Firstly, it's unlikely that anyone is surprised by the lack of updates. This blog is rapidly becoming a way to take my well-honed procrastination skills to the next level. I once spent six months that should have been for designing a pillow case drawing fractals. But it's time for another burst of ideas that have been ruminating for weeks, typed out in the middle of the night. This time: Ways to reduce income loss due to torrents that probably only work inside my head.
First: A zeitgeist counterattack. This is an issue decided best by what is considered normal in the mind of the public. My idea: What if the bulk of Christmas/birthday/other gift-giving holiday gifts were legally purchased versions of something the person had already torrented? Lower chance of unwanted gifts, lower chance of gifts that seem good turning out terrible, higher sales, except to people that wouldn't have bought it anyway.
Second: Nobody has infinite bandwidth. Every byte that constitutes a legal download is one that doesn't cut into profits. Idea: Make available in an official torrent form properties that are out of copyright. Show a Charlie Chaplin on a Friday night, giving the URL post-credits. Maybe even give rewards for using legal torrents?
That's about all for now. I can't promise anything about future updates. Maybe a short story. Maybe an infodump on me. Maybe I'll just try to be more active on Twitter.
Maybe I'll actually get a life?
No. Definitely not that one.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Holiday Post 1: The Last Airbender
As anyone who follows my Twitter should know, I've now finished my first university semester. Unfortunately, I also have a case of viral pharyngitis keeping me up at night. I'm a couple of days away from being completely nocturnal, so I thought some blogging was called for. Since Penny Arcade have brought it back into the limelight, I thought I would give my opinion on the hype and controversy around M. Night Shyamalan's Avatar adaptation, The Last Airbender.
For the last two years at my high school, Avatar was huge in my social group. I probably know more Zuko fangirls than Harry Potter fangirls (Edward Cullen fangirls are why I wear my tinfoil hat). I, of course, was late to the party, but caught up quickly.Great writing, great characterisation, great martial arts, etc. Oh, and obligatory C. S. Lewis: "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
I must point out that I haven't actually seen any of Shyamalan's films, so I'll be going off observed mass opinion and Moviebob's analysis. All complaints towards his more recent movies are plot related, e.g. overused devices, ridiculous set pieces and gargantuan ego. If he has worked closely with DiMartino and Konietzko this shouldn't be a problem. The main problem could be in establishing over a dozen minor characters who help out later on.
Based on the teaser released: music is good, effects are good. That's pretty much all we know.
Now for the big, now-irrelevant point: casting, and race. The four nations roughly map to Tibet, Inuit tribes, peaceful eras of China, and a hybrid of the most warmongering periods of China and Japan. This is pretty concrete, and a lot of research went into making the show realistic in this regard.
The main issue is whether Aang, the protagonist, is white. Culturally, he's a Tibetan Buddhist monk. However, some episodes (The Deserter, Avatar and the Firelord, I'm looking at you) don't quite get that across. Aesthetically, it's more complicated. Short answer: his race is 'anime'. Long answer: His race is DiMartino and Konietzko copying Miyazaki copying thirty years of Japanese art copying Astro Boy copying Bambi. I know, there's probably mountains of errors in that sentence.
I don't actually dispute any of the casting decisions as they stand, but just think about if Caucasians had been playing the villains instead. You know, the small country with superior technology 'spreading its good fortune' through imperialist colonialism. Leave it at that if you want to be subtle or insert attacks on modern politics to your heart's content.
The main benefit in this gedankenexperiment would be casting: you could get original voice actors like Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Mark Hamill (if you don't know, stop reading). Of course, my favourite character was always Iroh, originally voiced by the departed Mako, who you do not mess with. Being the only character in the show with an accent, you could really cast anyone. So I thought to myself: incredibly cool old guy, smart, funny, deadly fighter. First thought was Sean Connery, but he's retired. Second thought was Bruce Willis, and I stand by that as an indicator of a perfect world.
So we have Yinsen, Senior Fire Navy Correspondent, Agent from Die Hard 4, and guy from Skins because I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet. No complaints, but you can't top Bruce Willis shooting fireballs and practicing Northern Shao Lin without bringing in ninjas, pirates, zombies, robots or mantis shrimps.
For the last two years at my high school, Avatar was huge in my social group. I probably know more Zuko fangirls than Harry Potter fangirls (Edward Cullen fangirls are why I wear my tinfoil hat). I, of course, was late to the party, but caught up quickly.Great writing, great characterisation, great martial arts, etc. Oh, and obligatory C. S. Lewis: "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
I must point out that I haven't actually seen any of Shyamalan's films, so I'll be going off observed mass opinion and Moviebob's analysis. All complaints towards his more recent movies are plot related, e.g. overused devices, ridiculous set pieces and gargantuan ego. If he has worked closely with DiMartino and Konietzko this shouldn't be a problem. The main problem could be in establishing over a dozen minor characters who help out later on.
Based on the teaser released: music is good, effects are good. That's pretty much all we know.
Now for the big, now-irrelevant point: casting, and race. The four nations roughly map to Tibet, Inuit tribes, peaceful eras of China, and a hybrid of the most warmongering periods of China and Japan. This is pretty concrete, and a lot of research went into making the show realistic in this regard.
The main issue is whether Aang, the protagonist, is white. Culturally, he's a Tibetan Buddhist monk. However, some episodes (The Deserter, Avatar and the Firelord, I'm looking at you) don't quite get that across. Aesthetically, it's more complicated. Short answer: his race is 'anime'. Long answer: His race is DiMartino and Konietzko copying Miyazaki copying thirty years of Japanese art copying Astro Boy copying Bambi. I know, there's probably mountains of errors in that sentence.
I don't actually dispute any of the casting decisions as they stand, but just think about if Caucasians had been playing the villains instead. You know, the small country with superior technology 'spreading its good fortune' through imperialist colonialism. Leave it at that if you want to be subtle or insert attacks on modern politics to your heart's content.
The main benefit in this gedankenexperiment would be casting: you could get original voice actors like Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Mark Hamill (if you don't know, stop reading). Of course, my favourite character was always Iroh, originally voiced by the departed Mako, who you do not mess with. Being the only character in the show with an accent, you could really cast anyone. So I thought to myself: incredibly cool old guy, smart, funny, deadly fighter. First thought was Sean Connery, but he's retired. Second thought was Bruce Willis, and I stand by that as an indicator of a perfect world.
So we have Yinsen, Senior Fire Navy Correspondent, Agent from Die Hard 4, and guy from Skins because I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet. No complaints, but you can't top Bruce Willis shooting fireballs and practicing Northern Shao Lin without bringing in ninjas, pirates, zombies, robots or mantis shrimps.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Storming the Wiki
It's fair to say that the average person doesn't edit Wikipedia any more, if they ever did. It's been eight years, after all. So it always comes as a shock to find any large area of information missing, a section of culture that should have been meticulously covered but is instead ignored.
I also have a feeling that most people who used to edit Wikipedia can think of a few annoying episodes. I have two. Firstly, I was the guy who tried to save the Maghook article. It probably deserved to die, but I think I improved it massively before it was deleted. Secondly, George Gapon. The information about his exile is incorrect, based on a misreading of one of the sources. My correction was immediately reverted and the source is no longer available.
My idea is for anyone and everyone who thinks a certain segment of human experience is widespread and notable should pick a day to correct the flaw simultaneously. I don't mean individual articles, I mean entire fields.
I have two suggestions.
First, abridged series. This is the practice of making a shortened, fan-based parody of a (usually anime) series. The original and the best can be found at http://www.yugiohtheabridgedseries.com/
As referenced in an early episode "according to Wikipedia, we don't exist." This from someone who was taken off Youtube and currently has 485,384 channel views. To get some idea of how large and bizarre this genre can get look at this playlist. There is no shortage of videos of the original voice actors quoting the abridged series. Yet there exists not a single page on a series.
On a somewhat more serious note is my second suggestion: DMCAabuse. Given the cumulative nature of this network it should at least warrant its own page, if not one for each of its founding members.
The greatest surprise is that of of this channel's opponents is not 'notable': VenomFangX. I will provide no link. I will watch none of his videos. Suffice to say that he is the single most popular creationist on Youtube, and one of the most popular channels overall. Yet he is not notable. Everyone who sees this video should cheer, but in the public consciousness it never happened.
So a genre of internet humour and a slew of debunkers. Both deal quite often with censorship, so bonus points. If you have any further suggestions or any similar gripes, say so in the comments.
I also have a feeling that most people who used to edit Wikipedia can think of a few annoying episodes. I have two. Firstly, I was the guy who tried to save the Maghook article. It probably deserved to die, but I think I improved it massively before it was deleted. Secondly, George Gapon. The information about his exile is incorrect, based on a misreading of one of the sources. My correction was immediately reverted and the source is no longer available.
My idea is for anyone and everyone who thinks a certain segment of human experience is widespread and notable should pick a day to correct the flaw simultaneously. I don't mean individual articles, I mean entire fields.
I have two suggestions.
First, abridged series. This is the practice of making a shortened, fan-based parody of a (usually anime) series. The original and the best can be found at http://www.yugiohtheabridgedseries.com/
As referenced in an early episode "according to Wikipedia, we don't exist." This from someone who was taken off Youtube and currently has 485,384 channel views. To get some idea of how large and bizarre this genre can get look at this playlist. There is no shortage of videos of the original voice actors quoting the abridged series. Yet there exists not a single page on a series.
On a somewhat more serious note is my second suggestion: DMCAabuse. Given the cumulative nature of this network it should at least warrant its own page, if not one for each of its founding members.
The greatest surprise is that of of this channel's opponents is not 'notable': VenomFangX. I will provide no link. I will watch none of his videos. Suffice to say that he is the single most popular creationist on Youtube, and one of the most popular channels overall. Yet he is not notable. Everyone who sees this video should cheer, but in the public consciousness it never happened.
So a genre of internet humour and a slew of debunkers. Both deal quite often with censorship, so bonus points. If you have any further suggestions or any similar gripes, say so in the comments.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Burgeoning Media Empire
I've been saying for a while that I would create an email for the blog, in case anyone ever read it. But now I have gone above and beyond:
There are now Gmail, Youtube and Twitter accounts for me and my blog. All are simply Postmythos. Nothing has actually been uploaded yet, it's more a matter of easy viewing for me.
Feel free to completely ignore this message.
There are now Gmail, Youtube and Twitter accounts for me and my blog. All are simply Postmythos. Nothing has actually been uploaded yet, it's more a matter of easy viewing for me.
Feel free to completely ignore this message.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
R18+
I'm in a book store, as I tend to be. Something shiny in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I tilt my head to the side, to discover once again that the book in question is American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, encased in shrink wrap, restricted to those 18 years and older. I take a step back, looking for anything else similarly restricted. Once again, I fail to see anything. If you can think of another novel sold in Australia with an R18+ rating, let me know in the comments.
The frequency with which I act out that story shows that at least one R-rated book has artistic merit. I don't think it's terribly disputed that an R18+ film can have artistic merit. The R-rated films I own are: A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, Mad Max (the first one, my favourite), Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. All great movies.
But something odd happens when you come to games.
There is no R18+ for games. If a 15 year old can't deal with what you present, you either self-censor, or you are banned from sale, courtesy of a government classification scheme. For reference, the average age of gamers in Australia is 28. The best case scenario is that the whole world has to deal with the same editing, as happened when Fallout 3 called morphine 'morphine'.
The root of the problem is the source of freedom of speech in Australia. It is not guaranteed, but rather implied by the vibe of the Constitution. Since every Australian citizen must vote, every Australian citizen must be informed, hence political speech is protected. That's it.
Public discussion of the subject has been repeatedly vetoed by South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson. Just discussion, let alone reform.
The given reason, needless to say, is that the people who would buy these games are unable to distinguish the violence and sex (but no other elements) featured in games (but no other media) from comparable situations in the real world.
The evidence so far would suggest that gaming can, to varying degrees, increase short-term frustration, irritability and, yes, aggression. But honestly, if that camper is frustrating you, he's not doing a very good job. Challenge and immersion in one activity leads to irritability in other endeavours. As a side note, I am intrigued by Roger Ebert's idea of games as sport rather than art, but I think a duality is more accurate.
Of course, I'm not denying that there will always be a mentally unbalanced few who act out atrocities 'inspired' by their favourite work of art.
The application of simple logic is one way around this. So far it hasn't worked so well. A second way would be a R18+ worthy game with undeniable artistic merit, on the order of Fight Club, Pulp Fiction or The Godfather. A third way would be game somehow worthy of the rating without relying on violence or sex. I don't know if that's even possible. Only with an R18+ film might graphic violence not even make the warning information, if overshadowed by other elements.
Of course censorship is increasing in all areas in Australia. The mandatory internet filter has been delayed (indefinitely I hope). Rule 34 is illegal (and I'm pretty sure the reason child pornography is illegal is supposed to be because it cannot be made legally). And the party the standing up to this kind of thing? The Australian Sex Party. Good grief.
Finally, why is fifteen the be-all and end-all of maturity? I already regret half the stuff I did when I was fifteen.
The frequency with which I act out that story shows that at least one R-rated book has artistic merit. I don't think it's terribly disputed that an R18+ film can have artistic merit. The R-rated films I own are: A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, Mad Max (the first one, my favourite), Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. All great movies.
But something odd happens when you come to games.
There is no R18+ for games. If a 15 year old can't deal with what you present, you either self-censor, or you are banned from sale, courtesy of a government classification scheme. For reference, the average age of gamers in Australia is 28. The best case scenario is that the whole world has to deal with the same editing, as happened when Fallout 3 called morphine 'morphine'.
The root of the problem is the source of freedom of speech in Australia. It is not guaranteed, but rather implied by the vibe of the Constitution. Since every Australian citizen must vote, every Australian citizen must be informed, hence political speech is protected. That's it.
Public discussion of the subject has been repeatedly vetoed by South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson. Just discussion, let alone reform.
The given reason, needless to say, is that the people who would buy these games are unable to distinguish the violence and sex (but no other elements) featured in games (but no other media) from comparable situations in the real world.
The evidence so far would suggest that gaming can, to varying degrees, increase short-term frustration, irritability and, yes, aggression. But honestly, if that camper is frustrating you, he's not doing a very good job. Challenge and immersion in one activity leads to irritability in other endeavours. As a side note, I am intrigued by Roger Ebert's idea of games as sport rather than art, but I think a duality is more accurate.
Of course, I'm not denying that there will always be a mentally unbalanced few who act out atrocities 'inspired' by their favourite work of art.
The application of simple logic is one way around this. So far it hasn't worked so well. A second way would be a R18+ worthy game with undeniable artistic merit, on the order of Fight Club, Pulp Fiction or The Godfather. A third way would be game somehow worthy of the rating without relying on violence or sex. I don't know if that's even possible. Only with an R18+ film might graphic violence not even make the warning information, if overshadowed by other elements.
Of course censorship is increasing in all areas in Australia. The mandatory internet filter has been delayed (indefinitely I hope). Rule 34 is illegal (and I'm pretty sure the reason child pornography is illegal is supposed to be because it cannot be made legally). And the party the standing up to this kind of thing? The Australian Sex Party. Good grief.
Finally, why is fifteen the be-all and end-all of maturity? I already regret half the stuff I did when I was fifteen.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Academic update
Enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Course at Sydney University today. It was my first preference, and the the most prestigious, based on the opinions of pretty much everyone I've ever met.
For those interested and with some understanding of the NSW system, my UAI was 84.35, with a band 6 (meriting a place in the newspapers) in Mathematics.
Will hopefully do some more blogging in future. Probably something on censorship (particularly the R18+ rating for games in Australia) and maybe some amateur debunking if something really annoys me.
For those interested and with some understanding of the NSW system, my UAI was 84.35, with a band 6 (meriting a place in the newspapers) in Mathematics.
Will hopefully do some more blogging in future. Probably something on censorship (particularly the R18+ rating for games in Australia) and maybe some amateur debunking if something really annoys me.
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