These are some flash games I've been playing recently thanks to the good people at Something Awful.
MMEOWW
MMEOWW was made by a goon. It's both cute and sad at the same time. Don't play if you don't want to see what happens when a kitten falls from the sky.
Dad 'n Me
You're some big purple thing that goes around beating up little kids, have fun.
RaidenX
Classic scrolling shooting game. You have a lot of lives so you don't have to repeat the first levels over and over, which is nice.
Orisinal
No new game, just making sure you don't forget about it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Biological Warfare Rocks!
BBC
A bug in the game "World of Warcraft" has caused a plague that has killed thousands of players' characters. Corrupted blood from one of the bosses can kill weak characters instantly and stronger characters can heal themselves, so nothing was supposed to come of this. However, it was found that if a pet got infected with the corrupted blood, it acted as a carrier, infecting anyone nearby. Soon entire virtual towns had been lain waste by pets returning from this mission. It's interesting to see a computer bug act like a real life disease.
A bug in the game "World of Warcraft" has caused a plague that has killed thousands of players' characters. Corrupted blood from one of the bosses can kill weak characters instantly and stronger characters can heal themselves, so nothing was supposed to come of this. However, it was found that if a pet got infected with the corrupted blood, it acted as a carrier, infecting anyone nearby. Soon entire virtual towns had been lain waste by pets returning from this mission. It's interesting to see a computer bug act like a real life disease.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Jacket Catches Carpet on Fire
BBC
A man went to a job interview wearing a nylon jacket and a wool sweater. Apparently they created so much static electricity that it caused the carpet to spontaneously combust. My question is, did he get the job?
A man went to a job interview wearing a nylon jacket and a wool sweater. Apparently they created so much static electricity that it caused the carpet to spontaneously combust. My question is, did he get the job?
Monday, September 12, 2005
Distant Explosions
NASA
Astronomers at UNC have detected the distant explosion ever recorded, 13 billion light-years away. Helen told me about this as she knows one of the guys who discovered it. I thought she might appreciate me mentioning it here.
Astronomers at UNC have detected the distant explosion ever recorded, 13 billion light-years away. Helen told me about this as she knows one of the guys who discovered it. I thought she might appreciate me mentioning it here.
The Katrina Generation
BBC
This editorial compares the events taking place around Katrina to that of the Great Depression where a government still adhering to Social Darwinism refuses to take steps to relieve suffering when the people call for assistance. The writer believes that current events will lead to a desire for a more socially-focused government, one that the Republican Party refuses to put forward. Thus the Republican Party faces the same situation it did in the 1930's when it refused to change its course, leading to the Democrats dominating the government for decades.
Wikipedia
Fourth Turning
This comparison reminded me of a theory that every four generations there is a major crisis that profoundly alters the cultural landscape of America. The authors of this theory stated that a major crisis would take place sometime around 2005 and 2006. A few adherents held that it came early with 9/11, four years ago, but the events of 9/11 did not lead to a change in the course of American politics or culture, instead it amplified the divisions that had been growing since the 80's.
So will the events that come as a fallout of Katrina lead to an altered America? It has been shown my generation (Generation Y or Millennials) is much more political than Generation X. Also, of all the generations, my generation will be the most affected by these events as our understanding of the world is currently being developed.
It is this point in history that will shape my generations view of America. For the older ones, we remember the surge of the internet and the subsequent market crash and the various business scandals that followed. We remember 9/11 and the patriotic outburst. We saw international relations at an all time high suddenly plunge in a few short months as American patriotism led us into conflicts that we saw as just actions. We now see these conflicts stretch on and the patriotism is worn thin. We have now seen a major disaster in America, one not surprising in that it happened, but in the response. It showed that despite all the rhetoric, America is no more prepared for a large-scale disaster than it was before 9/11. All the energy poured into installing a government in Iraq, done so to protect American lives, has probably cost more lives than we can imagine as war deaths continue to mount and funds to other protective measures continue be diverted to baseless threats like removing a toothless regime from an incredibly anti-American society. Amongst all this, our president continues to support the institutions that have led energy cost to soar and has made little offer to support alternative forms of energy.
We will be a generation that is distrustful of big business, war, and patriotism. We will support a more socially conscious government that believes that protecting America requires something other than removing anti-American, but harmless dictators from power.
This editorial compares the events taking place around Katrina to that of the Great Depression where a government still adhering to Social Darwinism refuses to take steps to relieve suffering when the people call for assistance. The writer believes that current events will lead to a desire for a more socially-focused government, one that the Republican Party refuses to put forward. Thus the Republican Party faces the same situation it did in the 1930's when it refused to change its course, leading to the Democrats dominating the government for decades.
Wikipedia
Fourth Turning
This comparison reminded me of a theory that every four generations there is a major crisis that profoundly alters the cultural landscape of America. The authors of this theory stated that a major crisis would take place sometime around 2005 and 2006. A few adherents held that it came early with 9/11, four years ago, but the events of 9/11 did not lead to a change in the course of American politics or culture, instead it amplified the divisions that had been growing since the 80's.
So will the events that come as a fallout of Katrina lead to an altered America? It has been shown my generation (Generation Y or Millennials) is much more political than Generation X. Also, of all the generations, my generation will be the most affected by these events as our understanding of the world is currently being developed.
It is this point in history that will shape my generations view of America. For the older ones, we remember the surge of the internet and the subsequent market crash and the various business scandals that followed. We remember 9/11 and the patriotic outburst. We saw international relations at an all time high suddenly plunge in a few short months as American patriotism led us into conflicts that we saw as just actions. We now see these conflicts stretch on and the patriotism is worn thin. We have now seen a major disaster in America, one not surprising in that it happened, but in the response. It showed that despite all the rhetoric, America is no more prepared for a large-scale disaster than it was before 9/11. All the energy poured into installing a government in Iraq, done so to protect American lives, has probably cost more lives than we can imagine as war deaths continue to mount and funds to other protective measures continue be diverted to baseless threats like removing a toothless regime from an incredibly anti-American society. Amongst all this, our president continues to support the institutions that have led energy cost to soar and has made little offer to support alternative forms of energy.
We will be a generation that is distrustful of big business, war, and patriotism. We will support a more socially conscious government that believes that protecting America requires something other than removing anti-American, but harmless dictators from power.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Zogby Madness
I signed up to take part in Zogby polls, so every month or so I fill out a survey and in return I get really random statistics. The site these statistics are from is password protected, so I'll share a few of my favorites.
-Liberals prefer Cheerios
-Conservatives prefer Raisin Bran
-Both groups prefer Wendy's
-Most fans of KFC are over 55
-Conservatives prefer Pizza Hut
-Liberals prefer local pizzerias
-Consumption of Pregresso increases with income
-Consumption of Wolfgang Puck's brand of soup does not
-Liberals prefer Cheerios
-Conservatives prefer Raisin Bran
-Both groups prefer Wendy's
-Most fans of KFC are over 55
-Conservatives prefer Pizza Hut
-Liberals prefer local pizzerias
-Consumption of Pregresso increases with income
-Consumption of Wolfgang Puck's brand of soup does not
Upward Mobility Myth
Post Gazette
It has long been held in the US that anyone can become rich if they simply work at it. To be poor means you are lazy. There are of course many examples of rags to riches stories, but the vast majority of people remain in the same class as their parents, and new studies show that rags to riches stories are becoming much less common.
Any true follower of the idea of upward mobility would argue that the welfare system, minimum wage, and unions have made people lazier as they no longer had to work as hard to get money. However, a study of of class mobility in developed countries shows that the US has the lowest and the Nordic countries have the highest. It is strange to see that European countries where class mobility was never advocated have greater mobility. Of course, part of this is largely due to the wide gap between the rich and poor in America as compared to Europe. America not only has the highest percentage of millionaires, but also has a much higher poverty rate than in Europe. So it's much easier to go from the bottom 10% to the top 10% in Europe than in the US.
It has long been held in the US that anyone can become rich if they simply work at it. To be poor means you are lazy. There are of course many examples of rags to riches stories, but the vast majority of people remain in the same class as their parents, and new studies show that rags to riches stories are becoming much less common.
Any true follower of the idea of upward mobility would argue that the welfare system, minimum wage, and unions have made people lazier as they no longer had to work as hard to get money. However, a study of of class mobility in developed countries shows that the US has the lowest and the Nordic countries have the highest. It is strange to see that European countries where class mobility was never advocated have greater mobility. Of course, part of this is largely due to the wide gap between the rich and poor in America as compared to Europe. America not only has the highest percentage of millionaires, but also has a much higher poverty rate than in Europe. So it's much easier to go from the bottom 10% to the top 10% in Europe than in the US.
Monday, September 05, 2005
SA Relief Donations Blocked by PayPal
Beta News
Something Awful raised nearly $28,000 in donations for hurricane relief just to have their account blocked by PayPal. It would take 3 to 5 days to get the account unblocked. Also, PayPal stated that it would not send the money to the Red Cross like the community wanted to do, but to the United Way. As the United Way has been involved in a recent fraud scandal, the community has asked that PayPal refund their money.
Something Awful raised nearly $28,000 in donations for hurricane relief just to have their account blocked by PayPal. It would take 3 to 5 days to get the account unblocked. Also, PayPal stated that it would not send the money to the Red Cross like the community wanted to do, but to the United Way. As the United Way has been involved in a recent fraud scandal, the community has asked that PayPal refund their money.
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