Hmmm....

People who think a great deal have always been shunned by the society at large.  Today I am very busy, and very shunned...

Still, all that aside, I am very happy for Sarah, who is finding out that doing your job well is usually rewarded by being given a bigger job to do.  I also should give a shoutout to DCS... love you kids.  Um, other than that I am mainly just posting to keep my accout from going under... doubt anyone still reads this.  I thought I might put "Hot, nude, super models, naked," in my tag line just to encourage some random traffic, but I always hate it when people do that to me, so I decided against it.

How about that democratic party, huh?  Starting to look real interesting.  Of course, the GOP is starting to look interesting as well.  Personally?  I think the Democratic convention will see a suprise nomination: Al Gore.  Will he run?  Well, given the only thing bigger than the Internet (which Al Gore discovered) and Global Defrosting (Which Al Gore invented) is the man ego, I think it safe to assume he'll run and win by a massive landslide.  He's got a Nobel Prize, a Grammy or something, experience as both a senator and the VP, is more popular than the Beatles (and ergo god), and a politically correct issue to crusade on.  Can you think of a single thing to stop that?

Personally, I would love to see Obama take the Dems, one of the more moderate pack members win the GOP, Gore to announce his late entrance on a third party and (even though I know he said he wouldn't) Ron Paul also jumping in third party.  This is a year where a vote third party actually isn't a waste.  People are discontented with the status quo, and the distinctions between the two party have become too blurred.  People want a big difference, and I think many will be voting outside their normal party choices, if the choices are viable.  Both Paul and Gore could garner that kind of respect, money, and power.  I think both might actually be stringer candidates WITHOUT party affiliation.  It would be CRAZY GO NUTS, my friends... CRAZY GO NUTS!

Well, only time will tell (unless you are an oracle)... so until next time! 

Review of number three

Being the third best of something is frustrating when looking at the two in front, but you should be able to look back and see the thousands behind you and smile.  Fullmetal Alchemist loses out to the two heaviest hitters in my book, Trigun and Cowboy BeBop.  However it stands before such titles as Kino's Journey, Chrono Crusade, and Fruit Basket.  It also happens to be what I have been watching recently, which has led me to post some thoughts.

Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) has many of the qualities of eastern story telling.  Though not as twisted as Kino's Journey, it does not proceed in a liner fashion.  The show opens with two episodes that occurs after the events of the next several.  After that it begins to move in a more western fashion, with several exceptions on the way.  This leap backwards causes FMA to follow an interesting story telling method of introducing nearly all (with only two major exceptions) of the major players right in the first three episodes.  By the end of episode four we know who every one is, what they want, and how they plan to get it.  After that we sit and watch as the varied goals collide ("Homunculi and human, we're all the same... we have our goals and to hell with anyone that gets in the way!" -Greed, episode The Case for Avarice).

Edward displays his "Punishment for setting foot on God's domain,"

episode Body of the Scansion

There are countless philosophical outlooks in FMA.  Modernism, Religious Fundalmentilism, Hedonism, Pragmatism, cynics, idealists, the nature of humanity, the value of a life, those who say there is no soul, those who will do anything to get one... and of course a dose of anime's traditional transcendentalism.  This explosive combination of intellectual elements would make even Kim Lee excited ("Ahhh... that was the sound of a building be destroyed by an explosive device... such a soothing sound..." -Crimson Alchemist Kim Lee, episode Truth behind Truth).  However, all this philosophical stuffing is not just haphazardly pressed into the plot.  The nature and belief of the players in FMA's story are shown as they interact with the events of the plot in a way that makes the Matrix proud.  About the only place I have seen clearer descriptions of various philosophies is the movie Waking Life, which is more a treaties than a true film.

The story itself would draw someone in.  Edward and Alfonse Elric are fledgeling, yet gifted, alchemists that try to recreate their dead mother through the matter transforming sicence of Alchemy.  FMA follows traditional medieval definitons of Alchemy, along with principles of modern chemistry to describe the art.  Matter can be rearranged, but something cannot be made from nothing.  Edward and Al provide all the base elements of a human body (salt, iron, water, ect), but have nothing for a soul.  Edward is adamant that since a soul cannot be seen, measured, felt, quantified, it must not exist.  He soon learns his error as the equation tries to balance itself and destroys his leg and Al's body.  Edward (now realizing the need for a soul) sacrifices his arm to bond Al's spirit to a suit of armor nearby.  From there Ed and Al embark on a journey to get their bodies back to normal, a quest that will involve them with the military, religious zealots, and the mysterious soleless bodies of the Humunuli.

 If you have never seen anime, this is a great show to break in on.  While deep, and containing some darker teams, it carries a lighter feel.  Originally based on a comic line, FMA is slightly less realistic in animation style than shows like Cowboy BeBop, Kino's Journey, or Speed Grapher, more along the lines of Trigun or Fruit Basket.  As a show that appeared on Cartoon Network, the content is fairly mild as well.

If you have been a fan a anime, I find it hard to believe you have never seen the show.  If you haven't, just know that FMA is number three on my all-time list... watch it and love.

Finally I give Fullmetal Alchemist ten fake arms out of ten.  Oh, and throw in a flame glove and a 18 inch homunculi too...

A question

My dad posed this quandery... someone want to step up to the line and make a stand?

Dare to compair?

Name      W     L   ERA   G    GS  CG   SO  sv   INN        H       R      ER     HR   HBP    W       K
Clemens 354 184  3.12  709 707 118  46   0  4916.2   4185   1885  1707   363  159   1580  4672
Maddux  347 214  3.11  711 707 109  35   0  4814.1   4522   1876  1665   332  131    969   3273

Any takers? Or is anyone out there just going to claim they are equal?

cool pic

every one out there should read the runaways...

they are cool...

Currently Reading Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy By Miyamoto Musashi see related

Of Flamethrowers, BR's, Rings, and Radiation (subtitled Why I want to Play Halflife)

So, I have played through Halo 3 on Heroic, and am giving a halfhearted Legendary effort (this game seemed phenomally un-hard... I do not consider myself a GREAT Halo player, yet found it suprisingly unchalenging.  Ross agrees with me, so I feel there is some credence there).

So, Czar Peter the Great, master of gaming disaster, thoughts on Halo 3?

Key Word: Suprised.

First, the storyline.  I was suprised that Halo (a game whose only redeeming qualities lie in mulitplayer as far as I am concerned) would have a reasonably developed co-op function.  Co-op is fairly entertaining, and having the extra players melded into the storyline made it more enjoyable than just having to swallow "wow, nobody seems suprised that there are suddenly TWO Master Chiefs running around."  That said however, I am not the only one (including some Halo fans) that has been disappointed with the rather shoddy ending storyline.  Not to say it was bad, just that I feel more could have been done.  To save pissing off people who haven't yet finished the game, I will hold back on more spesisifc comments about the end story.  Thank me later...

The second suprise was not nearly so nice as the first.  Let's be honest people (yes, even you Sam) the graphic in Halo three are crap.  Oh, don't get me wrong, they are a step up from shooters we have seen on the xbox or PS2, but we are talking NEXT GEN X360 here folks... play BioShock... play the Crysis MP beta... you could even play frickin' GEARS OF WAR... The good folks at Bungie pulled a big fat LAZY here dear reader... Look, Bungie DELAYED the release of Halo more than once, you telling me that in all that time no one even once looked at the faces of the people and thought "you know, these look like total crap."  No one looked at the trees and thought, "Wow, these look just like green polygons draped lifelessly over crudely drawn sticks."  You cannot tell me that Bungie lacked the time, money or manpower either.  I have a feeling all three of those things would have been in great supply.  Games are being produced now, and before Halo 3 that show us what the X360 is capable of (which is a lot), but the flagship title seems to lack any of that luster.  It just comes off as lazy.  The developers of Twilight Princess, Resident Evil Unbrella Chronicles, and Metroid Prime Corruption don't have nearly the graphic oomph to work with, but those title (particularly the last two) are pretty, polished, and clean.  Three words which in no way describe Halo 3.

Finally, something I was not suprised about.  Halo 3 multiplayer introduced new maps, new weapons, and only the barest amount of new features.  A quickly constructed parody (to Henry the VIII)...

Same song, third verse, don't have to worry, it's same as the first,

Oh, I picked up a shotgun I did,

Killed the man with the sword I did,

Oh a sniper's gone and blown off my head,

five more seconds and I'm not dead,

And every time I spawn I get a rifle,

Never had a SMG or a Gat (No GAT!)

Oh, a rifle for me, a Battle Rifle,

Give me a Rifle AR!

(Applause)

Silly, I know, but I think it says what I need to say.  All in all I agree with Tim from ctrlaltdel when he said he was glad that Halo three was out so that we could finally be awaiting the release of a good game, namely the Orange Box (Halflife rocks man, and the new Team Fortress beta rocks the house even HARDER!)