Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Silly marketeers
Twist it...
Lick it...
Dip it...
There are so many double entendres in there, you can start your own orchestra.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
That's... kind of new.
Ever had the feeling where you were just minding your own business, your mind switches to screensaver mode for a minute, and then you're slap bang in the middle of a freakin' warzone? Like a Memento-like moment. Except without the memory loss.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Bored
People have to be bored out of their minds. I really cannot understand otherwise why people would go the trouble of:
- messing up a bus driver
- attacking an ambulance worker
- tossing a brick from a highway overpass
- making threats against middle schools
- sending envelopes filled with a white powder to the office
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
How to deal with the hidden agenda
Everybody has to protect their own interests. Sometimes people are very open about it, and will run all over you to do so. But maybe more vicious is the other type of person, the ones who have a hidden agenda.
People will look for the best way to achieve their objectives, and if that takes smoke and mirrors, so be it. Of course, you could be very evil about it, purposely misleading others to get what you want. Or you could just be all like "I don't voluntueer information, if there's no need to".
You'd have to accept that people have an agenda, and not be surprised by it. The key is to adapt to such a situation, or to have such a strong negotiation position, that it doesn't matter. Either way you have to be very zen.
People will look for the best way to achieve their objectives, and if that takes smoke and mirrors, so be it. Of course, you could be very evil about it, purposely misleading others to get what you want. Or you could just be all like "I don't voluntueer information, if there's no need to".
You'd have to accept that people have an agenda, and not be surprised by it. The key is to adapt to such a situation, or to have such a strong negotiation position, that it doesn't matter. Either way you have to be very zen.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The HHG: Super Bowl XLIII
Heart: Well, look. I'm giving props to Kurt Warner, who's basically been the feel good story of the year, and in fact for his entire career in the NFL. The ultimate good guy, as well as THE player of the league when I started following football more closely. I'd love to see him winning another one.
Same goes for Larry Fitzgerald. If he's willing to renegotiate his contract to get his friend Anquan B. to stay with the team, he must be the most selfless player in the league. I wouldn't jump on his bandwagon yet, as other receivers are still more powerful, have more flair, etc. But he's the main dish on the Cardinals menu.
All in all, I feel that good guys should win this time around. Not to say that the Steelers aren't good guys, but in this case, the nod goes to the Cards.
Head: I really can't see that the Pittsburgh defense won't smash their way through the Arizona offensive line. And when that happens, the Cards are in trouble. When Philadelphia did that in the NFC Championship Game, Warner couldn't complete a single pass for a first down. Past that, Troy Polamalu seriously scares me. He is the ideal security blanket for a cover defense.
Defensively the Steelers can really shut down Arizona. The only thing that could possibly be Pittsburgh's downfall is if Fitzgerald jumps higher than the Steelers' secondary.
Gut: I'm feeling Pittsburgh. I'm liking the Cards. I know what happened last year between the Giants and the 'undefeated' Patriots, but that was a team with a lot of momentum, against a team with very little. This time around, I feel momentum is more or less equal, so I should simply go with the objectively better team.
So Pittsburgh will win it... probably.
Same goes for Larry Fitzgerald. If he's willing to renegotiate his contract to get his friend Anquan B. to stay with the team, he must be the most selfless player in the league. I wouldn't jump on his bandwagon yet, as other receivers are still more powerful, have more flair, etc. But he's the main dish on the Cardinals menu.
All in all, I feel that good guys should win this time around. Not to say that the Steelers aren't good guys, but in this case, the nod goes to the Cards.
Head: I really can't see that the Pittsburgh defense won't smash their way through the Arizona offensive line. And when that happens, the Cards are in trouble. When Philadelphia did that in the NFC Championship Game, Warner couldn't complete a single pass for a first down. Past that, Troy Polamalu seriously scares me. He is the ideal security blanket for a cover defense.
Defensively the Steelers can really shut down Arizona. The only thing that could possibly be Pittsburgh's downfall is if Fitzgerald jumps higher than the Steelers' secondary.
Gut: I'm feeling Pittsburgh. I'm liking the Cards. I know what happened last year between the Giants and the 'undefeated' Patriots, but that was a team with a lot of momentum, against a team with very little. This time around, I feel momentum is more or less equal, so I should simply go with the objectively better team.
So Pittsburgh will win it... probably.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Why Assumptions Are The Mother...
Picture this... you get posed a question, which requires you to answer quite quickly, but to which you lack full information to answer wholly. You'll have to make some assumptions to frame an answer.
Would you frame your answer as favorable as possible to the asking party by making the assumptions as favorable as possible? That pretty much constitutes lying, doesn't it? Or at the very least a delusion. The thing about assumptions is, that saying you assume something, doesn't make it so.
Would you frame your answer as favorable as possible to the asking party by making the assumptions as favorable as possible? That pretty much constitutes lying, doesn't it? Or at the very least a delusion. The thing about assumptions is, that saying you assume something, doesn't make it so.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
What you need in consulting
It does take a special kind of person with a certain mentality to survive in consulting. It requires a person with the ability to work in ambiguous environments, who is professional, who has an understanding of organizing one's activities in effective and efficient ways, and the courage to make increasingly tougher decisions.
I'm sure my employer holds these characteristics true, but I do realize there are some small additions, which make my colleagues very different from others in consulting. And even when you're looking at my specific department, even the people there have a set of traits slightly different from the rest.
I'm quite sure consulting life is not cut out for everyone, and even some true-blooded consultants are not cut out for life at my employer. You need to be resilient, be able to voice your opinions, be flexible. The prevailing mentality is that giving up is not an option. Entrepreneurship is highly valued, as long as you have a good sales pitch. On the other hand hierarchy is held to strongly, and anything that threatens that hierarchy is frowned upon.
The benefits are obvious: an exciting environment that will give you many stories to tell on your high school reunion. The money ain't bad either. But I wouldn't just recommend Consultancy to anyone. You need to live and breathe consultancy.
I'm sure my employer holds these characteristics true, but I do realize there are some small additions, which make my colleagues very different from others in consulting. And even when you're looking at my specific department, even the people there have a set of traits slightly different from the rest.
I'm quite sure consulting life is not cut out for everyone, and even some true-blooded consultants are not cut out for life at my employer. You need to be resilient, be able to voice your opinions, be flexible. The prevailing mentality is that giving up is not an option. Entrepreneurship is highly valued, as long as you have a good sales pitch. On the other hand hierarchy is held to strongly, and anything that threatens that hierarchy is frowned upon.
The benefits are obvious: an exciting environment that will give you many stories to tell on your high school reunion. The money ain't bad either. But I wouldn't just recommend Consultancy to anyone. You need to live and breathe consultancy.
Friday, January 02, 2009
In Other News...
Halfway across the world in the Middle East Israelis and Hamas are fighting again. Bombs and missles and all that shit. Global economies are in tatters, financial systems completely out of sync.
In other news however, there's boobies! And even better, the first thing people do after taking a look at the first newspaper of the year, is to call out a nationwide search.
Good thing people have got their priorities straight.
In other news however, there's boobies! And even better, the first thing people do after taking a look at the first newspaper of the year, is to call out a nationwide search.
Good thing people have got their priorities straight.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Everything I want to share about 2008
2008 is almost done, so that means it's time to look back, and make mention of whatever I want to share about this year.
Plusses
Health-wise I'm doing okay. I'm definitely more tired than I used to, but I'm sure that's thirty-something going for me. At least nothing's the matter more serious than taking a couple of pills.
Seeing my friends get married on a tropical island was a personal checkmark for me. The very fact I had the freedom to do so, is nothing less than a total luxury, I agree. But it earned me plenty of new stories, new acquaintances and invigorated relationships, some of which were from a long time ago.
Probably my greatest professional successes this year have all to do with recognition, acknowledgment, and gratitude. People enjoy and appreciate working with me and for me, which is more than I can hope for. It means I'm a good team mate, a good team lead, and whatever I want to have everyone around me do, makes sense. My way - which is not so much demanding, as it is making people to believe themselves that my way is best - works dividends.
Minuses
Stuff that happened this year I could have done without, included getting registered by our resident traffic authorities, getting stuff busted for no good reason, and of course having all these traders and financial institutions panicking and crashing the stock exchanges, again for no really good reason. (so you do bad business now GM... you did bad business before... don't blame credit crunches for your own mistakes...)
But I think the most epic fail this year has to be the following... I always prided myself with having great perspective and insight into people around me. Yet I completely missed people's breakdowns, break-ups, depressions and all that, left, right and center. Shows how much of a friend I am. The only excuse I can think of, is that I've been given leeway to take on a lot of professional responsibilities, and somehow that makes people think I'm all work and no play.
Learning points
I feel sad, but also fortunate that I can support other people during their grief. And I hope I can show as much dignity and calm when such grief arrives at my doorstep. For some reason, I didn't have (or didn't take) my chance at this before, and I feel bad about it. This feels like redemption.
I've learned that agendas are important, and putting the right points on it even more so. It is up to me to make sure that other people's agendas contain the items I find important. I've learned that asking questions, especially on record, is a very potent weapon in discussions. That means I've got to master asking the right type of questions to achieve my goals. Regarding both points, I firmly believe no person is actually unwilling to talk about a particular subject, as long as it happens on their terms (at least that's what they think), and as long as they are given ample time to think about it.
Next year
In 2009 I need a lot of resolve around the home, institutionalize my relationships, make my professional concerns important to those who should. It will help I have deferred some of my responsibilities next year. Money is less of a driver I guess this coming year. I'm more looking at experiences, good, bad, evil, beautiful and everything inbetween. Things that have to be done before the start of the fourteenth B'ak'tun...
Plusses
Health-wise I'm doing okay. I'm definitely more tired than I used to, but I'm sure that's thirty-something going for me. At least nothing's the matter more serious than taking a couple of pills.
Seeing my friends get married on a tropical island was a personal checkmark for me. The very fact I had the freedom to do so, is nothing less than a total luxury, I agree. But it earned me plenty of new stories, new acquaintances and invigorated relationships, some of which were from a long time ago.
Probably my greatest professional successes this year have all to do with recognition, acknowledgment, and gratitude. People enjoy and appreciate working with me and for me, which is more than I can hope for. It means I'm a good team mate, a good team lead, and whatever I want to have everyone around me do, makes sense. My way - which is not so much demanding, as it is making people to believe themselves that my way is best - works dividends.
Minuses
Stuff that happened this year I could have done without, included getting registered by our resident traffic authorities, getting stuff busted for no good reason, and of course having all these traders and financial institutions panicking and crashing the stock exchanges, again for no really good reason. (so you do bad business now GM... you did bad business before... don't blame credit crunches for your own mistakes...)
But I think the most epic fail this year has to be the following... I always prided myself with having great perspective and insight into people around me. Yet I completely missed people's breakdowns, break-ups, depressions and all that, left, right and center. Shows how much of a friend I am. The only excuse I can think of, is that I've been given leeway to take on a lot of professional responsibilities, and somehow that makes people think I'm all work and no play.
Learning points
I feel sad, but also fortunate that I can support other people during their grief. And I hope I can show as much dignity and calm when such grief arrives at my doorstep. For some reason, I didn't have (or didn't take) my chance at this before, and I feel bad about it. This feels like redemption.
I've learned that agendas are important, and putting the right points on it even more so. It is up to me to make sure that other people's agendas contain the items I find important. I've learned that asking questions, especially on record, is a very potent weapon in discussions. That means I've got to master asking the right type of questions to achieve my goals. Regarding both points, I firmly believe no person is actually unwilling to talk about a particular subject, as long as it happens on their terms (at least that's what they think), and as long as they are given ample time to think about it.
Next year
In 2009 I need a lot of resolve around the home, institutionalize my relationships, make my professional concerns important to those who should. It will help I have deferred some of my responsibilities next year. Money is less of a driver I guess this coming year. I'm more looking at experiences, good, bad, evil, beautiful and everything inbetween. Things that have to be done before the start of the fourteenth B'ak'tun...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Eat, take pictures and play cards
How to Sit in a Restaurant.
Solo, at the corner of the bar. The food's the same. You can look out over the restaurant, and your server for the evening will be the bartender, who'll be more than happy to provide you with info on all things hot waitress. If you're dining with a special someone, ask for a table in a corner away from the kitchen, and sit next to each other, not across, to up the intimacy factor, says Todd English, a chef and restaurateur. Make a 7:30 reservation. It's just before the crunch, so adrenaline will be pumping and service should be optimal.
. . . Take a Group Photo.
Standing on a balcony or chair. Shooting down makes people look up, and looking up makes people look better, says Danny Clinch, a New York City photographer. Have Phil tell the story that always makes Aunt Cheryl spit water, or ask each person to tell a joke. People will listen, relax, and forget about the camera. Shoot just before, during, and after they laugh, to capture a series of natural looks. One more trick: If they're sitting, ask them to lean toward the center of the group, and as soon as they start, click. More doing and less thinking. Wait too long and it'll be too posed.
. . . Sit On a Couch for a Group Picture.
It doesn't matter where, just lean forward. You'll have to look up, and putting your forearms on your knees will hide any gut, Clinch says. Leaning back will cause you to look down and across your chest, giving even the most ripped cover model some unsightly chin business.
. . . Sit At Your Regular Poker Game.
To the immediate left of the most aggressive player. Money moves to the left, and you want to see how he acts before you play. If that turns out to be at the head of the table, even better: You can see everyone and snag maximum legroom. Once comfortable, your goal is to isolate Captain Macho. Since he's prone to play weaker hands, you'll have your chance. Just be patient for a decent starting hand and raise three to four times his initial bet to drive the pretenders out, says Daniel Negreanu, professional poker player. It might not look great, but a 7-8 of the same suit can turn into gold after the flop. Plus it'll be hard for opponents to figure out what you're holding.
[Also check out the Men's Wisdom pages on menshealth.com]
Solo, at the corner of the bar. The food's the same. You can look out over the restaurant, and your server for the evening will be the bartender, who'll be more than happy to provide you with info on all things hot waitress. If you're dining with a special someone, ask for a table in a corner away from the kitchen, and sit next to each other, not across, to up the intimacy factor, says Todd English, a chef and restaurateur. Make a 7:30 reservation. It's just before the crunch, so adrenaline will be pumping and service should be optimal.
. . . Take a Group Photo.
Standing on a balcony or chair. Shooting down makes people look up, and looking up makes people look better, says Danny Clinch, a New York City photographer. Have Phil tell the story that always makes Aunt Cheryl spit water, or ask each person to tell a joke. People will listen, relax, and forget about the camera. Shoot just before, during, and after they laugh, to capture a series of natural looks. One more trick: If they're sitting, ask them to lean toward the center of the group, and as soon as they start, click. More doing and less thinking. Wait too long and it'll be too posed.
. . . Sit On a Couch for a Group Picture.
It doesn't matter where, just lean forward. You'll have to look up, and putting your forearms on your knees will hide any gut, Clinch says. Leaning back will cause you to look down and across your chest, giving even the most ripped cover model some unsightly chin business.
. . . Sit At Your Regular Poker Game.
To the immediate left of the most aggressive player. Money moves to the left, and you want to see how he acts before you play. If that turns out to be at the head of the table, even better: You can see everyone and snag maximum legroom. Once comfortable, your goal is to isolate Captain Macho. Since he's prone to play weaker hands, you'll have your chance. Just be patient for a decent starting hand and raise three to four times his initial bet to drive the pretenders out, says Daniel Negreanu, professional poker player. It might not look great, but a 7-8 of the same suit can turn into gold after the flop. Plus it'll be hard for opponents to figure out what you're holding.
[Also check out the Men's Wisdom pages on menshealth.com]
Friday, December 19, 2008
Funny quotes from 2008
From the Funny Department:
copa Oct 15th 2008 11:51AM: giving a metaphore for EA's DRM practices.
- "BS, M.S., Ph.D: bullshit, more shit, piled higher and deeper" (stole it from Ben's mom)
- The more money you have, the less you actually need spend.
- There are no goals. Just be in the moment.
- A real friend is one who walks in, while the rest of the world walks away
- Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (Einstein)
"This clearly is not a solution to piracy."
You clearly know nothing about running a business. I run a convenience store, and know a thing or two about stopping criminals.
Every time someone shoplifts beer from my store, I implement policies that make it less convenient for paying customers to buy shit from me. I require customers to show me two forms of ID, and give me their Social Security number before they can buy stuff. Also, I have a guy who stands in the parking lot and blocks their car for five minutes before letting them leave.
Unfortunately, my store's annual revenue has actually dropped $60,000 in the year since I started implementing these policies. Also, shoplifting has increased 50%. When I caught one of these criminals, he claimed he would have paid for the beer, but he just didn't want to give me his social security number. I hope he get ass-raped in prison.
Anyway, the revenue drop at my store just illustrates how unchecked shoplifting is going to destroy my business. Obviously, the solution is to implement more draconian policies so I can eliminate shoplifting completely.
Starting tomorrow, I will gut-punch all paying customers at the point of sale. That will give the shoplifters something to think about.
You clearly know nothing about running a business. I run a convenience store, and know a thing or two about stopping criminals.
Every time someone shoplifts beer from my store, I implement policies that make it less convenient for paying customers to buy shit from me. I require customers to show me two forms of ID, and give me their Social Security number before they can buy stuff. Also, I have a guy who stands in the parking lot and blocks their car for five minutes before letting them leave.
Unfortunately, my store's annual revenue has actually dropped $60,000 in the year since I started implementing these policies. Also, shoplifting has increased 50%. When I caught one of these criminals, he claimed he would have paid for the beer, but he just didn't want to give me his social security number. I hope he get ass-raped in prison.
Anyway, the revenue drop at my store just illustrates how unchecked shoplifting is going to destroy my business. Obviously, the solution is to implement more draconian policies so I can eliminate shoplifting completely.
Starting tomorrow, I will gut-punch all paying customers at the point of sale. That will give the shoplifters something to think about.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The fallibility of the attractiveness grading system
You probably heard of it before. When you go out you scope the room and identify the most attractive people in the room. You order them, give them a grade, and then proceed to pick one of them up - as pretty as feasible, thus as high grade as possible. Very attractive people are scored higher, ugly ones score low.
What is usually said that happens, is that people will more or less stay within their own grade, give or take a point. If you're a 9, you can hook up with anyone up to a 9, and even 10. Likely a 9 will not date someone lower than 8. But a 6 should not realistically be successful with a 9.
The problem I have with this, is there's no objective measuring system that says "this person is a 4 and this an 8". Only one person determines how attractive a person is, and that person is you. Of course many people could share a similar opinion about how attractive someone is, but that's not enough reason to just take someone else's opinion as yours. It could very well be that one person's 6 or 7, is another person's 9 or even 10. It all depends on what you're looking for.
Ideally, and probably instinctively, people start scoping the room by doing lightning quick reviews. I'm fine with that. But when it comes to dating, will you let the overall "metacritic" score influence your move? Or do you stick to your own review?
What is usually said that happens, is that people will more or less stay within their own grade, give or take a point. If you're a 9, you can hook up with anyone up to a 9, and even 10. Likely a 9 will not date someone lower than 8. But a 6 should not realistically be successful with a 9.
The problem I have with this, is there's no objective measuring system that says "this person is a 4 and this an 8". Only one person determines how attractive a person is, and that person is you. Of course many people could share a similar opinion about how attractive someone is, but that's not enough reason to just take someone else's opinion as yours. It could very well be that one person's 6 or 7, is another person's 9 or even 10. It all depends on what you're looking for.
Ideally, and probably instinctively, people start scoping the room by doing lightning quick reviews. I'm fine with that. But when it comes to dating, will you let the overall "metacritic" score influence your move? Or do you stick to your own review?
Saturday, December 06, 2008
The State of Sports in 2008
Sports in 2008 have taken a leaf out of the WWE handbook of "shock and awe" plot twists. From Giants upsetting undefeated teams, to championships pulled out from the skin of your teeth, these are the most shocking events in sports this past year. Try to beat that, WWE booking team.
- The Upset; or the Rise of the Giants: An undefeated New England Patriots team comes into Arizona to pick up the one win that will make them the most dominating team in the NFL ever. Except for some divine reason their offensive line couldn't stand up straight, their linebackers couldn't pull down a quarterback, and balls were caught with helmets. The Giants won, and became the most powerful team in the league for the rest of the year.
- Women of Gold: at least for the Netherlands, the Olympics would have been a bust, had it not been saved by the fine ladies in hockey, swimming, and very surprisingly water polo. Makes you wonder where all the Dutch men went. However, all of these successes were achieved in team sports. Individually the Netherlands had mediocre results, and it showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that the low countries do not have a superstar to rally behind. Thankfully the Dutch Female Athletes, tall, proud and full of team spirit, made it happen.
- The Superstar; or the Franchise: Usain Bolt destroyed athletics competitions for the forseeable future, for holding back on a sub-9.50 100 m dash, and boasting about it loudly in cameras and television screens world wide. The IOC, in its best Vince McMahon-impression, gave the Jamaican an official warning, which Bolt seemingly underwent with a definite indifference. Of course, he made sure that future Olympic 100 m dashes still have drawing power, because if he would have done his utmost and ran 9.48 or thereabouts, no one would ever be able to beat the record, killing the event forever.
- The Great Hope, and the Disappointment: For about two weeks the Netherlands thought it had a chance to win it all, and emulate what a previous generation did before: win the UEFA European Championship. Oranje made short work of the World Cup holders from Italy, beat the French soundly and were looking to walk over the dark horse Russians in the quarter final... except things didn't turn out that way, leaving Holland with another promise unfulfilled, and millions of Oranje fans dejected, after having been fooled yet again.
- The Soap Opera: Formula One always markets itself as the glamourous, jetset, top flight of automobile motorsport. But this year the circus had more twists, turns, Dusty-finishes than the WWE, which is saying a lot. They had a boss who was caught in a sex-scandal, systematically erased results to manipulate the standings, and ended up with the most dramatic finish of recent history, when Lewis Hamilton just pipped Massa for the championship in the final 500 m of the Brazilian GP. If someone was still entertaining the notion that F1 held the highest form of integrity, I seriously doubt their sanity. I mean, this very same plot line was held to the letter in WWE circa 1998-2001.
- The Kids You Hated At School: For a U.S. Ryder Cup team, which was so extremely keen on making themselves the underdog for this year's competition ("sob, sob, we're never going to win this, we don't have Tiger, boohoo, yadda yadda"), they looked much too smug after actually beating the Europeans.
- The End of An Era: Roger Federer is no longer invincible. That's a good thing. I don't care what people say about watching tennis brilliance when he is on TV. HE IS FREAKIN' BORING.
- Extracurricular Activities: On the other side of the net, the WTA is finally using its sex appeal to win viewers. Too bad that the women crack apart (Sharapova, Ivanovic, Jankovic etc.) once they won once. Thankfully just about every player in the top 50 has a magazine shoot ramped up to give them some income when they're nursing their injuries.
- The Curse: The Cubs still haven't won a World Series. The Red Sox now have two.
- The More Things Change...: NBA Finals 1987: Lakers vs. Celtics. NBA Finals 2008: Lakers vs. Celtics. So much for expansion.
- A Sign Of Armageddon: It is bad for your sport if the one individual in that sport the general media is talking about, is not a champion (More Detroit Redwings hoisting Stanley Cups. C'mon guys... share the wealth!), and not its most talented player, but is the class clown. Sean Avery, from his stick waving antics in the NHL Playoffs, to his public burns of Jack Bauer's daughter and Stacy's Mom, was generating more publicity than the league he is playing in. Yes. All 30 teams in it, including all the other players on each of the 30 team rosters.
I give the NHL four more years.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
State of video games in 2008
I got caught. I actually shelled out for a PlayStation3 and (re)joined the console owning army this past summer. Hell, you need to justify that widescreen TV anyway, right?
Truthfully only a couple of games interest me for the PS3. Metal Gear Solid 4 is one, every bit the elaborate military stealth thriller it promised to be. A truly involving story, interesting characters, and well paced action. It was the first game in a long while to actually scare the daylights out of me. Try playing the boss level against Laughing Octopus in the dark, and try not to get too spooked.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is another, which is actually a surprise to me. I thought I wouldn't like it too much, with all the hype surrounding it. But it is the best depiction of a sandbox game yet, with an environment which is so convincing as a depiction of New York, I recognized locations when I was there.
And I'm sure Gran Turismo 5 is going to be a great game, but Prologue is an ideal (if slightly contrived) way of demoing the game up front. And I'm happy to note that with just a couple of practice laps, I can get to be second fastest driver in the Netherlands.
On the PC Windows front, not a lot happened for me. The Sims continues to sell, but it is getting extremely evil with all the spinoffs, theme packs, expansions that a true Sim fan will have to buy. Getting connected with H&M and IKEA is a stroke of genius, but who in their right mind would pay $29.99 for 60 new pieces of Sims furniture?!
The two main games for the PC were Red Alert 3 and Spore. The latter used to be a shoe-in for release date acquisition, but the DRM mess really put it in the crapper. I mean, it is an interesting game, with a unique premise, but it is not good enough to warrant such a draconian measure to protect it from piracy. It's like having 15.000 dollars worth of alarm systems on a 7.000 dollar car. And each time you get into your car, you get hit in the nuts.
Which leaves Red Alert 3. Back in the old days, you only needed to equip your game with one or maybe two attractive women, and you would create a new fanboy addiction overnight. RA3 gives us seven women. SEVEN. That's a bit overkill. And you could argue if you want Jenny McCarthy on your computer screen in this day and age. But Gemma Atkinson made the best use of a white dress yet seen on any screen. The game was enjoyable too.
And the soundtracks this year... absolutely fantastic. I actually discovered new great music because of the soundtracks of these games. But just go back to my 2008 music review to see what I'm talking about.
Truthfully only a couple of games interest me for the PS3. Metal Gear Solid 4 is one, every bit the elaborate military stealth thriller it promised to be. A truly involving story, interesting characters, and well paced action. It was the first game in a long while to actually scare the daylights out of me. Try playing the boss level against Laughing Octopus in the dark, and try not to get too spooked.
Grand Theft Auto 4 is another, which is actually a surprise to me. I thought I wouldn't like it too much, with all the hype surrounding it. But it is the best depiction of a sandbox game yet, with an environment which is so convincing as a depiction of New York, I recognized locations when I was there.
And I'm sure Gran Turismo 5 is going to be a great game, but Prologue is an ideal (if slightly contrived) way of demoing the game up front. And I'm happy to note that with just a couple of practice laps, I can get to be second fastest driver in the Netherlands.
On the PC Windows front, not a lot happened for me. The Sims continues to sell, but it is getting extremely evil with all the spinoffs, theme packs, expansions that a true Sim fan will have to buy. Getting connected with H&M and IKEA is a stroke of genius, but who in their right mind would pay $29.99 for 60 new pieces of Sims furniture?!
The two main games for the PC were Red Alert 3 and Spore. The latter used to be a shoe-in for release date acquisition, but the DRM mess really put it in the crapper. I mean, it is an interesting game, with a unique premise, but it is not good enough to warrant such a draconian measure to protect it from piracy. It's like having 15.000 dollars worth of alarm systems on a 7.000 dollar car. And each time you get into your car, you get hit in the nuts.
Which leaves Red Alert 3. Back in the old days, you only needed to equip your game with one or maybe two attractive women, and you would create a new fanboy addiction overnight. RA3 gives us seven women. SEVEN. That's a bit overkill. And you could argue if you want Jenny McCarthy on your computer screen in this day and age. But Gemma Atkinson made the best use of a white dress yet seen on any screen. The game was enjoyable too.
And the soundtracks this year... absolutely fantastic. I actually discovered new great music because of the soundtracks of these games. But just go back to my 2008 music review to see what I'm talking about.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Best I liked in music in 2008
There was only one trend this year in music worth mentioning, and that's the rebirth of the white female singer. From Amy MacDonald to Duffy to Gabriella Cilmi to Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles, we kept seeing more and more new, young, fresh faces coming to the fore. Most of what they put out there, is actually good, and I in my foolish mind took Coco as the next big thing (which didn't really happen). But it also showed that people didn't bother much with anything that wasn't hot, young and attractive. Or a trainwreck like Amy Winehouse. Or a lipstick lesbian like Katy Perry.
If you wanted to make big buck$$ as a singer, you need to license your music to video games and movies. Better yet, make an original soundtrack just for a game. You'll never hear your music on the mainstream pop stations, but millions of loyal fans will follow regardless. Case in point: David Hasselhoff.
One last thing. I'm having a bit of a Rihanna hangover, mixed up with a Beyonce overdose. I can do without them for a while, thank you very much.
Band du Jour: Paramore - I was temporarily inclined to name Alphabeat this year's up and coming act, but then I remembered Alphabeat is a freakin' poppy band who had far too much laughing gas for their own good. So I choose the band with the exact opposite character instead. Just listen to Misery Business and dare not agree with me.
2008 MVP: Rihanna. Basically she had more hits this year than anyone else. It will have to be, considering she's considered the hardest working woman in pop music. And she ain't shy in mixing it up either. She single-handedly saved Maroon 5's otherwise lackluster comeback, kept us and Jay-Z dry from the rain in Umbrella, and gladly rips everybody else's samples just because she can (Please don't stop the music, Live your life).
Honorable mentions: Coldplay, for not stinking the joint up. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOUS GUYS ARE OUT OF MY DOGHOUSE, but they actually succeeded not pissing me off this year. Viva La Vida is actually not a bad album.
Top mainstream singles of 2008:
Best use of a song in a commercial: The Reebok NFL commercial, Vashti Bunyan - Train Song.
If you wanted to make big buck$$ as a singer, you need to license your music to video games and movies. Better yet, make an original soundtrack just for a game. You'll never hear your music on the mainstream pop stations, but millions of loyal fans will follow regardless. Case in point: David Hasselhoff.
One last thing. I'm having a bit of a Rihanna hangover, mixed up with a Beyonce overdose. I can do without them for a while, thank you very much.
Band du Jour: Paramore - I was temporarily inclined to name Alphabeat this year's up and coming act, but then I remembered Alphabeat is a freakin' poppy band who had far too much laughing gas for their own good. So I choose the band with the exact opposite character instead. Just listen to Misery Business and dare not agree with me.
2008 MVP: Rihanna. Basically she had more hits this year than anyone else. It will have to be, considering she's considered the hardest working woman in pop music. And she ain't shy in mixing it up either. She single-handedly saved Maroon 5's otherwise lackluster comeback, kept us and Jay-Z dry from the rain in Umbrella, and gladly rips everybody else's samples just because she can (Please don't stop the music, Live your life).
Honorable mentions: Coldplay, for not stinking the joint up. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOUS GUYS ARE OUT OF MY DOGHOUSE, but they actually succeeded not pissing me off this year. Viva La Vida is actually not a bad album.
Top mainstream singles of 2008:
- Madcon - Beggin
- Adele - Chasing Pavements
- Alain Clark - Father And Friend
- Coldplay - Violet Hill
- The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
- Sara Bareilles - Love Song
- Leona Lewis - Take A Bow
- Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
- Jack McManus - Bang On The Piano
- Duffy - Warwick Avenue
- Daddy Yankee - Impacto
- Wisin y Yandel - Sexy moviemento
- Jorge Celedon - Vida es bonita
Best use of a song in a commercial: The Reebok NFL commercial, Vashti Bunyan - Train Song.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Content restrictions
It seems every couple of years (about two) I return to this very same question. Why do DVD makers have the need to regionalize their releases? In that respect we can also add why certain content over the internet is not available for specific locales. I seriously don't see the point.
The restrictions on content seem arbitrary. Decisions which make certain content available in one region and not the other unreasonably prohibit flow of information, and prevent opportunities for consumerism. If the producer does not believe there's a market for particular content, why should that be the consumer's problem? If he restricts the content right out of the gate (I blame you, WWE), he does not allow the market to develop anyway. Ergo, self-fulfilling prophecy.
If countries want to tax content, sure, but do it to ALL available content. Put a levy on internet accounts. Put a flat rate on all goods imported. Don't make the laziness of the government the problem of the market.
If a country wants to prohibit certain content for fundamental reasons (I'm thinking of countries like China or particular Muslim countries; or morally offensive content such as child abuse, racial extremist doctrines), it should. But at least in this case you'd have a clear case why certain content is banned. It's against the law.
My problem is with restricting content which clearly is not against the law, now or ever. If legislation hasn't caught up to something new yet, then government is lazy. A government might want to protect certain producers within the own nation's borders against foreign influx (for example, Holland would have to protect the Volendam music industry). I say it's not the role of government to do so. The market should decide if content is viable or not. And if particular valuable content is in danger of dying out, you can subsidize it. You've done so with the Arts, with farm goods, with car manufacturing, so why not with music, movies, television and games?
My problem is I'm not allowed to use my Pandora.com. It's pissing me off for almost two years now. Just because some fat cat music label can't control its assets over the internet? Just because government has no overview over what gets broadcast?
I mean, c'mon! It's just freakin' music. Pop music for that matter.
Greedy, lazy bastards.
- Obviously there's a market for getting content cross-continent. Doesn't matter if it's a television series box set for a show that's brilliant, but in the infinite wisdom of the networks over here we do not receive it. Could also be a simple, funny youtube video, which just happens to be viewable only in the United States. People all over the world want to see it, why are they stopped? Can't be censorship, (at least because we're not in China) because I don't see how this content could possibly violate any moral laws. It's just 30 Rock for chrissakes.
- If you just want to make a (import) buck via customs, yeah that will work. Basically that's the only rational explanation I can imagine for having non-free cross-continent flow of content. If you would not have any restrictions whether to view content, play the DVD, play the game or whatnot, customs agencies and governments wouldn't be able to tax it, thus losing out on some income. Essentially the restrictions generate cashflow, and I understand that. But why does the government arbitrarily make certain content unfeasible (e.g. Pandora.com, certain NBC television shows etc.) to reach? Why yes to "Two and a half men", but no to "How I met your mother", an infinitely better show?
- Even if a producer is angry with networks from a certain country to not buy a particular series, why would the consumer be to blame? If the consumer wants to have this content, let him bloody reach it. He will pay for it himself. Cut out the middle man.
The restrictions on content seem arbitrary. Decisions which make certain content available in one region and not the other unreasonably prohibit flow of information, and prevent opportunities for consumerism. If the producer does not believe there's a market for particular content, why should that be the consumer's problem? If he restricts the content right out of the gate (I blame you, WWE), he does not allow the market to develop anyway. Ergo, self-fulfilling prophecy.
If countries want to tax content, sure, but do it to ALL available content. Put a levy on internet accounts. Put a flat rate on all goods imported. Don't make the laziness of the government the problem of the market.
If a country wants to prohibit certain content for fundamental reasons (I'm thinking of countries like China or particular Muslim countries; or morally offensive content such as child abuse, racial extremist doctrines), it should. But at least in this case you'd have a clear case why certain content is banned. It's against the law.
My problem is with restricting content which clearly is not against the law, now or ever. If legislation hasn't caught up to something new yet, then government is lazy. A government might want to protect certain producers within the own nation's borders against foreign influx (for example, Holland would have to protect the Volendam music industry). I say it's not the role of government to do so. The market should decide if content is viable or not. And if particular valuable content is in danger of dying out, you can subsidize it. You've done so with the Arts, with farm goods, with car manufacturing, so why not with music, movies, television and games?
My problem is I'm not allowed to use my Pandora.com. It's pissing me off for almost two years now. Just because some fat cat music label can't control its assets over the internet? Just because government has no overview over what gets broadcast?
I mean, c'mon! It's just freakin' music. Pop music for that matter.
Greedy, lazy bastards.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Ignore of be indifferent
I did say conflict was the greatest motivator for mankind to get forward, but a bombing, a kidnapping as they're doing right now in Mumbai is overdoing it.
Thing is, it's rather quiet on the news front west of the Indian Ocean. Yes, it's the headline news. Yes, it is a terrorist attack. Yes, we've got the condemnment from Bush (for whatever it's worth). But where's the 24-hour broadcast? Where's the righteous indignation? Where's the minute of silence? Was it too early? Is it too far off? Or is the media not cramming it down our throats much?
There's people who would like to keep the peace, and there's the people who are looking and actively seeking out conflict. Seems like the latter ones get what they want by default, unless they can't find anyone with a viewpoint different from theirs. Because then everybody will be indifferent to your plight.
Thing is, it's rather quiet on the news front west of the Indian Ocean. Yes, it's the headline news. Yes, it is a terrorist attack. Yes, we've got the condemnment from Bush (for whatever it's worth). But where's the 24-hour broadcast? Where's the righteous indignation? Where's the minute of silence? Was it too early? Is it too far off? Or is the media not cramming it down our throats much?
There's people who would like to keep the peace, and there's the people who are looking and actively seeking out conflict. Seems like the latter ones get what they want by default, unless they can't find anyone with a viewpoint different from theirs. Because then everybody will be indifferent to your plight.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Some random observations from the City
- Why is there this obsession with being on guestlists? It doesn't help (much), all it does is anger the bouncer (because he has to look up your name in the list, which means: more work), and frankly guestlists don't help keeping legit customers in and bums out. Eventually anyone who pays, gets in. The only thing that really works, is if the bouncer knows YOU.
- Most of the hip places in the City are so hip, they don't advertise. Their name doesn't appear anywhere on the building. There are no flyers. There's only a crowd, music, and two half-naked models in the doorway. Too bad it's an Abercrombie & Fitch store.
- So that's where they keep all the hot stewardesses.
- Truest thing I've heard all week is from a guy, who doesn't have e-mail, doesn't own a computer, and has the simplest and most basic of mobile phones. All his relationship-building is via letter, or postcard. And nothing works better. Just the right amount of attention, timeliness and prioritization.
- Well, I guess English (-like) is spoken 90 percent of the time, but there's a strong Spanish community in the City as well. And I'm pretty sure I heard Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Italian and Portuguese. But I'm quite surprised I kept meeting people at least once every single day, who spoke Dutch.
- Seriously. If you're going to look like that in my home as well, I'm buying every single bottle of Baileys in your display.
- Is the City a good place to have children? It's a bit crowded I think, but more to the point, it tends to go back to what your ideal picture of growing up is. If you feel that children should have room to play around, in a safe and easy-going environment, I don't think the City is where you should be at. If you think children should be able to enjoy the richness of what the City has to offer in terms of culture, sports, sights and sounds, than you're not so bad off.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
An example of bad planning
Seriously. We have these commercials for the air traffic control, in which basically you are invited to sign up, but only if you have great intelligence, spatial insight, great prioritization skills, mathematical expertise and so on and so forth. You'd have to be freakin' Superman to be an air traffic controller.
I sure hope these guys and girls didn't have the bright idea to let a Pakistani flight AND an Indian flight depart from the same terminal in Kennedy International airport, within half an hour of each other. WHO FOR CHRISSAKES CAME UP WITH THAT IDEA?! You're talking about two mortal enemies, each of which carries nearly an entire household and a religious shrine on his back, and you expect each flight to depart on time?!
For that matter, what about the OTHER flights that are supposed to depart around the same time, say domestic flights or long haul flights. I know for a fact at least one passenger was held up by security of the Indians and Pakistanis for so long, he missed his flight.
Lesson to be learned: Do Not Mix More Problems Together Than You Can Handle
I sure hope these guys and girls didn't have the bright idea to let a Pakistani flight AND an Indian flight depart from the same terminal in Kennedy International airport, within half an hour of each other. WHO FOR CHRISSAKES CAME UP WITH THAT IDEA?! You're talking about two mortal enemies, each of which carries nearly an entire household and a religious shrine on his back, and you expect each flight to depart on time?!
For that matter, what about the OTHER flights that are supposed to depart around the same time, say domestic flights or long haul flights. I know for a fact at least one passenger was held up by security of the Indians and Pakistanis for so long, he missed his flight.
Lesson to be learned: Do Not Mix More Problems Together Than You Can Handle
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