In Praise of Folly

Disney Buys Marvel

2009-08-31T15:27:00.003-04:00

I'm a giant Marvel Comics fan. I've been reading 5+ Marvel series since the beginning of the Civil War, and I'm always willing to pick up and read any comic published under the Marvel moniker, knowing that I will almost always enjoy the contents. This predilection for quality is the main source of the success of the Marvel franchise. That's why this news story has me fearful.

On August 28, Disney announced that they were acquiring Marvel Comics for $4 billion. Both companies stand to profit from the merger - Marvel gains the advertising weight of Disney, Disney gains access to the thousands of characters in the Marvel universe. But Disney scares me. They've run the entire gamut on quality, from straight to DVD movies destroying amazing franchises (Hunchback 2, Little Mermaid 2, etc.), to their entire array of classics that shaped many of my generations childhoods. I don't want the Marvel identity to be absorbed into the Disney money machine.

There is some silver lining, however. It seems, at least for the short term, that while Marvel will be part of the growing Disney media conglomerate, they will retain as certain degree of autonomy as Marvel's CEO, Ike Perlmutter, is currently slated to stay on to continue overseeing the Marvel franchises. As long as Marvel can remain largely separate from the Disney behemoth, and avoid being monetized to death, we can depend on them to continue producing the high quality product we've come to expect.

Read more on Ars Technica.

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

Never Forget

2009-03-16T02:27:00.002-04:00

Thinking. Thinking is dangerous.

I used to run away from it, I won't lie. Used to avoid thinking about things. And by thinking I really mean ... 'remembering.' For a long while there, if I had any down time, I would fill it with this, that, or the other, never giving myself so much as a minute of free time. I was afraid of what remembering would bring on, what feelings I would have to deal with. Sometimes though, maybe after a thought provoking or sad movie, maybe after a song comes on the radio, I'd remember some detail of her life. Some little half glimmer of a memory of a life gone way too soon. Then I'd dwell in that moment, remembering little details, remembering smiles, laughter, jokes. Invariably I wipe away a tear as the moment passes.

I don't run from those moments anymore. I embrace them, enjoying the chance to remember the times we had. Never forget. Each person lives on in every persons life they touched, no matter how small the gesture or action. Never forget.

"There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
I hope that she, turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me"
-Someone To Watch Over Me

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

The Art of Listening

2008-09-28T14:04:00.001-04:00

Found this great website with a lot of really inspirational blog posts on it. One that jumped out at me (especially in light of my previous post): http://www.zenmoments.org/art-of-listening/

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

On Friends

2008-09-13T15:26:00.006-04:00

"If I know what love is, it is because of you." -Herman Hesse

There's a point, I suppose, in any person's life when they look back and realize just how influential other people have been in their life. You may recall that aggravating adage from our parents age - "You are the company you keep." As much as we hate to admit it, in many areas our parents did know better than us, and from what I can tell, this was one such area. (I can only hope my father doesn't read this, else he'll start feeling smug.)

Think back on your life. You no doubt acknowledge, at some subconscious level, that others have shaped you to be the way you are, but you probably underestimate the influence. At least that was the case with me. I think back now at how I progressed through middle school, high school, and much of college. When it came to friends and acquaintances, I really only skimmed the surface; I never got very involved with any one group of people. I never opened up to people, despite the fact people often opened up to me. I feel kind of hypocritical now, but that was how I had learned to protect myself.

Things have changed - I've opened up for the first time in my life. And I've looked around to find that I've been surrounded by such amazing people. Where I used to spend all my time with a single person (read: the girlfriend of the day/week/month), I've spent the last couple of months spending time with a wide range of people. Getting to know each person, and letting them get to know me, I found myself genuinely happy. Being able to open up was a huge step for me, but I owe a lot to the friends that spent time with me, asking after my well being, keeping me in high spirits. Their efforts not only helped me out of the funk that was my summer, but have also made me analyze how I structured my social life.

That being said, I acknowledge that I haven't always been the best friend in the world. Don't let me go back to that. If I'm not being a good enough friend, call me on it. Make demands on my time. The only reason I will reject is prior commitments or obscene amounts of homework. And if you want to know, ask me questions about what's going on, how I'm doing - I'll be more than happy to answer. Expect deep questions in return, though:

Friendship is a two-way thing.

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

The LHC and The End Of The World

2008-09-12T00:40:00.003-04:00

Interesting thought: If the world did in fact end tomorrow as a product of the LHC being online, would you be happy with your life up to this point? Would you regret anything?

I guess I'm just in the right place right now to be having these deeper thoughts, or maybe it's the hour. Either way, it's a profoundly interesting thought experiment.

What if the world ended tomorrow? Obviously, I'm not advocating 'Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you might die', but merely living each day to its fullest. Enjoy each and every day. Make decisions that you won't regret if you can't take them back. Sing loudly. And always remember to love.

I personally try to live each day so that, at the end of it all, I can say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day." 2 Timothy 7-8

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

Final E3?

2008-07-21T15:24:00.004-04:00

Formerly the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the E3 Media and Business Summit went down over the weekend. Sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the three day event was, in the past, the premiere computer and video game conference. Last year, however, the conference was drastically scaled back, going to an invitation only structure. This year was no different, with more companies deciding that they were not willing to spend the money to have a booth at the conference.

Rumors on the street (and by the street, I mean the interwebs) has it that this years E3 is likely to be the final E3. There is evidence everywhere to this effect: the lackluster announcements from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft (the "Big 3"), the lack of any major game announcements (save FFXII on the XBox 360). More importantly, what worked for the E3 of yesteryear - massive crowds, lavish booths, gaming kiosks - have been absorbed into other conventions that sprang up the fill the void left by E3. The Entertainment for All (E for All) and Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) are the two biggest, to my knowledge, and they have both pulled and pooled a large following, including much support from large, 3rd party developers. The only thing holding these back from becoming E3 is the major announcements done by the "Big 3". If they come to support either E for All or PAX, the ESA will have shot themselves in the foot. Or perhaps that was the intention, to pass the job of organizing a major video game conference off to another group.

~Andrew "Ciono" Leonard

Ciono is twittering: Blog time

2008-04-22T10:35:00.002-04:00

As many of you might have noticed from my facebook status, I twitter quite a bit. Those that aren't familiar with twitter (www.twitter.com), it functions on the idea of mini-blogging - what you're doing/thinking from moment to moment. It's good for keeping people posted with what you're doing (useful in a business setting - "out at lunch, back by 1:00"), or for linking interesting sites and blogs and what not. I 'follow' a number of people, from a tech news blogger, to webcomic artists. It's quite interesting, especially considering each persons twitter feed can be tracked by rss (hello Google Reader).

Anyway, enough product placement. I'm writing this blog to find out if anyone I know is using twitter. If you are, feel free to 'follow' me, and I'll return the favor. Twitter seems to be more fun when people are actually looking at your updates. :-)

Ciono is twittering: Over and out.

Snipe-Hunt - Quote of the Day 02/21/08

2008-02-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

Something to think about:

"Many Christians have behaved as though the devil were a First Principle, on the same footing as God. They have paid more attention to evil and the problem of its eradications than to good and the methods by which individual goodness may be deepened, and the sum of goodness increased. The effects which follow too constant and intense a concentration upon evil are always disastrous. Those who crusade, not for God in themselves, but against the devil in others, never succeed in making the world better, but leave it either as it was, or sometimes even perceptibly worse than it was, before the crusade began. By thinking primarily of evil we tend, however excellent our intentions, to create occasions for evil to manifest itself."

- from "The Devils of Loudun," by Aldous Huxley

Updates and "Musings"

2008-02-12T12:48:00.000-05:00

Computer get. It only took about a month. But hey, they gave it to me for free, since it took that long, so I can only argue so much. Still, I missed this computer.

In other news, the RIAA has been up to interesting things lately. First thing was their push for a lower percentage of profits to go to artists. That's right, the lobby group for artists is pushing for less money for the artists... Secondly:

The most amusing response I've seen to date:

Computer Woes

2007-12-11T16:42:00.001-05:00

Take a look at this and tell me what you see:

Don't see it? Here's a hint:

That's right, one of my internal fans is apparently no longer functioning... This might explain the overheating problem that I've had recently. It, however, does not explain why my speakers decided to stop functioning the other day for no reason whatsoever. That, or why my built-in iSight stopped working months ago. On top of all that, my battery seems to be getting to the end of its life, as it is want, from time to time, to jump from 30% to 0% without warning. Here's to hoping that Santa's bringing me a new computer this Christmas, cause I'd love to pawn this thing off (after repairing it of course) on my little sister. Maybe I should write Santa another letter, make sure he has the right specs... *wanders off*

The Creative Process

2007-10-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

As some of you may know, I'm in Music Theory this semester, and our professor has asked us to write a small melody almost every week, based on a theme she selects. 'Happy,' 'Sad,' compound meter, 'dance feel,' have all been the bases for melodies I've written this year. The problem I've found with the system, however, is that as a mediocre pianist, I'm severely limited in what I can write because the professor puts heavy emphasis on live performances of the melodies we write. Many of you will point out that as a singer, I should just write something I can sing, since I'm a much better singer than piano player. As a Vocal Music Minor, sure, you'd expect me to do that, but I can't seem to muster the desire to. This is based on two things that would go into the creative process. For one, if I were to write for a voice, lyrics would be incredibly important. When it comes to words, however, I tend to pour my soul into writing them. On top of that, (and I can merely talk from my own experience here) I find singing to be an amazingly intimate thing, especially before a small group. I'd much rather hide behind a musical instrument like the piano than expose myself and my voice in front of such a small group of people.

I've never really written music before in my life, but I find when I write something for someone, or pour a particular amount of feeling into a song, I never want it to see the light of day for fear of people seeing exactly what I put there. I guess it's mostly insecurity on my part, but it just seems scary to put a piece of your soul out for public scrutiny. It's strange, I suppose, to be approaching this feeling so late in life. I know people that have been writing songs and poetry and stories and making all sorts of art from little pieces of their soul for years. I suppose it's something you get used to, in some ways, or you learn to limit how much you pour in, though the latter seems counterintuitive to the idea of creating art. Perhaps, if I feel I've written something someone else needs to see, then I'll know it's worth showing. Until then, I'll keep my first forays into writing music to myself.

Sleep and Music

2007-08-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was a small child, I've fallen asleep to music playing in the background. This has become such a habit that nowadays I have a hard time falling asleep without music on in the background. This scares me just a tad, and yet explains a lot, when I read this article.

However, I have to point out that despite the fact I've been listening to music to go to sleep, I'm not entirely sure that that was my whole problem. Some of you may know that I recently had a tonsillectomy, adenoid-ectomy, turbinate reduction, and fixed deviated septum. This was all done in an attempt to help clear my breathing passages while I sleep. (I used to snore as loud as a chainsaw, that is when I wasn't whistling melodies in my sleep, true story.) My sleep has improved tenfold since the surgery.

I guess where I'm trying to go with this is that I seemed to have acclimated to having electronics and music playing/running while I sleep. I wonder if my sleep still suffers though. Interesting thought.

Fast Food and the Religious Quandry

2007-08-13T13:23:00.000-04:00

So, my brother and I went by a local sub place, Gandolfo's for those that are curious, and purchased two sandwiches to take home and eat. I order the Godfather (essentially chicken parmesan on a sub) while my brother order the Urban Cowboy (I asked him what was on it, but I'm still not sure). When we got home, I pulled the sandwiches out and set them on the table. This was the sight that greeted me when I looked down:

I take this as irrefutable evidence that there is a God, and he enjoys making people's brains explode.

And all that jazz...

2007-07-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

For all those that don't know, I'm a real music fiend. I love listening to it and collecting it. All sorts of genre, from jazz to classic rock, to classical, to bluegrass. Recently I came across a group on iTunes because of the new 'Next Big Thing' gimmick on the iTunes Music Store. Rodrigo y Gabriela: they're a pair of latin guitarists that play flamenco music that borders on jazz. It's a whole lot of fun to listen to, and the entire album only cost me $7. Look it up and give it a listen.

But I cannot rest, for there is more music out there to be discovered. Anyone have any suggestions? I love to discover little known groups, or new cuts from groups I already love. If you have a group you love, tell me about it, and I'll check them out.

Further RIAA Shenanigans

2007-04-29T15:44:00.000-04:00

So, the RIAA is up to its usual god complex. Here's the latest: Is the RIAA Pulling a Scam on the Music Industry?

What it means in a nutshell:

If I recorded a song in my garage, then used it on my own personal radio station (assuming I could do either), the RIAA has the right to then collect royalties from me, for playing my own song. Then to get those royalties back, I'd have to pay them a subscription fee...

And I keep waiting for this to make sense. You know it'll be challenged in court, but considering some past cases, it could be years before an actual verdict is handed down. :Sigh: So much for fair use...

Video Game Canon Created

2007-03-12T22:17:00.000-04:00

No, not a cannon (one 'n' not two). Canon - noun a standard; criterion. Also - any comprehensive list of books within a field. Here, video game, but to the same effect. Like the National Film Registry, starting this year, a list of the best games, a veritable canon of genre, will be formed on a yearly basis. This constitutes huge step for video games because it establishes them as being less a juvenile past time and more a cultural force. Read the article here. One day, I hope to have worked on a game that makes this list. That would be high praise indeed.

News (March 8th)

2007-03-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

I fully admit that I'm adapting this idea from my girl friend, who posts a long list of links to the days news everyday on Facebook. I figure, I can do that too, at least as it strikes me to do so. Anyway, I saw two stories of interest on /. (Slashdot.com for the un-indoctrinated).

This I've been waiting for for years, and I knew it was close down the road : Your brain as your video game controller.

And this story is about the sad passing of a hero... literally, check it out : The end of an era.

I Love Jazz

2007-02-26T12:14:00.000-05:00

I love listening to Jazz. When I'm at home, I have a Jazz Station playing on my computer 24/7 while I'm doing my homework, and even while I'm playing WoW. I've found, however, that large swathes of the American public don't fully appreciate Jazz. I read the following essay (thank you Diane) about Why Americans Don't Like Jazz. It's quite interesting because I see a lot of myself in the writer: I really did sit in front of the stereo and just listen to music as a kid, and I really do listen to the music more than the words (My Funny Valentine is a great example). Anyway, give the essay a read, it's a very interesting opinion of the tendency of the American public.

Team 2 - Martin IT Guy

2007-02-23T18:47:00.001-05:00

Hey look, it's me in a movie. Check this out, very amusing.

PS3 Blunder

2007-02-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

Check out this news story in which Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) made the mistake of offering a $1200 bounty on a photograph of an unsold PS3 on a store shelf. The reactions were swift, and fairly amusing. Back home, at the local Best Buy, I saw a pile of PS3 boxes the same height as me sitting in the middle of the store. That's probably close to 12 boxes ( I didn't stop to count at the time). What's that come out to be? Well, 12, carry the one, and, um ... $14,400. How cool would that be if he went through with this. Not likely though. EGM, the magazine in which the article appeared, was quick to note that the interview was conducted in early January, when the scalpers were still buying them like hotcakes and marking them up $400 on eBay. I won't be keeping an eye out for my check.

New Years Resolutions

2007-01-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

I lol'ed. This guy (Applegeeks to be exact) thinks just like me about Windows and PCs.

Oh yeah, and Happy New Year all. Any interesting Resolutions? I plan on running more and thereby losing some weight. We'll see if it happens, what with the overbearing school schedule that is Georgia Tech. Anyway, here's to a great new year to all, and a great remaining break before school starts back up for Spring semester.

Dog tired

2006-12-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

Classes are winding down, but that only means that the course load is winding up. Here at Tech, the week prior to finals is called "Dead Week." Contrary to popular belief, this isn't the week that students are most likely to kill themselves, quite the opposite. There's an unspoken tradition that during "Dead Week" no homework is supposed to be given, as well as no tests, and the lectures should be devoted to studying for the imminent exams looming over us. This is not the case this year. For some reason, every class I'm in has homework to complete this week. Online French work, Math work and a test re-write, Programming work, and online Physics work. On top of that, I have to complete a Math program dealing with QR decomposition by next Friday (Wikipedia it, if you'd like, but it isn't worth your time). All this work, as well as studying for the hardest set of exams I've ever had to take. Needless to say, I'm bogged, swamped, and otherwise starved for free time. Just two more weeks, I keep telling myself. I'm really looking forward to the free time of the holidays, without anything looming over me. It'll be amazing. But until then, I'll just need to keep chugging. Hasta luego. (What I wouldn't give for an hour of video games).

Georgia Tech Fall Choral Concert

2006-11-30T10:58:00.001-05:00

This is too cool. You can watch the whole clip, or wait for it to load, and skip to 5:00. I've got a solo.

I've grown accustomed to her face.

2006-11-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

I don't like airing my dirty laundry, so I won't, but I'm having a hard time lately. Just wanted to quote a song from My Fair Lady that I thought was particularly pertinent to a certain person.

I've grown accustomed to her face.
She almost makes the day begin.
I've grown accustomed to the tune that
She whistles night and noon.
Her smiles, her frowns,
Her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now;
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I was serenely independent and content before we met;
Surely I could always be that way again-
And yet
I've grown accustomed to her look;
Accustomed to her voice;
Accustomed to her face.

...

But I'm so used to hear her say
"Good morning" ev'ry day.
Her joys, her woes,
Her highs, her lows,
Are second nature to me now;
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I'm very grateful she's a woman
And so easy to forget;
Rather like a habit
One can always break-
And yet,
I've grown accustomed to the trace
Of something in the air;
Accustomed to her face.

Uh-oh (more news on RIAA shenanigans)

2006-11-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

Well the RIAA is at it again. They've decided to redefine the long standing definition of fair-use. And you know that it won't be exactly expansive. From the article:

It's downright odd to see the RIAA's president positioning his organization as the champions of fair use. After all, this is the same group that nine months ago filed a brief with the US Copyright Office saying that making backups of one's own lawfully purchased CDs might not fall under the category of fair use. Neither is ripping them for use on a PC or iPod.

My feeling on the matter is that the courts need, desperately to shoot some piece of RIAA legislation down, in a very public manner, to make sure that the RIAA understands that they aren't the end all be all of Copyright Law. They've become to fat on out-of-court bullying and questionable business practices (here, more bullying). If someone doesn't find a way to weaken them soon, though, we'll find ourselves in one of those Sci-Fi futures where people can talk without permission, and can be fined for humming a tune in public (wouldn't want an multi-billion dollar artist to miss his/her 15 seconds of fame...wait). Anyway, I'm just bitter, I'm sure. But their playground bully tactics should strike a chord with everyone when considering whether they act for the consumer of the overpaid super minority. You decide.

Paradoxes

2006-10-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

This is gonna be a long post, so don't start reading until you have a small chunk of time to waste. What I'm posting is a copy of a paper I wrote a little over a year ago for a Freshman English class here in college. Wasn't a hard assignment, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and thought other people might get a kick out of it as well. Enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------

The Paradox of Temporal Paradoxes

Dictionary.com defines a paradox thus: “A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.” It comes from the Greek word “paradoxos”, meaning conflicting with expectation. Temporal paradoxes, therefore, are instances where the outcomes of specific actions conflict with expectations. However, it is the opinion of this writer that when the ability to travel through time is finally discovered, no paradoxes will occur because whenever people try to change anything in the timeline, they will find that their change only fulfills it.

Temporal paradoxes can be divided into two overarching categories – the grandfather paradox, and the predestination paradox. The grandfather paradox is not so much a single paradox, but the many possible outcomes of a specific action, namely, going back in time and killing one’s grandfather before he meets dear old grandma. The outcome depends entirely on the type of resolution. The parallel universes resolution claims that whenever a person goes back in time and changes something, a parallel universe is born, thus not affecting the timeline from which the time hopper came. Many Science Fiction writers like this particular resolution. In the novel The Man Who Folded Himself, by David Gerrold, Daniel Eakins creates so many alternate timelines that he begins to run into alternate versions of himself who are following his footsteps and time traveling as well. Using a device called the timebelt, he hops around his timeline changing events to see the outcomes (Gerrold). The relative timeline resolution states that the universe has no absolute timeline. Instead, it relies on the assumption that humans can create their own timeline because each individual particle of which they are made has its own timeline, Therefore, killing grandpa is not only possible, but will not end in the traveler disappearing. Rather, since each particle has its own timeline, the traveler will continue existing, making any changes they would like. The complication with this resolution is that once the grandfather dies, the particles that make up the time vagrant suddenly lack a history. This is not so much the problem as the fact that without a history, energy (in the form of particles) will seem to have appeared out of thin air. The first solution to this problem states that the universe has infinite energy, while solution two postulates that by traveling back in time, the traveler removes energy from the future, and takes it with him into the past. The restricted action resolution (probably the most well known) states that while time traveling, you cannot do anything that will stop you from making the trip back in time. Therefore, if the traveler wants to kill grandpa, the “shot fired at the traveler’s grandfather will miss, or the gun will jam, or misfire,” or any number of things will happen, but somehow grandpa survives (Grandfather 1). The major implication of this is that there is no such thing as free will. The destruction resolution is the simplest of the lot. It simply states that by changing your past (shooting grandpa), you will cause the destruction of everything that you ever affected. Think of It’s a Wonderful Life, only with possibly wider ramifications. In Back to the Future II, Marty claims that if a paradox is created, it could unravel “the very fabric of the space-time continuum.” It is this kind of widespread destruction that coincides with the aptly named destruction resolution.

Predestination paradoxes, sometimes called a causal loop, relies on the assumption that by traveling back in time, time is not changed, but the traveler merely fulfills their part in an action that has already occurred. One such example is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. When traveling back in time using the Time-Turner, Harry saves his and Sirius’s life by casting the Patronus spell. By coming back in time, he did not alter the timeline; he fulfilled his job in ensuring that the events occurred. The paradox is that, by surviving because of his own Patronus spell, he was then predestined to return to that time to save himself. Mind-boggling examples like this one abound in reference to Predestination paradoxes. Another such example comes from the article “Predestination Paradox” on Wikipedia.com:

A person travels back in time to discover the cause of a famous fire. While in the building where the fire started, he or she accidentally knocks over a kerosene lantern and causes a fire, the same fire that would inspire him or her, years later, to travel back in time.

Another form of the Predestination Paradox is called the Ontological Paradox. This paradox centers on some piece of info or else something material having no origin. Complicated? Yes. Another example from the “Predestination Paradox” article makes this explanation:

On his 30th birthday, a man who wishes to build a time machine is visited by a future version of himself. This future self explains to him that he should not worry about designing the time machine, as he has done it in the future. The man receives the schematics from his future self and starts building the time machine. Time passes until he finally completes the time machine. He then uses it to travel back in time to his 30th birthday, where he gives the schematics to his past self, closing the loop.

The paradox is: where does the schematic that is handed down originally come from? There is no explanation for this paradox. The plans exist merely because a Predestination paradox forces them to be passed down from future to past. This is extremely convoluted to say the least.

The overlap between the restricted action solution of the Grandfather paradox and the Predestination paradox is paramount. In a way, the coincidence of two separate theories gives strength to the subject of the overlap. An example comes from The Time Machine movie. The Time Traveler, having seen his fiancé murdered, builds a time machine and attempts – unsuccessfully – to save his fiancé’s life. But every time he saves her something else happens, and he is forced to witness her death yet again. According to the restricted action solution of the Grandfather paradox, he cannot change the timeline in such a way that will stop him from making his trip back in time. Therefore, he cannot save her life because without her death, there was no reason for him to build the time machine and travel back in time. If thought is applied, this particular theory about paradoxes perhaps makes the most sense. How can a time traveler go back in time and do something that would then stop the temporal trip from occurring. It also makes sense, no matter how mind boggling, that any changes made on a trip back in time would merely be fulfilling an action that has already occurred. This simpler explanation (even if still not so simple) is why this particular theory is easiest to internalize.

On the whole, paradoxes are extremely stimulating intellectually. Interestingly enough, many philosophers believe that because of the possibility of paradoxes being formed by time travel, time travel is therefore impossible (Pickover 35). (Sounds suspiciously like circular reasoning.) However, there are other explanations that allow for time travel, but discount the existence of paradoxes. According to “The Novikov self-consistency principle and recent calculations by Kip S. Thorne … there are no initial conditions that lead to paradox once time travel is introduced” (Grandfather 1). This particular theory can be slightly modified to encompass the relative timeline resolution mentioned earlier. Along the same lines, Greenberger and Svozil, using pages of very complex and complicated mathematical equations and theorems, believe that, “No matter how unlikely the events are that could have led to your present circumstances, once they have actually occurred, they cannot be changed” (Greenberger 10). In effect, the time traveler is merely an observer and cannot change anything because of the changes potential effect on his temporal travel.

Despite this seemingly scientific evidence, time travel is still a theory, an ephemeral dream of science-fiction writers around the world. Any speculation on potential outcomes is just that – speculation. We will never truly be able to determine the existence or nonexistence of paradoxes until the ability to traverse time is discovered. Until we can know for sure, the Predestination Paradox and the restricted action resolution seem to make the most sense of all the theories, and the intellectual fun remains in the imagination.

Works Cited

Gerrold, David. The Man Who Folded Himself. Dallas: Benbella Books, 2003. Gerrold Dot Com. Benbella Books. Retrieved 29 Sept. 2005. [http://www.gerrold.com/fiction-folded/page.htm]

“Grandfather Paradox.” Wikipedia.com. Updated 28 Sept. 2005. Retrieved 28 Sept. 2005. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandfather_paradox]

Greenberger, Daniel M and Karl Svozil. “Quantum Theory Looks at Time Travel.” Quo Vadis Quantum Mechanics?. Ed. A. Elitzur, S. Dolev and N. Kolenda. Berlin: Springer Verlag, 2005. Retrieved 28 Sept. 2005. [http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0506027]

Pickover, Clifford A. Time: A Traveler’s Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

“Predestination Paradox.” Wikipedia.com. Updated 26 Sept. 2005. Retrieved 28 Sept. 2005. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predestination_paradox]

Speaking of bullies...

2006-10-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

Ah the RIAA. They've been in the news a lot as of late. Their use of scare tactics and bullying have graced the pages of Slashdot and Ars Technica. Most recently, they've found themselves at the mercy of a defendant that won't go away. This defendant had the audacity to request legal fees when his case was dropped because of lack of evidence. How dare he? I guess he isn't aware that the RIAA even sues dead people. But we all know that the RIAA is willing to settle outside of court, even if you're not guilty, cause the last thing they need for publicity is a counter suit accusing them of racketeering and all sorts of other charges in relation to their back door, almost Mob-esque, dealings with an increasingly disgruntled populace. I personally feel that they've far overstepped the jurisdiction they were given, even going so far as to dress up as police to give themselves more sway in store raids and dealings with the public. Does that sound like a group that you'd like parading around as the defenders of intellectual property, or does it remind you, rather eerily, of those multinational conglomerates from the Sci-Fi movies where the company has coerced it's way into every politicians pocket and are, in effect, ruling the world for monetary gain? It may be just me, but the fact that the board of the RIAA is made up of a bunch of record label execs is just a little too convenient. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that they're more concerned with record sales that with protecting intellectual property. But I'm just a consumer, what do I know about anything?

That one guy who no one likes...

2006-10-26T19:23:00.000-04:00

It's days like these that you begin to believe in the divine irony. Jack Thompson, that outspoken despiser of all things video game related, may have dug himself into a hole with his outburst at the conclusion of the "Bully" trial. You can read all about it here. Long story short, if the judge acknowledges Take-Two's request and finds him in contempt of court, Jacky-Boy may find himself with a jail sentence and a hefty fine. Does this mar his veritable crusade against video games? I sure hope that it, to some extent, discredits the opinions that he so freely shares through whichever medium he can find. I don't want to say that I'm bitter, but his use of video games as the scapegoat for lack of good judgment damages the public opinion of gamers. It's hard enough with the antisocial stereotype associated with gaming without tacking on homicidal maniac. I hope that anyone that agrees with Mr. Jack's opinions sees from his outburst in court that he's a little bit of a nut-case, whether you think he speaks the truth or not. Oh, and one the subject, check this out. I couldn't stop laughing when I read this. Also, you can click the comic and it will take you to the forums and you can read what the author of the comic thinks about our "favorite" person. I'm off to get back to all the homework that's piled up on me.

Over and out

Design is...

2006-09-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

What is design? It encompasses a wide range of categories. Covering everything from logos, to ads, to software GUI's, it can be amazing, or terrible. There's a meme on flickr where people have made wallpapers of what design is too them. Most are funny, playing on peoples general understanding of how design is accomplished, poking fun at everything from bizarre logos to font choice. I love design, myself, so I had to take my swing at the topic. Thus I created this:

I really like the way it turned out, and despite the joking air of the piece, that's really how I do my best work: heavily caffeinated. Anyway, feel free to comment, or even take your own stab at the theme. What do you think design is?

Shiver me timbers, it be Talk loik a pirate day

2006-09-19T21:05:00.000-04:00

My pirate name is:

Mad Dog Flint

Part crazy, part mangy, all rabid, you're the pirate all the others fear might just snap soon. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Well, didja talk loik a pirate, ye scurvy landlubber?

The Death of Childhood

2006-09-12T14:07:00.001-04:00

Go read this.

Before you read my reaction, a quick note: I'm not trying to generalize. I disagree with almost all that's said in the article. The children mentioned are, in my opinion, a very small portion of a much larger whole. Any comments made are in rebuttal to the authors glaringly inaccurate remarks.

It's uneducated opinions like this that really piss off the video game community. For the first part, if you're a good parent, your young progeny shouldn't be playing GTA. For that matter, the "imperfectly formed moral codes" the author cites can only be blamed on the parents. Having GTA, or missing moral codes are the fault of adults that don't care. That's why so much video game legislation gets overturned by the courts. And only someone desperately flailing for content and reasoning would lump Mario games (games that for the longest time branded Nintendo as a console only for children), in the same category as GTA.

I myself am a gamer (in case you couldn't tell from my posts about World of Warcraft) and yet have absolutely no interest in GTA, nor ever have. Neither do I feel like I have a stunted code of morals because my father and mother went to great lengths to teach me their morals and values. They watched what I played, not allowing me to play games they found overly violent until such time as they deemed me ready to see them. On top of watching what I played, they also limited how much I played, and forced me to do other things. *gasp* They were good parents (though I didn't think so at the time), playing an active role in my upbringing. I didn't even see a PG-13 movie until I turned 13. Despite playing video games all my life, I have a highly developed imagination, or so I believe, and enjoy nothing more than a good book to spur my imagination along. In many ways, video games have helped my imagination grow with the many different worlds that I've seen through my console. And I love history, too, contrary to the article's assertion. However, I, like the article says, care nothing about politics. But that's not because of the video games that I play, it is merely because I believe the system to be terribly broken, which can be noted by Congress wasting so much time on all sorts of mundane and assanine legislation. But that's a whole nother blog post.

The problem, then, seems to be the parents of these socially stunted individuals. I know that's terribly cliche, blaming one's upbringing, but here it is warranted. To often, parents use video games and TV as a baby sitter while they try to get other things done. What they fail to do is limit this time, since they would rather have the TV keep them amused than do their job as parents. That's a little harsh, granted, and being a parent is a hard job. Again, I state that this is only a small contingency of the whole. It couldn't hurt, though, for all parents to become more involved in their children lives. What I wouldn't give for my father to be interested in what I accomplished on WoW. But I digress.

I disagree wholeheartedly with this article. It is merely using video games and television as the scapegoat for parents refusing to do, or ignoring, their duty as a parent. We, as a generation, are not jaded because of what we've seen, but more because of what we were allowed to see, and at what age.

I'm very passionate about this topic, but I've tried my hardest to only stick to facts. I hope that others share this view with me. Playing video games isn't bad, so long as it's done in moderation, and within the proper age level.

Ragdoll

2006-09-11T15:37:00.000-04:00

I once told my girlfriend that I wished she was a rag doll. I know that's a strange request, but hear me out. If she were a rag doll, I'd never have to be separated from her. I'd just pick up my rag doll and take it with me, wherever I go. If I could always have her with me, I would never have to worry about other boys, or about her safety. I would always know where she is, cause she'd be right there, in my pocket.

I know, it sounds so selfish, but the worst part of seeing someone you love is having to see them go. At least that's my take on it.

Anyway, my girlfriend is at another college, 45 minutes from me, so I only see her during the weekend. The other week we were speaking over AIM, and while she stepped away from the computer I wrote her a quick poem (small preface: I was rather sad at the time, and was missing her greatly):

sadness
I want her
I yearn for her
but she's so distant
physically
not emotionally
so far away
as the crow flies
so too I wish my heart could fly
to be with her
and I'll have that magpie of the sky swoop down
and pick up my rag doll
and bring her back to me

Shortly thereafter, I started penning this blog entry. I love that girl, but it breaks my heart to say goodbye. I have issues, I know, with separation anxiety, but I'll get over it when I can make her my rag doll in a legal sense (*winkwink*).

o+o (over and out)

College

2006-09-01T10:11:00.000-04:00

The life of a college student is hard. No really. I realize most of the people that will read this post, already know this fact, but it bears repeating. I'm taking Calculus 3, Physics 1, CS1332 (programming in Java), and French 2002. This isn't a particularly hefty schedule, only amounting to 15 actual credit hours. This is my first problem. For Calc, I spend 5 hours a week in classes (recitation included, which is totally necessary with the professor I have), and yet only counts for 4 hours. Physics, with it's lab time, takes up 6 hours of my week but only gives me 4 credit hours. Besides these, French is worth 3, and CS is 3, and with Chorus (a 1 hour A), that makes 15. 15 credit hours, but 18 hours of actual class time. This, of course, doesn't take into account any time for homework. French, and Physics both have sizable amounts of online homework to do every week. Calc has a fair number of complicated problems to work out every week. CS has yet to give us any homework, and I'm ever so grateful as I get settled into the routine of the other three classes.

I find time to have fun, though. I admit, I spend way to much time on my computer, this very minute being a prime example. But the computer is my escape. I read comics, I write blogs, I read news, I do all sorts of things to get my mind off of the school work being heaped on me by the professors. Sadly, though, free time is very infrequent. With the commute (I live at home, off campus) taking 2 hours off my day, and my family wanting my attention (siblings wanting homework help and what-not), if I were to do all the reading and preparation for class that I'm supposed to be doing, I wouldn't even have time to sleep. So you cut some reading out here, skip seeing friends there, maybe even stay up late to finish a batch of hw so you can breathe the next day. It's a depressing existence, especially for people attending hard schools. Our performance here actively affects our job prospects for the rest of our lives. That's a lot of pressure.

And on top of school, there's a whole slew of outside things that call for attention: dating, working, family. I'm just whining, and it's probably because I haven't touched World of Warcraft in a week, but most of what I say is true. It's an aggravating existence to be a college student.

Raison d'etre

2006-08-24T09:44:00.000-04:00

The other day, I was reading an article. What it was about, I don't remember, nor is it terribly important. In the article, however, was the phrase "Raison d'etre" appeared in the text. A sentence all to itself. From French, it literally means "reason to be." I thought it was so cool that I understood what it said. True, it isn't particularly high level French, but it was fun all the same. But the phrase got me thinking, what is my reason to be. I know people have struggled with this question over the centuries, all the "what is the meaning of life" stuff. But when it's phrased like this, it seems so much simpler. So, then, what is my "raison d'etre"? Well . . . I like singing, I like to program, I love my girlfriend. I suppose that that which makes me happy are the best "raisons d'etre." But I wonder about other people. What do other people consider important? Their religion, maybe. Or perhaps more simply, their beliefs. But what beliefs are important enough to live for?The movie cliche is believing enough to die for it, but can you believe it enough to live for it?

I know I'm just waxing philosophic, but the idea of "raison d'etre" just got me thinking. If you care to, go ahead and leave a comment with your "raison d'etre." I'd be interested to see what other people think.

Update on comp

2006-08-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

Got the computer back last night. It was so great because I had definitely missed the comp. Using an iBook G4 after using a MacBook Pro was depressing. On top of that, my second RAM module came in yesterday. Once I installed that, and booted up my computer, it ran like a dream. I was so happy. Everything went faster, I even booted up World of Warcraft for a minute. It's amazing the difference 512 mb of RAM can do for the computer. Even better, I've ordered a wireless Mighty Mouse and it should be coming in within a couple of weeks (why it's taking so long is beyond me). And with my new iPod I'm just a total Apple geek. My father said that there's a t-shirt they sell at the main Apple store out in Calif that says "I visited the Mother Ship." I think I need one. Then my Mac merchandising will be complete,

until next Spring when 10.5 comes out.

Computer Woes

2006-08-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

As any early adopter will tell you, "Don't be an early adopter."

As some of you may know, I bought a MacBook Pro as soon as it was available from my local store. Two weeks later, the complaints had already begun pouring in. The main problem noticed by the typical user is the insane heat generated by the computer. Some people even complained of it getting nearly hot enough to burn their legs. Apple acknowledged this problem, and went further to say that it was their fault, something in the production process meant that a component was seated just wrong. Anyway, more problems came forward, problems with the Airport Card (wireless), and problems with the backlight. Then the other day, I was surfing the web and noticed someone mentioning a MacBook Pro battery recall. I quickly found the Apple page outlining the problem and product numbers that needed to be replaced. Sure enough, mine was one of them. So here's the predicament - multiple major problems with my main computer. I had read online that Apple had been very good about fixing these issues, sometimes actually issuing the user an entirely new computer. Maybe I'll be lucky, I naively thought. No such luck. With school glaring down on me come Monday, I have a computer that will be returned to me anywhere from 4 to 14 days from this last Tuesday. Luckily enough, I still have my old iBook configured to check my mail and whatnot, but I'm without my MacBook Pro. To many, this will all just sound like whining, but to those of you who are attached to your computers, those of you who enjoy installing programs and customizing the computer to your needs and desires, you'll be able to back me up when I say that it's heart-breaking not to have that computer. I can't tell you the number of times I've wanted to download a cool looking program to use, only to remember that it won't do any good if it isn't installed on the Pro's hard drive.

Anyway, this shouldn't effect blog posting, since I'm surrounded by computers, both at work and at home. I hoping that they'll have the computer back by Friday. A man can dream, right?

Inspiration

2006-08-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

I was looking over the Apple website yesterday and found this: [link]. True, it's just a glorified Mac commercial, but there's some really nice content. If you don't feel like watching, all I really want to point out is this quote.

If you look very carefully, these colors or movements are overflowing in the world.
In a sense, I'm not expressing anything that's not already there.
-Takagi Masakatsu

I've never heard it described better. If I were to try my hand at being artistic, I think that this would be my goal. I notice more and more that there's art all around us. If you only had a camera at that exact instant, that one moment that the world around you just clicked. But so often, I fear, these moments are lost. "Stop and smell the roses," they say. And they're right. For if you can't capture that one instant on film or on canvas or in song, it's the next best thing to have been paying attention. To be able to remember the magic of the moment. My girlfriend told me a story once of an early morning run she went on in the mountains of Washington. She described the climb, and the exhaustion, but best of all, she remembered the sunrise. She said that the sunrise she witnessed from that mountain was the most magnificent one she had seen to date. And you could tell by looking at her eyes that she could see that sunrise, in all it's glory, as vividly as if it had been yesterday. That's what I'm talking about.

Stop and smell the roses, you won't regret it.

Creativity

2006-08-15T09:56:00.000-04:00

Before you read this blog, you need to watch this. It’s about 20 minutes long, so find a quiet place of plug your earphones in and listen to it. It’s a talk by Sir Ken Robinson at this year’s Technology Entertainment Design Conference(TED). One of the main points he made was the waning support for the Arts in public schools. Having been in both public school choirs and private choirs since I was a child, I’ve seen first hand the drastic difference between the choir on state funding and the choir on their own budget. At my high school, the Director, one Dr. Green, made at least one comment a week about the horrible acoustics in the room we were alloted by the school. We desperately needed for the room to be fitted with sound panels and the like for the room to be better suited for the use of a choir. But the funding would never come, if we waited for the school to hand us the money for the project. On top of that, we needed a piano for the brand new auditorium that had just been built. Again, no funding for this, even though this was for the use of the entire school. But not only is the funding for such programs slow in coming of nonexistent, but in certain extreme cases, Arts in schools have been cut out entirely. From the point of view of a student that has had at least one music class a day during the school year since I was 10, this is horrible. I can’t count the number of times that blessed my luck to have a chorus class between a hard math course and a similarly complicated science one. But that’s not all, the mental stimulation from the music has no doubt helped me tenfold. Many studies have been done about the positive effects of the Arts on brain development. But despite all the positives of the Arts, corners are being cut, and funding is being pulled, leaving choirs and art classes floundering. Take it from one who has benefitted from the system, it’s effects are incalculable. If the Arts are ever pulled from the public school curriculum, I have no doubt that the already high depression rate will only soar higher without an outlet for many kids. This is just my humble opinion, but I cannot begin to describe the effect that singing has had on my life, both in school and out of school. As it is, I cannot think of a school year without a choir to sing in.

Segway X2

2006-08-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

What, may I ask, is the point of this contraption? I like the Segway, it's a fun idea. It's practical applications are a little dubious, mostly stemming from the general laziness of America, but I have seen the occasional Police Officer who is forced to remain on their feet for the entire day use it to prevent themselves from tiring out just walking around the area they are expected to be patrolling. But what practical application is there for that thing? I guess I'm just a boring person, but I can't see myself doing that much off roading... All this does is scream laziness. Maybe parents don't want to actually chase their kids around the yard, opting instead on trundling along behind on the Segway X2. Or maybe, like in Peachtree City (where people walk their pets with the aid of golfcarts), people are to lazy to walk their dog. Wouldn't be so smart to tie that dog leash to the front.

Well maybe I'm being to harsh. My father pointed out a few, viable exceptions. He recently fell and injured his leg. Not so badly that he needs a cast or crutches, but badly enough that months later he still can't walk great distances. When I asked him what someone would use the Segway X2 for, he sited his "condition." I guess I see his point, but the number of people that would buy this thing for that particular reason are no doubt few and far between. And, more importantly in this age of consumerism, this small faction wouldn't be nearly enough for the company to make money.

So back to my previous problem, how many people will buy this product with the idea of cutting out a little more activity from their life. That walk down the block to get to work (if you're so lucky as to live in close proximity to your office), or that trip to Starbucks? For the time being, I feel that we're safe, mostly because of the prohibitive pricing of the device. But in a world where the obesity rate skyrockets from generation to generation, these "toys" that cut out what little physical activity a person might have time for, will only lead to more couch potatoes.

Busy Busy Busy

2006-08-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

Well, unfortunately schools starting back up soon. I work at Georgia Tech (where I am also a student), which means the workload doubles as we get closer to the beginning on the new semester. Here at the College of Computing, we have to clean up the computer labs and reinstall all the OS’s so the computers are “clean” for the coming semester. That’s a lot of work. So much work that we allot a whole week of time in which to complete this daunting task. That’s this week. It’s going to be a busy week. Luckily, we have this spiffy little piece of software called Ghostcast. It allows us to have an “image” of the OS, complete with all needed applications and settings, which then gets pushed onto the hard drives of the computers we choose. Then, when they boot up, they’re the exact same computer as the “image.” Handy, huh? Not to say that we don’t have fun in the process. Look at this:

Game Addiction

2006-08-09T13:42:00.000-04:00

From the very first time I played World of Warcraft my father has been sending me links of every article he’s seen with the words “addiction” and “games” in the same sentence. I know, of course, that he means well by his pestering, but it gets a little obnoxious after the third of fourth article in my inbox. Well today I checked the slashdot rss and this article was one of the news pieces. I’m ever a sucker for reading anything about WoW, so I clicked and read. It sort of distresses me. I don’t think I’m addicted to the game. I go three of four days sometimes between playing (for any length of time) and socialization always comes first. I’m not sure whether my father actually thinks it or whether he’s just trying to scare me, but he’s told me on a regular basis that I am addicted to WoW. Granted, this usually only happens when he walks in my room at 3 in the morning on the rare occasion that I stayed up late to run an instance. But, when a expert who has been dealing with addictions their whole professional life says that “as much as 40 percent of World of Warcraft players are addicted to the game,” that catches the attention. So then the question arises, am I in denial of an addiction, or do I merely enjoy the game enough to be willing to sacrifice and hour or two of sleep to run an instance or complete a quest? Comment, if you so see fit, with your thoughts on the matter. I’d like to hear other peoples impressions of this article.

WWDC 2006

2006-08-08T12:18:00.000-04:00

I am so insanely jealous of those 4800 (or whatever number Jobs quoted at the beginning of the Keynote) people that attended WWDC 2006. For those who don’t know, this is the main Developer’s Conference for the entire Apple line. All the big Apple news comes out during this week. Seeing as how I was in sweltering and humid Atl, GA, I have to settle for others’ accounts of the event and the news posted on the main Apple website: www.apple.com. One of the coolest things that happened was the unveiling and sneak peaks at Leopard, or Mac OSX 10.5. There are some really spiffy apps that will come standard from here on out. Ironically enough, these a lot of the new apps are based on third party applications currently used by geek-kind. One such example, the new Mac app: Spaces. Based on the multiple desktop idea so popular in Linux, it makes the third party application, Virtue Desktops, obsolete. From what I can tell, this sort of thing seems to happen on a regular basis (the more amusing being when Windows steals ideas from features that have been on Macs for years). I was talking with one of my friends at work about how ticked some of these third party programmers must be to see all their work fall by the wayside as Apple creates programs that accomplish the same function. Anyway, just noticed that the Keynote is out on the main Apple website, so you know what I’ll be up to later today.