Sold Out Activist

Short Story: Encounter by Dawn

2010-07-26T19:46:59Z

“Might I trouble you, good sir, in directing me to the nearest saloon?”

The question sounded honest enough to me, even if the sun was barely mounting the horizon. And truth known, I had not one hour prior left just such an establishment. Still, I turned to the voice careful-like, so’s not to stumble and give away my plum decadent level of intoxication. Rather not be robbed on this particular morning. That’d ruin my early afternoon plans of a hangover.

“Man alive, son.” My new speaking partner was naked as a cloudless sky save for the 10-gallon hat transfixed about his nethers by way of clasped hands. I forgave that solitary cloud while thanking the Lord for it all the same. “Shouldn’t you first befit yourself with proper attire?”

In the dim dawnlight, assisted by nearby lamplight, I could see the man had dark smudges along his neck and chest, leading down. There was a hint of conflicting lady’s perfumes in the air. And by the time the origins of those smudges hit my booze-addled mind, I’d bet money on two different shades but it was hard to tell for sure. And I didn’t really want to investigate.

“Just looking for a mouthback of whiskey to start the day,” the all-but naked man said, with a hint of winded voice. “Priorities.”

“How ’bout we put a name on you at least?” I offered.

The man lifted his hat to his head and extended his hand and a good-natured smile.

“Sundance.”

I cringed, but took the hand face on. It’s dangerous times, and when another man offers you a open hand, respect is due. Despite where his hand’s been, you can always wash yours later.

“Robert.”

“Mighty fine name, Robert.”

“Sure ain’t no John or Smith.”

“Amen to that, sir.”

“What kind of name is Sundance? Native?”

Robert replaced his hat upon his pecker–thankful for that, surely I was–before he leaned against a barrel. He looked as comfortable as a pig in mud. I found myself liking this fella.

Shaking his head, he said, “Real name’s Harry, but everyone calls me the Sundance Kid.”

“An’ why’s tha–”

The dull morning air was shattered by the trumpet of a shotgun. A shotgun as close to comfort as a bull’s horn in your behind. I found my body angled toward the sound, which came from the direction I surmised this “kid” had much too recently departed.

“You in trouble with the law?” I asked.

I heard a laugh behind me and I realized was alone. That ass was running his off up the street. I struggled for a moment, gaining drunken momentum, slow but sure. Had I been a wick slower, the cloud of angry metal bees would have stung me something fierce.

Instead, a few of those angry suckers clipped Sundance right proper in the hindquarters. And as he hobbled about in the morning light, I didn’t wonder why they called him that. It was enough to make a man laugh despite his dire situations.

“Hey!” I called out as we ran into the sun.

“What is it, Robert?” His hat was once again atop his head.

“My friends call me Butch.”

Alan Wake (Xbox 360)

2010-06-01T23:23:34Z

A game about a writer? I’m there. After a few bumps along the way, I enjoyed Alan Wake more than I thought I would. And I noticed a few game mechanics I believe will return in future games.

Horror isn’t my favorite genre, mostly because the subject matter rarely moves me. And indeed, this game’s attempt to build tension and apprehension was lost on me. Around Chapter 2, I almost lost interest in the game as I felt it repetitive. By Chapter 3, I was hooked on the larger elements of the plot.

What I liked the most about the game’s structure were the chapters akin to television episodes, which included quick-intro scenes where you were caught up on the relevant points occurring prior to that point. I liked this because it meant I could have put the game away at the end of a chapter–or rent it again later, as I had in this case–then return to the game world without losing much of my investment in the game.

Furthermore, with the episodic structure where each chapter essentially had it’s own three-act story, I could better appreciate the tension curve and flow of the story. Instead of awkward lulls in the game story to lower tension after a big fight, I was treated with creditless outros. That being said, there were several levels during the daytime where all you did was travel a looong distance without enemy presence. While the scenes were important to tension control in a major way, I think the scenes could have been much shorter.

The modern, media-hungry mind is well embossed with the ritual of after-story afterglow. As I scrambled to skip the outro and intro, it felt a lot like watching a season of my favorite show. I could see other games incorporating this recap structure during loading scenes, to help the player reinvest themselves into the game without wasting time inside the game reconnecting with the world.

The horror aspects of the game were light, relying heavily on slow-motion reveals of the enemy’s entrances and deaths. After a handful of times, the generic bad guy’s voice with it’s choppy, octave-jumping voice become commonplace. I think this was realized by the game’s developers, as later on, the bad said some pretty funny things. When you are surrounded by the most bad guys to date one quips, “Maybe I should get a job. Or a hobby.” Maybe that was supposed to be freaky, but I laughed.

The story had typical horror genre problems, such as the final moments before the climax. [SPOILER] The Dark Presence knew what The Clicker was and its purpose, so why would the bad guy stand there and let Alan shove it in the one place the object would do the most harm? Answer: It wouldn’t. [/SPOILER] So yeah, that always gets to me, because you see it all the time in horror. Oh well. And though there’s the typical question mark ending, I wouldn’t mind a sequel at all.

5 Returning Shows I’m Looking Forward To This Summer

2010-07-26T19:48:13Z

As a television addict suffering onset withdrawal from May Sweeps, I hold to the hope that my favorite returning summer shows offer. Summer 2010 looks to be a great for television. Especially for USA and Syfy. Read on for 5 shows I can’t wait to dive back into this summer. Includes links for those looking to wet their beaks before the fun begins.

A quick list of the 5 shows:

Burn Notice Season 4
Psych Season 5
The IT Crowd Season 4 (and 5!)
Eureka Season 4
Warehouse 13 Season 2

Burn Notice Season 4

Explore: Official Site, Hulu, Wikipedia, IMDB

Season 3 was very enjoyable and I have high hopes for the next. The show is hitting it’s quality stride, certainly in terms of character development. Sadly, Burn Notice wouldn’t survive without an all-reaching, quasi-good, moreso bad organization that thinks Michael Weston is the dog’s bollocks. In season 4, another organization has taken hold of our favorite tutorial spy to do their bidding. In the previews, there’s hints of a “recruitment,” but I imagine it was their benefits package including veiled threats on Michael’s loved ones. Oh, and it still has Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe.

Psych Season 5

Explore: Official Site, Hulu, Wikipedia, IMDB

My favorite fake psychic and crew imminently returns and I can’t wait. Psych suffered from a dip in quality towards the end of season 2 and almost the entirety of season 3. The pretense of the series verged on paper thin. However, in season 4, the writers rallied, and the show crawled back into my favorite’s list. And that says a lot, because I’m unforgiving when it comes, well, most things, actually. Season 5 should be riding high on the quality curve, bolstered by good ratings last year.

The IT Crowd Season 4 (and 5!)

Explore: Official Site, Hulu (clips…), Wikipedia, IMDB

The IT Crowd is hilarity. I haven’t seen an episode yet that wasn’t funny. In fact, I’ve watched the entire series, all 18 episodes, no less than 5 times in the last six months as I’ve introduced the show to new people. And I just finished another round this week. Still funny. It’s that crafty Irish bastard. Season 4 is around the corner, and even better, another season has been confirmed for next year! Rock on.

Eureka Season 4

Explore: Official Site, Hulu, Wikipedia, IMDB

Eureka suffers from wild quality fluctuations. Sometimes the show is fantastic, particularly involving character development and back story. Indeed, my favorite episode is 3×04 I Do Over, which you shouldn’t watch if you haven’t seen much of the show. Other times, during the monster of the week episodes, I find myself often uninterested. Season 3 was better than average as the writers brought in a female lead specifically as a romantic interest for Sheriff Carter, giving focus to the relevant underlying character development plots. What’s more there’s a cross-over beween Eureka and Warehouse 13 this season, which I can’t wait for.

Warehouse 13 Season 2

Explore: Official Site, Hulu, Wikipedia, IMDB

This show almost destroyed itself early on in season 1 with the bickering between the two main characters. The writers fixed this practically in a single episode and the resulting elevation in quality generates a pass from me on the unbelievable character development curve. But maybe the lack of air is making me giddy. So if you are new to the show, bear with it through the first handful of episodes of season 1 and push on until the main cast has been assembled (five in all: old guy, young girl, two FBI agents, and the black assistant) and locked into their roles. Season 2 looks to be stellar, and the cross-over with Eureka is just gravy.

Oil Spill 2010. Can’t wait for the sequel.

2010-05-30T14:17:15Z

Watch the oil spill live. (Ha. At 10:10AM, an eel that swam past the camera and he looked so affected by the oil. I’m sure that’s going to get play from both sides.) I don’t have much to say about this accident. It’s hard to believe BP executives would risk upwards of a billion dollars to save a few million. And if they did, they won’t in the future. I have a solitary idea for the oil spill: shove a special balloon down the well and inflate it, then cap the well. Much like an artery in the heart.

Will People Mourn Our Deaths?

2010-05-29T16:37:09Z

Gary Coleman died the other day, maybe it was yesterday I’m terrible with the past. As another beloved celebrity is laid to rest, we watch as the world grieves the loss. Coleman was no Michael Jackson, but even so, the reaction to either man’s death is more than any regular person could expect to receive from the world. Why do we react so outrageously when a celebrity reaches their end?

What do you do when you are upset? When you are happy? Over a couple drinks and under the sheets with a lover? Listen to your favorite music. Watch your favorite movies. Your first time was likely set to your favorite song. Your marriage reception played “your song.” Parties play crowd favorites. And you gather with friends and watch collectively enjoyed movies. Practically every high and low point of the modern American life is beset with a movie or song.

Triumph for Big Media? I don’t think so, but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that because our connection to these people is extreme like the emotional states attached to their performances. You don’t connect with anything or anyone during a “normal” state. You don’t fall in love simply because someone stood beside you for a long time.

Death is the final trigger in our psyches. Even if science or magic gives us immortality, we’ll obsess over dying anyway. We are forever subject to the end, whether by self, others, or God. So when a person dies who is connected to millions of people, maybe billions in Jackson’s case, the wave of grief is intense and recursive.

We may be a world of emerging sociopathy, but when the average person sees a sad person, they gain just a bit of sadness through empathy. And if they themselves were a fan of the deceased celebrity, the sadness becomes a grenade hidden in the heart. Attached to every high/low moment associated with the deceased. Emotions that are also connected to a hundred different people, attached to a thousand different events, each with their own tone. It overwhelms the person as their heart works out just how to feel. And when the grenade explodes, the blast splashes back on those around, adding to the collective sadness.

But like any explosion, the effect is intense yet brief. Few people (should) mourn Michael Jackson’s death these days save his family and loved ones. He wasn’t our friend, wasn’t someone we knew personally. Our connection to him wasn’t two-sided and therefore doesn’t stand the test of time.

When I die there won’t be panic in the streets. A million people won’t attend my funeral. And they certainly won’t have to block off sections of the city during my funeral. But those that attend my funeral, those who mourn my death, will do so because they loved me, personally. Because we shared actuality, a two-sided connection now severed by my departure. And that connection will take longer to cap off–heal, if you prefer.

Therein lies the hope for those plagued with notions of insignificance. In your life, there are those who will miss you more than a hundred celebrities. And mourn for you a thousand times longer.

Dedicated to my step-father, no longer among us.

46,000 Calorie Kit Kat

2010-05-28T19:52:17Z

My favorite part of this article about making a $75 Kit Kat is that the man in the picture is wearing one of those serious-business bicyclist shirts.

Robin Hood (2010)

2010-05-28T16:36:22Z

Verdict: I enjoyed it. I almost enjoyed it a lot. That’s high praise from me. The movie was well-paced, though a bit long. Nothing was over the top or gratuitous; those involved rallied a great effort to maintain the PG-13 rating. The movie felt almost classical in presentation; the cinematography was crisp. While the dialogue could have been better, the film was well-shot and directed. I particularly liked that the final battle wasn’t some “epic” 3D affair with eleventy billion soldiers. You can tell this movie had good funding and it was put to good use by talented people. I hope they do a sequel alone the same tone.

Update: I appreciated how the music was understated, not brash or overt. It stayed to the side, letting the scenes conjure emotions instead of slapping us in the face with melody instructing us what to feel. That said, the use of tapping flutes during low-ley tension scenes was effective and a nice period touch.

What I didn’t like

Marian’s “week-long” marriage to her now-deceased husband seemed a poor band-aid for the eventual plot hole of a sudden onset of love for Robin.
The scene where the horses kick open the gate was poorly constructed to the point of unbelievability.
The loyalty of Robin’s followers seemed glued on after he thrice left them to their own fate. Especially Little John’s.
The Sheriff was under-utilized. Which is why I think there’s a sequel brewing.
How Robin was rendered an outcast was anti-climatic after such a well-paced film, tacked on almost. Further cause for thoughts of a sequel.

Transition Surprisingly Smooth.

2010-05-27T19:23:44Z

The move to Dreamhost went well, only took 10 minutes, in fact. I’ll be rebooting this blog for the onset of another imminent chapter of my life. This will once again be my personal blog, not something co-opted by “higher” matters.

I like this Erudite theme. And though I made not-insignificant changes to its code, I left the attribution link up because it’s a nice theme. The biggest changes were discarding the menu, categories, and comments. I’ll have no use for those this time around.

Anyone who disagrees with my opinions can go the distance and contact me directly. Doing so will give yours words weight worth considering. Removing the menu and categories was mostly a step in straight reduction, as I can get can get bogged down in over-classification. I’ll still tag, because I enjoy doing that.

This chapter of my life will be devoted to writing. Though until the ball drops, I’ve decided to stay mum on the details. My close friends know the details, and that’s enough for me at the moment. One day, I’ll be a famous recluse writer who lives on the internet. Until then, I’ll just be a recluse on the internet.

iPhone Develoment: How to activate the Edge Network

2010-06-03T01:37:57Z

There was once a post with this title on the relevant topic, but it has been lost to an unfortunate database crash (coincidentally during a backup!) You have my sincere apologies for leading you down the wrong rabbit hole. However, I can say that my tutorial was based on the 2.0 SDK and likely wouldn’t be of much use as the 4.0 SDK is fast upon us.