Video game lessons
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May 17, 2007
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I've been playing Battlefield 2 on Xbox lately, and I was surprised to learn an interesting lesson about international conflict and war. The setting of the game is modern Kazakhstan, where NATO forces are competing against the Chinese to liberate/secure/drive out opposing forces. The game keeps switching sides every few levels, so you get to play as a NATO soldier and a Chinese soldier. It's kind of weird to be battling against the same army you were just a part of, but you get over it once you get lost in the gunfire and explosions. Before each mission/level, you're briefed about what's going on and what you need do to. Most actions you take are as a result of what the opposing forces previously did. The most interesting thing about this is that there are two sides to each story. For example, in one level, you're playing as a Chinese soldier trying to blow up a train that the NATO forces are supposedly using as a bomb to destroy/terrorize a town. And then in the next level, you're playing as a NATO soldier and you're briefed about the recent Chinese attack of a NATO supply train bringing food and medicine to a local village. It's either a case of unintentional miscommunication/misinterpretation or a case of deliberate misinformation for the purpose of rallying people around a specific cause. It's interesting to see a topic like that in a video game. #entertainment
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Morning photos
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May 17, 2007
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Note to self: Don't allow self to be photographed in the morning before about 10-11am, especially during allergy season, and especially if it's for a work ID card that'll last for the next three years. #entertainment
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Bad combinations
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May 16, 2007
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I've seen several examples recently of combining things that shouldn't be combined. Some would say these all have something to do with thinning the herd. I like that analogy. - Using a cell phone while running. I can't imagine it would be a very meaningful or important conversation, not to mention the question of why a person would carry a cell phone while running in the first place.
- Using a cell phone while hiking. This one wasn't too weird, but it was in the middle of the woods, miles from anything, going up and down steep hills covered with rocks. Plus, the guy was with his family, so he was ignoring them at a time when they were probably supposed to be bonding in the first place.
- Using a cell phone while biking. I saw this on the busy streets of New York City, and I pretended to not notice as the guy pulled into flowing traffic, hoping I wouldn't have to witness a brutal death.
- Smoking while riding a motorcycle. This one isn't all that bad, but it just doesn't make sense. The guy was riding with one hand, holding his cigarette with the other. I was under the impression you needed two hands to ride a motorcycle, and I would imagine the cigarette wouldn't last too long in 40 mph winds.
#technology
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Cell phone interruptions
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May 16, 2007
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Just the other day, I was trying to think of occasions when it's acceptable to interrupt something to answer a cell phone, and I couldn't come up with any. Everything that was a possibility always ended with "...but it could wait till later." What if your sister was calling to say she had the baby? She could leave a message, and I could listen to it later. What if one of your relatives died? I could find out about it later. What if you were expecting a phone call from a certain person that couldn't call at any other time? I guess it just wasn't meant to be, and I'll hear about it later.
I'll admit that this is at least partially as a result of how I was raised. No phone calls were answered during dinner. Ever. I was angry about that sometimes, but now I've adopted that practice for my "family" (a.k.a. Wendy and me). Dinner is a special time that's spent with family, without distractions. No phone call can possibly ever be important enough to interrupt that. Another rule in my house while growing up was an unwritten rule about calls after 9pm. You could make and receive calls, but there was always bad karma associated with it. Wendy and I don't follow that rule quite as well, but it's mostly because her family doesn't do well with rules. Either way, the phone in my parents' house was treated like what it is: An object used to make communication convenient, not a life-controlling device that must be bowed down to with immediacy.
It amazes me what people will interrupt to answer their cell phone. Conversations. Bible studies. Classes. Vacations. Hikes. My rationale in all these cases is, "What would you have done 5-10 years ago, before you had a cell phone?" The answer is, obviously, nothing. You would've gotten the message later. Life would have continued.
In the same way, life will continue if you don't answer your phone. That's precisely why voice mail was invented. #technology
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Wide turn (2)
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May 16, 2007
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I really hate when people get in the shoulder to make a right turn, but then partially swerve to their left to make a wide right turn. Unless you're a big truck or have a trailer, you're not gaining anything by making a wide turn. And you're making people like me angry. #travel
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World fatness (7)
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May 15, 2007
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This little pictograph shows the top 27 fattest countries in the world, based on the percentage of each country's population above the age of 15 with a body mass index greater than 30. The information used to develop the chart was obtained from this Wikipedia image. Some interesting notes: - The U.S. is in first place. USA! USA!
- Hungary is in the top 10. Heh.
- Japan and Korea, despite being major world powers and population centers, are quite low.
- China is conspicuously missing from the chart, which either means there was no data from China or Chinese people are in fact all skinny.
(via Neatorama) #health
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Chinese fire drill
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May 14, 2007
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In a nationwide effort to prepare China for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing officials have designated the 11th of every month as "voluntarily wait in line" day, hoping to crack down on pushing and shoving in favor of orderly queues. I guess the idea of a Chinese fire drill isn't made up after all. (via News of the Weird) #sociology
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Sweet 'n Salty (2)
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May 14, 2007
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I was walking down the snack aisle at the food store when something caught my attention: Chex Mix Sweet 'n Salty*. I like sweet. I like salty. Why not combine them? I've found that I can eat a majority of the bag in one sitting, and the product's low fat and cholesterol content mean I won't die in the next few months. I'm hooked.
*This is an Amazon link because Chex Mix doesn't even mention the product on their website. Dumb. #food
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Clothesline
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May 14, 2007
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I personally think the clothesline is an antiquated piece of equipment in this country, and, for that reason and many others, it should no longer be used.
First off, I don't want to see your underwear. I don't mind seeing your shirts or pants, but I feel that underwear are a private thing. Same with undershirts. Especially the ones with armpit stains.
Perhaps it's a problem of geography. At least in New Jersey, people don't really have backyards anymore. So even though you think you're being discreet by installing a big wooden fence, I can still see your underwear hanging on your clothesline right next to the Home Depot shopping plaza.
I understand the energy savings. By using a free, renewable energy source like the sun, you're saving millions of starving children in Africa. Wait, that's how it works, right? Either way, it's always good to use less energy. But I still don't like seeing your underwear.
I also understand that letting clothes air dry makes them smell nice and fresh. Nice and fresh like the Home Depot shopping plaza.
I really don't have a problem with people who hang their clothes on clotheslines. It's really just the underwear. Please, people of this planet, air dry your underwear in a more private setting. Thank you. #psychology
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God is unfair
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May 11, 2007
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I heard in a Bible study a few weeks ago that God is radically unfair. This sounded different from normal, and here's the explanation. - Let's assume God said something like this: "If you do X, your punishment will be Y."
- You do X.
- You don't get punished with Y.
- Conclusion: God is unfair.
If X = sin and Y = separation from God, God is unfair if he doesn't follow through with the original promise. In that case, I'm glad he's unfair. #religion
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