, even in "Wolfenstein 3D's" highly pixellated day, the results of shooting Nazis and their guard dogs and uber-nasty bosses was always gory. Protests and negative reaction came in because of Nazi imagery and...because digital dogs were being shot.

Once again. The bad guys are Nazis...what's wrong with killing 'em and the dogs they send to fetch your entrails?! Good grief!

Thankfully, in spite of the oh-so-correct nonsense, "Wolfenstein 3D" became a best seller and set the standard for FPS games in the future. The company that made it, id Software, became successful and soon made another game that put correct noses out of joint called "Doom". I have both "Wolfenstein 3D" and its 2003 sequel, "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" for the PS2 and the Xbox. A new installment is supposed to be released this year, and I'd love to get it...if I can afford a current-gen system when the time comes, dammit!

I still don't get why some would freak out over shooting a virtual Nazi...I might as well be stepping on a cockroach -- !

Uh-oh, speaking of 'incorrect'...if an animal lover is reading this, I'm in trouble! ;D

Oh HELL, no!

My inner Cartman is screaming right now:

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?"

The only thing keeping ME from screaming the same thing, literally, is the simple fact I long ago figured out how damned STUPID people can be.

But people still find a way to surprise me. The newest piece of evidence for the prosecution:

"Baby Shaker". It's a mobile phone game, and right now Alexander Graham Bell and others who brought the telephone into existence must be spinning in their graves. The game (can it honestly be called that?) starts with a picture of a baby crying loud. The object of the game, thanks to whatever tech someone else came up with, is to shake the phone until the baby stops crying.

I'm serious.

The object of the damn game is to shake the phone -- the BABY -- until the baby stops crying.

I don't have to go into how stupid this entire thing is, considering many babies have died in real life from being shaken so hard by abusive parents and/or guardians. And it doesn't amaze me that the fool who created this game thought it was a good idea. What amazes me is that the game had to go through process of approval by however many before it would even be made available for sale. And it got approved, the implication clear that others thought it was a good idea, too.

Again, I'm being serious, but I wish I wasn't.

Today was Earth Day. Big deal!

I know, I just committed the ultimate crime in our politically correct day and age. (I hate politics, give me a few allowances.) To not put any importance to a day when we're supposed to be so conscious about Humanity's role in this world and how we impact the Earth? Some of you would probably want to draw and quarter me for that!

Well, too damn bad, I'm still doing it and I'll keep doing it even after I'm done with this day's blog. I couldn't give a damn less if it's Earth Day. Here's why...I'm not supposed to care. There's no law that says I have to do anything different from what I normally do. (Yet...give the politically correct of our world time to maybe change that.)

Some of you would harumph and yell, "You don't care about your planet?!" Of course I care! I LIVE HERE, TOO! If this world is going to Hell environmentally speaking, then that naturally would be counter-productive to my life in general, same as for all of us living here. Allow me to explain myself and my lack of care for Earth Day, and maybe you'll understand.

First off, again, we're supposed to put aside a day to be conscious of the Earth. Think about that. A day. ONE DAY, or twenty-four hours! I could (and usually do) perform a few deeds that won't harm or pollute the environment in a given day. The idea that one day can be set aside for us to do something positive for Momma Earth, and yet the rest of the year we don't have to give a hoot and not pollute is just plain stupid.

And since being so kind and noble for ONE DAY is politically motivated, I again take a pass on Earth Day. Those more correct than the rest of us go out of their way to remind us in one way or the other to be good to our planet, and don't you know that makes them look as good and decent as a missionary telling those in the Third World the 'true faith'. (Think about that parallel, seriously.) And these correct-minded souls who supposedly care so much must love the sound of their own voices when they tell us this 'better thing' or that for the sake of our big blue and green ball of dirt and water. They must love being on a higher moral level, and many who honestly don't think about those who preach the Earth Momma gospel (including, worse, those who do think about it and are as self-serving) march in lockstep and pass on this message or that to help everybody else 'act more responsibly'.

Again, I hate politics, and I tune out pretense like I do bullshit.

By the way, fun fact. We hear this 'save the Earth' crap from the same folks who hammered us time and again that bottled water is healthy for us...and yet THE PLASTIC BOTTLES MANY THROW AWAY AND DON'T RECYCLE TAKE ABOUT 700 YEARS TO BIODEGRADE.

Want to know how much bottled water I drink? None, except for a free sample I was given once. So congratulate me, that's a service to our planet!

A rant on something I dislike...

I'm hesitant to call it 'hate'. Let me get that out of the way. If someone decides to do something with themselves in a free society, hey. I'm not one to say that thing is wrong.

Or maybe I am. It isn't just dislike, it's disdain. Disgust. Sometimes I'm unable to understand what motivates it. Sometimes I feel anger, especially when it goes terribly wrong, and it often does. What am I talking about?

Cosmetic or plastic surgery.

This does NOT in any way include reconstructive surgery, to help someone heal after a disfigurement they shouldn't have had to endure in the first place. I'm talking about the elective, ego-motivated bullshit too many women (and men) have had, and too many more will have in our future. The changing of one's looks with both slices and foreign substances to achieve their personal ideal -- or society's ideal -- of beauty.

Yes, I called it bullshit. And it is. And I blame society in general, and women (and men) in particular who let themselves get duped into doing it. Unlike most people, I don't forget the stuff I'm taught when I was a kid. Some of that stuff involved 'true beauty comes from the inside' or 'never judge a book by its cover'.

But according to our "Nip/Tuck" world, we're supposed to judge ourselves by our covers...beauty IS skin-deep, and it can be improved as long as you have the cash to pay.

I say to Hell with that. I say to Hell with the doctors who tell women (and men) with a vulnerable self-image they can be 'improved', because those doctors only really give a shit about how much money they make from their patients. And keep in mind there are those who will never feel beautiful enough, those who will visit their plastic surgeon again and again because something was missed, something that needs to be FIXED.

I may go back to this subject again sometime, but I'm already tired of ranting about it...because I seriously doubt a lot of people will read this, take it to heart and try something that won't involve strategic mutilation of one's face and body if they want to feel better about themselves. Something that's been around for centuries I won't even bother to count. Something called makeup.

But if you'll read anything in this blog and let it sink in, let it be this:

There's good reason why its called plastic surgery...and please remember what you were taught as a kid before you go to make such a dramatic yet cosmetic change. You're beautiful as the person you were born to be. Not the person someone else says you can be remade to be. And most importantly, if you're going to spend a shitload of money on your face, try to think of a better use for that hard-earned cash. Like your kids. (If you have any.)

The airship has waited long enough...

My increasing affection for steampunk aside, I always thought of our not fully adopting the airship as a serious missed opportunity, if not absolutely idiotic.


The idea of the airship aka the zeppelin came LONG before the Wright brothers went to Kitty Hawk, but why didn't we adopt airships fully for commercial, business and military use? Because of damned accidents, and the fear they put in us.


Who else remembers how hesitant we were to launch a space shuttle again because of the Challenger disaster? For some reason that fear was compounded with airships, maybe because in physical terms they are so big. But did we let fear of accidents stop things like planes and automobiles from being built, evolving, becoming a part of our society and our world? No, and we had no reason to do it with the airship...a missed opportunity and perhaps idiotic, indeed.


I always loved the idea of the airship, and it's PAST time we made it a part of things!

How do I know steampunk when I find it?

It took a while for me to answer that question, and for the sake of those coming in late, I'll give you a head's up. Steampunk can be found...well, everywhere, and it's slowly but steadily growing in popularity. There's no single reason why a person might be attracted to it (I have a laundry list of reasons myself...more on that in blogs to come), but it isn't just a form of science fiction-fantasy entertainment and art. It's becoming an increasingly (and I hope to hell it stays in a good way) fashionable aesthetic, influencing things from music to clothing...some are taking it so far to make it a lifestyle alternative! Others have made virtual, steam-driven lives for themselves in Second Life's New Babbage.

Here's some visual aids to help you, too. (AGAIN, LEGAL BULLSHIT DISCLAIMER: I don't claim to own these images, which I found in the public domain. I'm not making a profit from them either, so there!)

For even better visual aids, let me describe to you the best mainstream examples of streampunk that can be found on television and DVD...I'll start with the 1960's Robert Conrad-Ross Martin TV series "The Wild Wild West" and its cinematic remake from 1999.

I still remember seeing the original "The Wild Wild West" on syndication a lo-ong time ago (so long I’ve forgotten more than I remember of it!), and that show was the first mainstream example of steampunk before it even got its name. Definitely a classic, while in my opinion the "Wild Wild West" movie...isn’t classic, and probably will never be called that. Without a doubt, it has the Victorian/Wild West era and the steampunk aesthetic and devices, some of amazing scale...a giant steam-driven tarantula has to be one of the best extreme examples of steampunk! Unfortunately, for me and a lot of folks, the movie fell short for three good reasons:

1) Will Smith wasn’t so much playing a cowboy/secret agent as he was playing himself...nothing wrong with that, but he felt out of place in the story’s time and setting.

2) Kenneth Branaugh as Loveless chewed up everything in sight, but the rest of the actors outside of Smith didn’t seem to be giving even half as much energy for their parts.

3) The movie’s pace was slow too much of the time...a typical big-budget movie with too much money to spend and too little to say, outside of some novel key moments. (Like James West nearly being ambushed with Miss East in that ’trick room’; you’d have to see it to appreciate it. And seeing a giant robo-spider tearing across the Wild West is always interesting.)

One movie I’ve seen I know people will disagree with me liking is "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", with Sean Connery. Before you sling your nasty words, I never read the original graphic novels the film is based from, and I don’t doubt that the source material is better than the film. (Just look at "Watchmen", whether or not you’ve read the book.) But "League" is still a good action/adventure film, and it has a lot of steampunk to it, with the exception of the Nemomobile...the tires and the headlights were too modern! I’m surprised people haven’t said more good things about the film’s take on Captain Nemo (which would have to be the closest to how Jules Verne envisioned him, especially in regard to his Indian roots) and the screw-propelled incarnation of the Nautilus.

For the best modern steampunk film, though, I haven’t seen "The Golden Compass" yet...so I’d have to recommend the Japanese anime film, "Steamboy". Whether you love anime or not, this movie is steampunk heaven from start to finish. There are too many reasons why, so I won’t bother counting them!

I'm sorry, Louis Armstrong, it isn't a wonderful world.

In fact, I don't understand this world sometimes. I really don't.

This is verbatim from AOL News, and I have to pass it on. I doubt you'll make any sense of this, either.

(DISCLAIMER FOR LEGAL BULLSHIT: This is not being published to plajarize AOL News or to profit myself. I don't work for AOL News, so I'm also not hyping them. I'm just helping to get this information out. If you want to know even more, go to AOL News, all right?)


City Is Haunted by Horrific Crimes

(April 16) - One question has to be haunting the citizens of Tracy, Calif.: Why is this happening to our children?

The community, located about 60 miles east of San Francisco, turned out Friday for a public memorial for Sandra Cantu. One day earlier, the 8-year-old was buried in a private funeral. The mother of one of her playmates is charged with raping and murdering her.

Incredibly, Sandra’s murder is the fourth criminal case involving juvenile victims to rock this small city of about 78,000 – and make national headlines -- in recent months.

"This area has never experienced anything like this," Tracy Unified School District spokeswoman Jessica Cardoza told ABCNews.com. "These past few months have been very difficult."

In December, an emaciated, bruised, nearly naked teen with a shackle attached to his ankle ran into a Tracy gym and begged for help. The 17-year-old implored, "Hide me, please hide me," according to Chuck Ellis, a worker at InShape Fitness Center.

Four people –- among them the woman who was the boy's legal guardian -- have been arrested on charges including torture, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

In February, a plastic surgeon was arrested after several women came forward and accused him of sexually assaulting them in his Tracy office. A revised criminal complaint filed this week accuses Dr. Peter Chi, 46, of molesting 64 women. The list of alleged victims includes a 16-year-old girl.Chi is free on $100,000 bail. He was ordered to stop practicing while the case is ongoing and has surrendered his medical license.

In March, a substitute teacher was arrested on charges he molested 12 girls at a Tracy elementary school. Jesse Llorente III, 39, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 10 felony charges of lewd acts with a child, three misdemeanor counts of child molestation and one count of possession of child pornography, the Tracy Press reported. He is being held on $1 million bail.

On the same day that Llorente was arraigned in San Joaquin County Court, Melissa Huckaby, sobbed and trembled in another courtroom as she was formally charged with murder with the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14, and murder in the course of a kidnapping.

If convicted in the death of Sandra Cantu, Huckaby, 28, could face the death penalty. Prosecutors have not decided yet whether they will seek it.

Sandra disappeared March 27. She was last seen in the trailer park where both her family and Huckaby lived. Ten days after Sandra vanished, her body was found stuffed in a suitcase that had been submerged in an irrigation pond. Huckaby was arrested late April 10.

Huckaby, the granddaughter of a local Baptist pastor, has a 5-year-old daughter who often played with Sandra. Huckaby herself taught Sunday school at her grandfather's church.

******

I hope you're resting in peace, Sandra.