The World of Raficus

Goodbye, Chuck

2012-01-28T02:16:00.001-05:00

And so ends one of my favorite television shows.

Chuck hit that happy, feel-good spot that many shows have before -- from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Boy Meets World -- but it was unlike so many others. Really, how many well-paced shows do you know is a live-action-comedy-spy-drama?

I don't want to give away any spoilers, since I can't recommend the show enough (even when you have your doubts through its darker or less agreeable episodes). Right to the end, the show had some great throwbacks to the early episodes (making it worth ignoring occasional, gaping plotholes). Instead, as the series comes to a close, I thought I'd offer some fascinating trivia I learned from reading extended interviews with creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak.

Bear in mind that things changed so much over the series because of the chemistry among the cast and the constant threat of cancellation (most mid-season and season finales were written as a series finale, so they had to frequently find new ways to redefine the show).

Onto the trivia! (No spoilers, I promise)

The show was originally had (and shot with) a female love interest for Chuck named Kayla, who was central part of the show (and even part of the pitch), but the chemistry between Zach (Chuck) and Yvonne (Sarah) made the creators change their minds and re-cast them as the heart of the show. That makes sense with how much they stressed Chuck's heartbreak over Jill in the pilot.
Captain Awesome was originally intended to be a planted spy, but immediately became a favorite when everyone fell in love with him (after his only three lines), so they scrapped plans to turn him. Considering how he is the paradigm of athleticism, that brings a whole new light to his character and (in hindsight) you can really see how they would built that up. It makes it all the more amusing with the contrasting direction they ultimately took his character.
Jeff and Lester were scripted with far minor background roles, but there limited screen time and improvisation really impressed the initial viewers. They actually had to tone down their roles because people originally thought they were secretly the bad guys. Talk about a red herring!
They had big plans for C.S. Lee (Harry Tang) had he not left to join the cast of Dexter full-time, which means they would not have written him off so abruptly had it not been for that other (awesome) darker show. But could you blame him? He has such a fun role with Masuka.
The unanimous opinion was that nobody liked Morgan early on, so they diligently worked on making as likable as they liked the actor, Joshua Gomez. Since Chuck started off his journey as the bumbling idiot, as he matured and progressed, they used that opportunity to creatively have Morgan slip into the missing "idiot" role. I never thought of it that way because they executed it so naturally and effortlessly, and I believe preserving that overall dynamic/contrast kept the show's heart.
The first "big" change to Chuck and the Intersect was originally planned for season 1, had it not been for the writer's strike. In other words, they had it planned all along, contrary to my initial fears of what-have-they-just-done.
They originally thought that they'd have lots of money so as an ongoing gag, Sarah would have a different, ridiculous cover each season, but they didn't have enough money to keep building new sets. And we all know how NBC ultimately felt about funding the show, don't we?
Tony Hale's departure from the show was because NBC took away their money. They even wanted to have his character's twin brother come back to look for him (and take his place), but they couldn't afford having an additional cast member. Similar circumstances hold for the Julia Ling's character (well not the twin thing). Boo, NBC.
Two of the episodes from Season 2 hailed as their very best succeeded, in their opinion, because they had money. Time and money. Thanks again, NBC.
They purposely ended Season 2 with "To be continued" realizing that they could be "the biggest ***holes in the history of television", not knowing about a series renewal. Never paid attention to that!
Fedak goes on the record as saying: "You know, I have no intention of actually having Casey kill Chuck" back in Season 1 (despite dropping hints in the show), so he secretly enjoyed their interactions more than the fans did. Sure, you can't off a main character in the first season, but it was still pretty tense.
Linda Hamilton was looking to have a comic, warmer role (than her usual material) when originally approached by the creators, which worked out great for what they were seeking. She really was a great addition to the cast.
Timothy Dalton liked to come in and talk to his writer, and perform the part with the writer prior to shooting as he wound onstage if not more. To think this is James Bond -- such an amazing actor!
They purposely "made a decision for America" to not show Casey in a speedo in the "Kept Man" episode. I approve. The offscreen gag was good enough.
The overall structure of the fifth season, though planned from the start, happened to emulate the previous seasons where after the first two-thirds, they focused on individual characters in standalone episodes before showcasing the final arc of the season. This is more of my own observation, but again, I'm impressed by how well they wrapped it up, and I like how they made it follow the style of the previous seasons, even if unintended.
For the sky-diving sequence, they did multiple takes of a person in a cat suit diving from the plane. Hilarious.
They originally entertained the idea of things going sour for some characters: having a Thelma & Louise off-the-cliff ending for Jeff & Lester (which ended up being integrated into the "Bo" episode) and killing off Casey's character early in the season. Neither of those happened, so I don't consider that a spoiler.
They are working on a longer cut of the finale for the DVD. Now there's a must-have!

Source articles [spoilers abound]: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5

Thanks for a great five years, Chuck. As a quality show that still remains undiscovered by many, I look forward to rewatching you in years to come. And as a supportive fan, I went ahead and bought myself some Buy More merchandise, following the finale. Hats off to you, Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak.

As a bonus to any fans that come across this page, provided you've seen the show through the fifth season, you should watch the extended video interview with Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak at Google LA here.

What Skyward Sword could have done better

2011-12-04T10:06:00.002-05:00

After 50 hours, I finally beat the main quest of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The much anticipated latest chapter of the Zelda series fails to disappoint, further supported by the universal acclaim.

Edge: 10/10
Eurogamer: 10/10
Game Informer: 10/10
Guardian: 5/5
IGN: 10/10
Nintendo World Report: 10/10
Telegraph: 5/5
Wired: 10/10

Like A Link To The Past and The Ocarina of Time, this game finally sees a true major revision to the series, this time with [highly-approximated] 1-to-1 motion controls (Note: I consider that the intermediate games, including Wind Waker [WW] and Twilight Princess [TP], simply introduced minor revisions to the OoT engine and framework).

Rather than rave about what this game did right (you can read that just about anywhere), I thought I'd focus on what it did differently and what it could have done better. However, unlike websites that have offered trivial complaints (Really? You're upset with an adventure RPG with fetch quests?), I'll offer the perspective of a Nintendo gamer that has seen how the series has progressed, as opposed to a critical industry reviewer that expects more of a game in the high-definition age.

First, here is a recap of five complaints I don't think were well-warranted:

1. The game has too many fetch quests. That's a pretty big staple of role-playing games, and it's through this sort of exploration that you learn about the environment. True, at times it can be a bit annoying to realize 'I'm done. Oh wait, but there's more', but in the grand scheme, that's the idea behind dungeons, only through interaction with non-player characters (NPCs) and their environments.

2. Too much revisiting past areas. One of the recurring comments I've read is that the game is 'dense'. Before playing, I didn't quite get what that meant, but it gradually made sense to me. One aspect is that each area has multiple sections and requires multiple trips, but each time you learn find something new, either discovering uncharted territory or having the environment manipulated in some way (I'll get into other aspects of its 'density' in a bit)

3. Not enough open areas. Some might call that lazy; I call that genius. Instead of the sprawling, empty environments of WW or TP, you have compact, busy environments with lots to do and directions to go (compare this to, say, Final Fantasy XIII's long, linear pathways). It really takes the game into three dimensions as you explore areas vertically. Though I miss the openness of Hyrule Field, with the sky (much akin to WW's waters), I think what they did here fits the game well.

4. Motion controls aren't 1:1. Well, they aren't really meant to be true one-to-one. I've heard complaints about re-calibrating, but I never had to do more than the requisite once per session. The motion controls are spot on and even have some flexibility -- you really could play it lazily on the couch turned on your side if you wish (Would you rather stand like a foolish pretend-swordsman as if in front of a Kinect?).

5. The game doesn't have [insert feature available to other HD consoles]. These quibbles arguably have the least merit. A game can only be as good as the hardware it has to run it, and the best it can (and ought to) do is mask it, though true sticklers can see through it. So it could never have HD graphics running at 480p. With its limited processing power, it's impressive that it has as much going on as it does, especially as it is constantly determines your controller's movement. Holistically, it does very well against other games in terms of gameplay.

With that in mind, here are things I think they could have done better (or at least differently). Now bear in mind that I already consider this game a masterpiece -- I just wanted to touch upon things that could have used a bit more polish.

1. More relevant NPCs. Supporting chararacters are for the most part forgettable and don't matter to the quest. If you asked me, I couldn't name more than five Skyloftians and surface dwellers.

Skyloft. Seriously, besides the main characters, the only Skyloftians I remember are Gaebora and Groose. I'm not looking for side stories as gripping as Majora's Mask's Anju and Kafei, but it would be nice to think your neighbors actually mattered to your life.
Surface. Okay, there were races and mythical creatures. But if this is an origins story, shouldn't I find myself caring more about Gorons and the non-existent Zoras? We had a couple of communities, but I don't see why we couldn't have a few more spread out in an area, even if they were the same race. If this really is an RPG, why not have a few more "towns"?
Interactions. In previous games, the "little guys" did more than just stand around; they showed up and even helped out during your quest. Maybe they were freedom fighters. Maybe they were sages. But they did more than just walk a pre-defined path and offer you hints. I don't care if he is the Hero of Time; he can still have people doing more than offering an occasional hint at a temple entrance.

2. A less annoying companion. They gave your guide Fi a unique personality, but sometimes she just got in the way. I appreciate that she took a while before revealing any hints about a boss's weakness, but then other times she spelled out what and where to fetch without giving you a chance to think about it.

Statistics. I get that the probabilities add a bit to her "personality", but those 60-percent-really-means-100-percent scenarios got old very quickly. They could have made her seem like an automaton without spewing arbitrary greater-than-50 percentages. GlaDOS was a computer and she had spunk!
Hand-holding. I understand accessibility, and I don't discourage in-game hints, provided their optional. So the fortune teller and Sheikah stones are fine for when you get stumped. Then you have those times when a NPC makes a reference and Fi immediately gives you the answer. Where's the fun in that? I understand that not everybody could remember earlier interactions (I may have been at an advantage in playing the game through within a week), but it's disappointing when she immediately ruins any "a-ha!" moment. If people really get stuck, let them seek it out!
Growth. Part of what made TP's Midna so endearing was how she grew alongside you over the course of the game, making it said to see her go at the journey's end (Spoiler? Eh, not really -- the game had ended, the adventure was over). Toward the end, she really was your "companion". Meanwhile, Fi simply unlocks memories and reasserts her artificial nature, even at the conclusion. What gives?

3. Better sidequests. The sidequest for the Hylian shield is a worthwhile one, but everything else amounts to little more than a fetch quest for a heart container or rupees. How about hidden skills like in TP? I guess that's a Zelda standard, but it would have been nice to have integrated storytelling, exploration, or simply variety offered in Majora's Mask.

4. Fleshed-out backstory for the demon lord and his master. You only start to learn about the big bads at the tail-end of the quest, prior to which Ghirahim is mainly absent, save for a few cameos. It would have been nice to have Ghirahim (or background details) show up throughout (instead of in large chunks at the beginning, middle, and end of the adventure), and for variety, I would have preferred to gradually learn about his master through other ways (perhaps stumbling upon ancient artifacts or other cutscenes). See, with a last battle as epic as it was, it would have been nice to build up to it, and I felt a bit robbed with how it just came out of nowhere with explanation after explanation at the very end. In general, a lot of backstory was force-fed to you with little 'discovery' by the player.

5. More items and usage. OoT had tons of items you could use throughout, and TP had several items, though meant for specific areas. SS basically had eight critical items and a nice (but inconsequential) upgrade system. With environments as dense as they offered, why not incorporate new ways to integrate other items to allow for further exploration? Or even if the essential eight remain, having them more than a one-trick pony would have been amazing. Remember the magnetic properties of TP's iron boots? Or the joy of discovering the double-clawshots? I miss that extra bit of creativity.

6. More aggressive enemies. I get that this is the first 'real' motion-control game, so they didn't want to make it too difficult. But enemies do a lot of defense and not a lot of offense, even toward the end of the game when they strike in numbers. This is further supported by my lack of use of the shield. I never had a shield break because I barely had to use it, and I barely had to use it because enemies didn't really attack me.

7. Less redundant messages. So many messages recur in the game. Over and over. And without the quick-scrolling (i.e. holding 'A') that we just had in Twilight Princess.

Item collection. You'd think after my 50th Blessed Butterfly, I wouldn't need an explanation. The same goes for return visits to shop owners -- I know what I want, so stop telling me the same programmed message. In the same way that you could use the '2' button for explanations of controls, it would have done wonders to relegate repeat messages to an on-demand button press.
Fi's reminders. Besides what I mentioned earlier, you have to admit that it gets annoying when Fi nags you about low health. You know, in case the constant beeping and flashing red didn't already tip you off. The same goes for low batteries. You can get a surprising amount of remaining play time from you current batteries from the first time she reminds you to change them out.
Mini-game recaps. You complete a mini-game in a certain amount of time. The screen fades out with your time in the top-center. You return to a screen with your time in place. Now, the NPC reminds you -- as the text slowly scrolls by -- what time you scored. Of course, when you don't successfully complete the mini-game, you have to rinse and repeat. Come on, now.

8. On-screen map. While I appreciated the self-assigned beacons, there were so many times that I wish I had an optional map in a bottom corner (like in OoT), as I spent many a time pressing '+' to re-visit the map. Another alternative would have been faster loading times for the map (it didn't seem like that much to render).

9. More memorable tunes. Maybe it's too much to ask in an age of atmospheric music, but I'd even settle for nods to past Zelda themes, in the same way that later games had clips or remixes of their age-old music. Now, it says something that I was able to recognize the sand and fire dungeons in that final dungeon, so I guess that says something, but those were purely atmopsheric, now weren't they? Overall, the music was good and fitting, but not particularly memorable. Frankly, if it wasn't orchestrated, I don't think it would have had much to it.

[Edit, 12/23] Having listened closely to the entire soundtrack, I realized that the music was fairly referential, not just to itself but past games in the series. Characters did have their own music, much like the prevalent leitmotifs of Final Fantasy VI, but I still don't think the music was strong enough. Honestly, as I was listening the non-atmospheric music, usually I'd think 'That sounds familiar', as opposed to, say, 'Oh, that's Fi's theme'. A minor quibble, but I feel they could have done better.

10. Better integration of the harp. The harp was basically OoT's ocarina, except underutilized, not just in purpose but in execution. I remember a Nintendo official raving about how the harp was the perfect instrument for the game because you could pluck or strum. However, as I played the game, all I could ever do was juvenile strumming, so I consider that a missed opportunity. What made the ocarina from OoT so enchanting was that you could play tunes whenever you wanted and just for fun. Yes, it was nice to play along the background music but maybe it would have had a bigger impact if related more to your quest.

In closing, these aren't particularly major gripes, and for what they did, they did a magnificent job. As the Zelda series progresses forward (particularly if it decides to continue building upon its origin stories), it would be nice to see actions b the acclaimed Hero of Time (i.e. you) actually shape the world. I recall games such as Chrono Trigger and Terranigma, which show the progression of time and the change in environment. I'm not looking for some sort of sci-fi time travel scheme, but it would be nice to demonstrate true progression in your (and the world's) growth besides characters simply asserting how much you've grown.

Regardless, this iteration in the series is the biggest leap forward since The Ocarina of Time, and I look forward to seeing how this series progresses.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T01:29:00.000-04:00

The innovator behind Apple has passed, and articles glorifying his life sprung about the Internet like weeds. Rather than offering some sort of poorly crafted tribute to a great man, I wanted to offer something meaningful based on all that he accomplished.

I thought I'd link to some articles I've read that shed some insight on his life beyond the well-known facts about Apple. These are more than just a history of his life (if you want that, feel free to watch the ABC World News special). Happy reading.

His Life

Walt Mossberg: The Steve Jobs I Knew
Brian Lam: My Regrets About Burning [Steve Jobs]
Steve Jobs and the Reserved Seat
Steve Jobs's Life Saving Legacy
The New Adventures of Stephen Fry: Steve Jobs
Sean O'Neal: Steve Jobs Obituary
What Everyone Is Too Polite To Say About Steve Jobs (added 10/9)
On Steve Jobs's Passing (added 10/10)
How My 1971 Article Inspired Steve Jobs To Found Apple (added 10/11)
A Trip to Japan and His Signature Outfit (added 10/12)
A Sister's Eulogy (added 10/30)

His Philosophy

Stanford Commencement Speech [text]
Steve Jobs on the Mac Keyboard
Steve Jobs Didn't
The Best Steve Jobs Quotes
What I Learned from Steve Jobs (added 10/8)
Steve Jobs's Real Genius (added 11/8)
Steve Jobs in 1980 (added 12/15)

Will the video become viral?

2011-08-22T14:50:00.001-04:00

viral video (n.): Viral Videos are online videos which gain mass popularity through Internet Sharing, such as entertainment websites, e-mail messages or suggesting a friend watch it. Heavy.com and Youtube.com are two well-known examples of media sharing websites which contain viral videos. Source: Urban Dictionary

This past weekend, my friend hosted a "Moonbounce Slip 'n Slide Party" (photos available on Facebook).

When you get a get a large group of twenty-something-year-olds together, mischief and mayhem is bound to happen. You also hope you catch the really ridiculous stuff on film.

Well, among the many stunts attempted on our slip 'n slide, we had the following unscripted, unintentional accident, now called the "Epic Slip 'n Slide Collision" (I think the term "fail" is both silly and overused).

Thinking far to well of ourselves, we decided this video ought to featured on those shows that review viral videos, such as Equals Three or Tosh.0. Of course, that requires the video to actually become viral (or at least receive tens of thousands of hits) -- though by nighttime, it had already received over 350 views (not a bad start).

I posted the video to websites that tend to give exposure to funny videos (i.e. Reddit, Digg, Failblog), as well as my personal profile pages (i.e. Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and now here) so I thought I'd provide updates here on how its view count progresses (if it even does). Let's see how it goes!

Fullmetal Alchemist anime convergence

2011-04-10T23:23:00.046-04:00

You may have heard of Fullmetal Alchemist. You may know that the story originated as a manga (comic). You may even know that there are two anime (cartoon) adaptations, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood -- both of which start with the same story but diverge part-way through. Though both were authorized by the original author, the latter is meant to be a faithful adaptation of the source material (which was only half complete at the time of the original anime).

Fans are split over which anime is "better". Like many, I think both have their merits (though I think Brotherhood wins hands down), particularly since the original focused primarily on character development and the consequences of human transmutation, while the newer, more plot-driven anime featured a significantly larger cast that simply could not hold the same amount of backstory. Critics actually claim that since the target audience for the later 2009 anime was mostly the same, they didn't need to tread the same water (and to an extent, I agree).

If you aren't aware of how quickly Brotherhood rushed through plot points, consider the following pacing for the first 20% of the anime series, which summarizes the first 30% of the source material.

PLOT COMPRESSION: Brotherhood vs. the original manga

FMA:B, 1: anime-only episode (it sort of fits between FMA, 13 and 14)
FMA:B, 2: chapters 21, 23-24 (flashback, also works between FMA, 13 and 14)
FMA:B, 3: chapters 1-2
FMA:B, 4: chapter 5 (skipped 3-4)
FMA:B, 5: chapters 6-7
FMA:B, 6: chapters 8-9
FMA:B, 7: chapters 10-11
FMA:B, 8: chapters 11-13
FMA:B, 9: chapters 13-16
FMA:B, 10: chapters 15-16, 61
FMA:B, 11: chapters, 17-19
FMA:B, 12: chapters 19-23, 25
FMA:B, 13: chapters 25-29
FMA:B, 14: chapters 30-31 -- the last episode of season 1 (and the end of any overlap with the first series)

Episode 14 marks the last episode of season 1 and the end any material that overlapped with the original anime. Season 2 began brand new material, introducing Ling and the Xing nation, while slowing down the pace, though at times, time material gets summarized in conversation about off-screen events or flashbacks (or is omitted altogether). For example, the future episode 30 about the Ishvalan Extermination summarizes chapters 57-62.

So if you're a newcomer to the series, how do you cope how the series speeds through the exposition? I decided to challenge myself to determine just how to make the two animes converge, allowing one to experience the fleshed-out character development of the first anime ("FMA"), seamlessly blended into the second ("FMA:B") with minimal contradiction (or plotholes) of critical plot points. Though many may not realize it, filler runs rampant in the first anime, but I like to think that filler featuring recurring characters should remain.

Some details eliminated from the second that I felt added to the first (even if silly) include:

The hijacking of the train (manga)
The alchemy exam -- we see Ed through from the start of his adventure (anime only)
Elicia's birth -- strengthens their connection to Hughes (anime only)
Barry the Chopper's origin story -- adds a more "human" side to him (anime only)
The fall of Yoki at the mines of Youswell -- referenced but not shown (manga)
Black Hayate origin story (manga bonus chapter)
The mystery behind Ed's silver watch (anime only)

Another major difference between the two anime adaptations is the chronology. In particular, the first anime features an extended backstory from episodes 3 through 9 in which Ed becomes a state alchemist (in the later version, Ed has been an alchemist the entire time). For example, the tragic story about a chimera occurs around the time Ed gets qualified. My point in bringing this up is that if one wants to converge the adaptations, certain considerations must be made to avoid plotholes and other points of confusion.

But first, let's see how the two adaptations compare in terms of their plot arcs.

PLOT COMPARISON: the original anime vs. Brotherhood

FMA, 1-2 ~ FMA:B, 3 -- Lior and the fall of Cornello.
FMA, 3 ~ FMA:B, 2 -- the brothers' failed transmutation and backstory (flashback).
FMA, 5 -- the brothers thwart terrorists on a train, introduction of Hughes (flashback).
FMA, 6-7 ~ FMA:B, 4 -- Shou Tucker and the chimera (flashback in the original anime)
FMA, 8 -- pseudo-filler featuring the human Barry, Ed's receives his alchemist name (flashback)
FMA, 9 -- Youswell and the fall of Yoki (flashback)
FMA, 13 -- meeting with Mustang (partial filler), Scar's introduction
FMA, 14-15 ~ FMA:B, 5 -- confrontation with Scar
FMA, 16-17 ~ FMA:B, 6 -- Marcoh and repairs in Resembool
FMA, 18-19 ~ FMA:B, 7 -- the secrets in Marcoh's notes, investigation into Laboratory 5
FMA, 20-22 ~ FMA:B, 8 -- the battles at Laboratory 5
FMA, 23-24 ~ FMA:B, 9 -- the brothers recover in the hospital
FMA, 25 ~ FMA:B, 10 -- Hughes's investigation into Laboratory 5
FMA, 26 ~ FMA:B, 11 -- Rush Valley
FMA, 27-29 ~ FMA:B, 12 -- reunion with Izumi
FMA, 30 -- FMA:B, 13 -- Yoki meets Scar (the only scene that these episodes have in common)
...At this point in the series, the plot diverges considerably.

It's also worth pointing out the filler in the first third of the original anime (i.e. the episodes I left out in the list above). The episodes covered wayward plot points that didn't really contribute to the overall plot, usually dead ends or distractions.

FILLER: The original anime

FMA, 4, "A Forger's Love": Filler about an alchemist named Majihal during the brothers' quest to learn about human transmutation.
FMA, 10, "The Phantom Thief": Filler about a hunt for a cat burglar, Psiren, on the brothers' way back to report to Mustang about Lior.
FMA, 11-12, "The Brothers Elric": Filler about two imposters that have assumed their names while hearing about a Philosopher's Stone that supposedly nears completion. Trivia: This was based on the light novel, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand.

Some say the first anime focuses on character development without cohesion of the plot, whereas the second does the opposite. Well, I think this way you get the best of both worlds. Below, you'll find each suggestion, with increasing amounts of "Brotherhood" footage (and consequently, decreasing amounts of the original anime and its plotholes), along with some supporting details at the break. Each offers more "high definition", at the expense of rushed plot development.

Bridge 1: Reunion with Izumi

Scheme: FMA through #27 (skipping 4, 10-12, 16), then FMA:B #13
FMA: The Elrics and Winry arrive at Rush Valley, but Izumi drags them back to Dublith. We learn about their first meeting as Izumi realizes the Elrics' secret. Meanwhile, Mustang investigates a certain murder before he and his team transfer to Central.
FMA:B: Izumi expels her students. Mustang and his team transfer to Central. Scar recovers and meets his master, before crossing paths with Yoki. The Elrics encounter chimeras in Dublith.
Transition: Some scenes are omitted (being stranded on an island), whereas others are repeated (transfer to central, the chess game).
Plotholes: In FMA, the Elrics are dragged back to Dublith, whereas in FMA:B, they choose to go to Dublith. With the jump between the reunion and expulsion, you never learn about the Elrics' being stranded on an island. Izumi and Ed talk about the "truth", which is only gently alluded to in the original anime.

Bridge 2: The follow-up investigation into Laboratory 5

Scheme: FMA through, #24 (skipping 4, 10-12, 16), then FMA:B #10
FMA: After the incident in Lab 5, Ed recovers in the hospital. Al confronts Ed about his current state but running off. Al encounters Scar, who has been recovering in a refugee camp, and the two go on a rescue mission. Along the way, Al reunites with Ed and Winry, who begin to understand Scar.
FMA:B: Ed and Al are back in the hospital where they decide to return to Dublith and visit Rush Valley along the way. A certain murder takes place and Mustang begins to investigate.
Transition: Since part of the latter half of the Lab 5 incident does not exist in the second anime, there is less focus on the outcome.
Plotholes: The first anime introduces the female Sloth and Barry meets his end, but these are contradicted by the introduction of a different Sloth and recurring appearance by Barry.

Bridge 3: The aftermath of Laboratory 5

Scheme: FMA through #22 (skipping 4, 10-12, 16), then FMA:B #9
FMA: This features the extended Lab 5 incident, including Tucker, Kimblee, and the prisoners. Scar, Al, and the others encounter the homunculi while the military invade the laboratory.
FMA:B: Winry arrives to fix Ed's automail. Al confronts Ed, but they resolve their differences. Scar recovers in a refugee camp.
Transition: Except for the plotholes, this actually has a smooth transition between the two series.
Plotholes: We learn part of Scar's brother's backstory and receive hints about the homunculi's origins, which has different context in the latter series.

Bridge 4: Battles at Laboratory 5

Scheme: FMA through #19 (skipping 4, 10-12, 16), then FMA:B #8
FMA: Scar recovers in a refugee camp after battling Lust and Gluttony. The Elrics decipher Marcoh's notes and decide to sneak into Lab 5. Meanwhile, Scar hunts down the Elrics to Lab 5.
FMA:B: Al and Ed continue their fights. Afterwards, the Elrics are rescued by their escorts, not an entire military force.
Transition: This is a fairly smooth transition, featuring the manga's Lab 5 events (not the extended version found in the first anime).
Plotholes: In Brotherhood, Scar is nowhere to be seen in Lab 5, and Al encounters Barry for the first time with prior backstory. Having Lust kill off Marcoh (when she clearly doesn't in the later series) can prove confusing later on.

Bridge 5: Marcoh's notes

Scheme: FMA through #17 (skipping 4, 10-12), then FMA:B #7.
FMA: After visiting Resembool, the brothers and Armstrong head back to Central to find Marcoh's notes.
FMA:B: The team arrives in Central and find that the library burned down, but they meet Sheska, who can generate Marcoh's notes.
Transition: Pretty smooth, actually, and my preferred timeline. Episode 16 reveals to Ed what he learns on-the-spot about Scar's crimes (in FMA:B, 5).
Plotholes: This scheme avoids the re-introduction of Marcoh (unlike the following scheme), but his implied death from earlier might seem confusing. Furthermore, having his story be the "canon" means that the military killed doctors (in the original material, they were ordered, but didn't carry it out). This contradicts a major plot point, but I think it's forgivable, if you don't connect the dots about who those doctors were.

Bridge 6: Marcoh's introduction

Scheme: FMA: through #15 (skipping 4, 10-13), then FMA:B #6
FMA: The Elrics find and rescue Marcoh from Scar. Marcoh reveals his backstory in the Ishbalan Massacre. Scar battles the Elrics but flees to the sewers when outnumbered by Marcoh, Mustang, and their troops. The military takes Marcoh into protective custody.
FMA:B: On their way to Resembool, the Elrics learn about Marcoh from Armstrong. After catching up with him, they learn about his research. The brothers and Armstrong continue on to Resembool.
Transition: The recap at the beginning bridges the episodes adequately as an off-screen summary. But who really wants to sit through Marcoh's backstory twice?
Plotholes: In the first anime, Marcoh reveals the nature of the doctors' death (which differs from their fate in the newer anime, as revealed later), but if you ignore the hints about their identities, you can pass this by. Also, the first anime gently alludes to the Sloth's origin, which the second redefines several episodes later. However, considering that Scar and Marcoh encounter each other for the first time later (FMA:B, 29), it makes more sense to ignore this "first" confrontation (FMA, 15) that only exists in the original anime. Just rationalize that Scar didn't recognize Marcoh as part of the military.

Bridge 7: The night of the chimera

Scheme: FMA: through #9 (skipping 4, then FMA:B #5)
FMA: Continuing a flash back, after the death of a certain chimera and Winry's abduction (pseudo-filler), the Elrics are sent to investigate Youswell. Flash forward to the Elrics approaching Lior.
FMA:B: Directly after the Shou Tucker incident, the Elrics encounter Scar for the first time. Mustang explains the Ishbalan Massacre.
Transition: The show already jumps around (Lior, transmutation, Tucker, then Youswell). Since the original anime had an extended flashback, you have to know that after episode 9, you're back to present day.
Plotholes: The time (flashback vs. present day), locations (alley vs. house) and cause of death of the alchemist (murder vs. reported execution) vary between the two. Since Ed wakes up from a nightmare, I guess we can chalk it up to being haunted ever since. Oh, and in the second anime, Ed didn't know the chimera had died. Overall, kind of confusing.

My recommendation is to go with the 5th scheme (i.e. FMA through #17, skipping 4, 10-12, then FMA:B #7), though I admit that last scheme has the advantage of featuring the most crisp, high-definition content.

Now, jumping seven episodes into Brotherhood may skip over some (minor) details and foreshadowing points unique to the series (like all references to "Father"), so it may be worth seeing the introductory Brotherhood episodes 1 and 2 between FMA episodes 13 and 14 (since the new episode 2 goes into details not covered in the original episode 3). But that gets kind of messy, huh?

What you then get is the same story from the second with greatest character development possible from the first -- and free from filler! Dince there aren't many episodes, they also all fit on one data DVD, which you could call "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Volume 0". Not bad.

Sources:

Wikipedia - List of FMA episodes, List of FMA:B episodes
Fullmetal Alchemist wiki
Actual show footage

Chromaticism and shifting dominants

2011-01-09T13:25:00.559-05:00

I came across something I wrote up about three years ago while studying music theory in college, so I thought I'd expand on it and share it with the world.

While studying 18th century counterpoint, my professor asserted that when using the diminished seventh chord, one can simply assert another completely diminished seventh chord and use that as a vehicle to move to another key. In thinking about the nature of dominant chords, I thought: why not extend this to dominant seventh chords? After all, the diminished seventh and the dominant seventh only differ by a half-step, and with minimal chromaticism, one can shift to the dominant seventh of another diatonic degree. Taking this concept one step further, I figured that it was possible to convincingly shift from the dominant seventh to the secondary dominant seventh of any of the other eleven degrees of the chromatic scale. After a bit of brainstorming, I came up with the configurations, using the closest possible voice leading (inversions indicated below).

DOMINANT TO DOMINANT

Aligning with the tendencies of 18th century harmony, modulations tend to travel to closely related keys, generally the major or minor key corresponding to key signatures no more than one flat or sharp away. Thus, I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to compare secondary dominant sevenths to a primary key to consider how closely we could morph a pivot chord. For convenience, I used C major (no sharps or flats).

DOMINANTS IN MAJOR (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Summary:

V⁷ with 0 accidentals: I
V⁷ with 1 accidental: II (#1), IV (b7), V (#4), VI (b6), bVII (b3)
V⁷ with 2 accidentals: bIII (b6, b7), III (#2, #4), bV (b2, b6)
V⁷ with 3 accidentals: bII (b3, b5, b6), bVI (b2, b3, b7), VII (b2, b5, b7)

Major mode is pretty straight forward. Not surprisingly, the dominants for the predominants (II, IV), dominant (V), and relative minor (VI, which oftentimes serves a predominant role) are just 1 flat away.

For the relative minor of A, the same chords above reappear, only for different scale degrees. To avoid confusion and allow comparison to the above chart, I'll keep the same spelling but consider the scale degrees with respect to A major (e.g. G = b7, Gb = F# = 6).

DOMINANTS IN NATURAL MINOR (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7)

Summary:

V⁷ with 0 accidentals: bIII
V⁷ with 1 accidental: I (7), bII (b5), IV (#3), bVI (b2), bVII (6),
V⁷ with 2 accidentals: bV (b2, b1), V (#4, 6), VI (3, 7),
V⁷ with 3 accidentals: II (b2, 3, 6), III (b5, 6, 7), VII (b2, 3, b5)

In minor mode, the dominants for the subdominant (IV), neapolitan (bII), augmented sixth (bVI), and subdominant (bVII) are just 1 flat away. As you may know, the neapolitan and augmented sixth chord can be derived from the minor mode.

Now, the above considers natural minor (b3, b6, and b7). If we instead allow melodic minor so that the sixth and seventh are raised and considered part of the key, the counts change around quite a bit.

DOMINANTS IN MELODIC MINOR (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, 6, b7, 7)

Summary:

V⁷ with 0 accidentals: I, bIII, bVII
V⁷ with 1 accidental: bII (b5), III (b2), IV (#3), bV (b2), V (#4), bVI (b2), VI (3)
V⁷ with 2 accidentals: II (b2, 3)
V⁷ with 3 accidentals: VII (b2, 3, b5)

Suddenly, the tonic chord and subtonic chord are directly within reach. It's worth noting that the latter has the dual identity of the dominant of the relative major (oftentimes, hearing that chord in a progression is a good indication that you're heading to the relative, if you're not there already.

Looking at the expansion of the 1-class (having snagged several of the 2-class chords), we now have III, bV, V, and VI available. Ignoring the newly inducted dominant (V), that's an interesting set of foreign chords, considering (1) III and bV don't even make the cut in major, and (1) VI doesn't have much of a role in this mode (usually you'd use bVI for a "six chord"). I say you've got yourself a curious trio of chords there -- III, bV, and VI -- and that's something that I'd like to play around with in future compositions.

Of course, this new scheme isn't that simple, since melodic minor has its own rules, especially with raising the sixth and seventh while moving upward, but lowering them on the way down. Crudely speaking, this scheme only works "half" of the time, if that.

Works of the 20th century started to consider keys in terms of their letter along rather than their mode, especially since they so frequently went through different modes, borrowing here and there. So why not incorporate that idea here? If we were to take the "best of both worlds" approach (i.e. the smaller of the two for any given Roman numeral), we would end up with the following scheme that combines major [M] and melodic minor [m]:

COMBINING MAJOR + MINOR (1, 2, b3, 3, 4, 5, b6, 6, b7, 7)

Summary:

V⁷ with 0 accidentals: I, bIII [m], bVII [m]
V⁷ with 1 accidental: bII [m], II [M], III [m], IV, bV [m], V, bVI [m], VI
V⁷ with 2 accidentals: (none -- all promoted!)
V⁷ with 3 accidentals: VII

It looks like once you use a major-minor key, nearly every chord (less the one tonicizing scale degree 7) can be attained using 0 or 1 accidentals. No wonder Romantic composers ushered in the age of chromaticism.

The above analysis looked purely at a superficial, chromatic relationship of V⁷ of I and V⁷ of any other scale degree. While my professor asserted one could simply go from one dominant to another, I wondered if one could associate a relationship between the two dominant seventh chords, whether directly (i.e. by serving a role in both "keys", such as an augmented sixth chord) or indirectly (i.e. by substituting for another similarly sounding chord, with modified or added tones).

Although one can simply assert the dominant to change the tonal center (without an explicit progression), it often works best to have a functional relationship between chords. By following the tonic-predominant-dominant scheme, one can often produce a convincing chord progression. The introduction of secondary dominants (which also serve a predominant role), allow one to extend the tonal palette to incorporate chords outside of the key with minimal chromaticism (oftentimes with no more than two altered chord members).

In the following cases, I assume we're traveling from the key of I (via V⁷) to the key of 'X' (via V⁷ of 'X'). In considering that we're moving to the dominant of another key, the original V⁷will usually serve a predominant function to the dominant that follows. With that in mind, it's worth expressing the original V⁷ in both keys to see what we have available. Below '=' indicates an equivalency, whereas the '~' indicates a substitution.

V⁷ AS A PIVOT CHORD

Summary:

V⁷ of I = "bV⁷" of bII ~ a bit of a stretch, but #IV resembles a predominant ⁽¹⁾
V⁷ of I = "IV⁷" of II ~ (lower the third) iv⁷ in the key of ii
V⁷ of I = "III⁷" of bIII ~ (lower the third) passing iii⁷ chord to V⁷ in the key of bIII ⁽²⁾
V⁷ of I = "bIII⁷" of III ~ (lower seventh) i⁷ chord in the key of iii
V⁷ of I = "II⁷" of IV = predominant V⁷/V in the key of IV
V⁷ of I = "bII⁷" of bV = predominant neapolitan with added seventh in the key of bV ⁽³⁾
V⁷ of I = "I⁷" of V ~ (raise the seventh) for tonic I^M7 in the key of V
V⁷ of I = "VII⁷" of bVI ~ (raise the root) i^o7⁽⁴⁾
V⁷ of I = "bVII⁷" of VI ~ (raise root) dominant vii^o7 in the key of VI ⁽⁵⁾
V⁷ of I = "VI⁷" of bVII ~ (lower the third) predominant vi⁷ in the key of bVII
V⁷ of I = "bVI⁷" of VII = predominant Ger⁶ in the key of VII

A few considerations:

It's basically a substitution of #IVdim7 (a predominant that can connect IV to V) with #IV7.
Though non-functional, I've seen the use of iii as a preparatory chord for V since they already share two degrees (5 and 7). Now if you consider their sevenths, iii⁷ is moves easily into V⁷, now with three degrees in common (5, 7, and 2). Really, all you need is the root of the iii to move up a half-step to become the seventh in the following chord.
The original chord could tonicize bV directly if you consider tritone substitution, but for the sake of connecting to the V⁷I instead thought of it instead as the neapolitan (bII⁶), but in root position with an added seventh.
The diminished chord on the tonic, though non-functional, can be used as an embellishing chord for the tonic, often found in barbershop and jazz music.
The diminished seventh upon scale degree 7 seemed the easiest manipulation, though it is uncommon within a harmonic function (i.e. dominant) to go from a chord of more tension (diminished) to one of less tension (dominant seventh). Instead, the original V7 as "bVII7" may stand convincingly enough as a dominant, as found in contemporary music.

So what does this all mean? Well, at this point, I'm not really sure. But given that this exploration in music theory deals primarily with dominant seventh chords, maybe it will best serve those who work closely with these types of chords.

Perhaps barbershoppers.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T15:14:00.017-05:00

I thought I'd list my formal resolutions for the 2011. I'll add more as they come to mind.

Read a new book each month. I miss this hobby of mine.
Practice piano every day. I really want to make progress with piano more than anything.
Work out at least once every three days. After those holiday meals, I need to get back in shape.

Other goals for the year, include:

Be more social. I should make new friends and rekindle old friendships. I need to visit friends who've moved away while I still have the money. Also, it's been a couple of years -- maybe I'll even go out on a date.
Pay less attention to video games. I feel like they're making me keep more to myself, since those around me grew out of it a while back. At times, it seems I'm holding onto it simply because it's one of the few things that still distinguish me.
Spend less time idling around my apartment. I can't really warrant wasting so much time on the Internet and watching TV. There are legitimate things that need to be done if I truly want to be independent, and I feel I've been in slacking. Also, I need to get out and go on more adventures.
Enter the next "big stage" of my life. I don't know what that will be yet, but I need to make a major change and be in a different place by the year's end. Physically? Mentally? Emotionally? We'll see.

So do you have any goals or resolutions?

StayFocusd

2010-09-10T08:48:00.009-04:00

I recently started using a Google chrome extension called StayFocusd.

This application has a feature that allows you to limit the total amount of time you spend on time-wasting sites (though I hear the upcoming update allows you to allocate on an individual basis). You set the time (default of 15 minutes), and it counts down the time whenever you load that site. Once time runs out, anytime you reload that site, it simply displays a message in large text: "Shouldn't you be working?"

Other features include:

Specific days (i.e. you can disable it for the weekend, though I haven't)
Active hours (defaults to all day; you can adjust it to a specific portion)
Daily reset time (defaults to midnight; I set it to 5:00 PM)
Blocked sites (block all of a site or specific pages)
Allowed sites (if you prefer to work with an "accept list" only)
Nuclear option (blocks all websites for an independent, specified duration)
Challenge (a difficult typing challenge to change settings once expired)

Some other built-in features, in case you were wondering:

If you increase the allowable time, it make you feel guilty about it (using dialog boxes)
Any changes apply to the next day, so you cannot give yourself more time right then
Once the time expires, you cannot modify the time settings
The challenge, though not impossible, doesn't allow backspace, making it rather difficult
As with any extension, you can allow it to run in icognito mode (by default, it doesn't)
It's free (of course), though they do ask for a donation

As someone who instinctively loads up my browser in my downtime and check on my RSS aggregator, the latest Geekologie posts, popular YouTube videos, or Facebook news, I've found myself easily sucked into the hundreds of fascinating (but ultimately irrelevant) articles that eat up my free time.

Maybe now I can buckle down even more and prepare for the challenges ahead (seeing as how I've subdued my primary time-waster).

Whenever you load a blocked site, StayFocusd loads it for exactly one second before switching to a blank white screen with plain black text and that infamous question (above). Despite the tease, I think it's a rather effective approach to making you feel guilty. I've already encountered it a number of times, and the response of "Swee--aw!" clearly elicits the desired effect.

Learning tracks

2010-08-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

Learning tracks, if you didn't know, are multitracked recordings of songs that help a quartet or chorus learn their music quickly and effectively. From a recreational standpoint, it's just fun to sing chords "with yourself", but from a professional standpoint, it's very useful for other musical groups.

They do take a lot of work (and consequently cost a few hundred dollars), but they're a fun exercise for the producer and usually a treat for the listener if they aren't overproduced or autotuned too much. Unlike, say, MIDI, the notes are provided with words and expression that convey the intent of the song. An added bonus for the "part-predominant" version is that an individual part is usually panned left, to allow one to hear just that part using one earphone or by panning the sound all the way left. It's really convenient if you want to learn music while driving to work!

A number of people I know make learning tracks, and out of sheer curiosity, I wondered what sort of pricing they offered. Disregarding quality, here are the prices for tracks from people I actually know (you can find plenty more by searching for "learning tracks" online).

I've listed them below in descending order of standard pricing (additional fees apply for longer songs, additional parts, or custom arrangements). The two prices indicate the cost for an existing recording, followed by the cost for a new recording.

Tim Waurick: $95 / $200
Simon Rylander: $70 / $160
Kyle Kitzmiller: $65 / $130
Theo Hicks: $60 / $120
Anne Bureau: $55 / $100

Check out the sites above for demos. Many are quite good!

In case you were wondering, as much fun as I have with multitrack recording, I don't ever see myself getting into this business. It's simply a casual pleasure, and honestly, my voice doesn't have the range required to pull off these recordings (as much as I'd like to be I'm simply not a bass).

Geeky nerds vs. nerdy geeks

2010-08-24T08:20:00.013-04:00

Before I get into the main topic, I thought I'd preface it by addressing one of those seemingly endless debates: What's the difference between a "geek" and "nerd"?

SOURCE: JARGON

According to the Jargon entry (top Google result), geek [via]:

"A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of neophilia. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat hacker as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who are in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they (quite properly) regard `hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by others rather than self-assumed."

As opposed to its entry on nerd:

"Pejorative applied to anyone with an above-average IQ and few gifts at small talk and ordinary social rituals."

SOURCE: URBAN DICTIONARY

Unfortunately, I find those definitions less than adequate and far too involved with the connotations. Ironically, I thought I'd take a chance with Urban Dictionary.

(1) A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generaly not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, and etc.

(2) The term now enjoys a special status within the technical community, particularly among particularly knowledgable computer programmers. To identify oneself as a "geek" indicates a recognition that most people still consider programming computers to be a bizarre act, along with a certain fierce satisfaction in being very good at their inglorious profession.... Note: Unlike the word "nerd," which is always pejorative, "geek" often carries a positive connotation when used by one of the group. The use of the term by outsiders is considered insulting.

Whereas, for nerd:

An individual persecuted for his superior skills or intellect, most often by people who fear and envy him.

An 'individual', i.e. a person who does not conform to society's beliefs that all people should follow trends and do what their peers do. Often highly intelligent but socially rejected because of their obesssion with a given subject, usually computers. Unfortunately, nerds seem to have problems breeding, to the detriment of mankind as a whole.

Though I feel the latter set of definitions is more accurate, it's still not good enough. In fact, at this point, I still prefer that Venn diagram featuring geek, nerd, and dweeb.

MY OPINION

Too often, people are quick to assume that you are a geek if and only if you are into computers, programming, and/or hacking -- except such interests only makes you a computer geek. And nerds, while they defy the norm, aren't necessarily inept, as the previous definitions suggest.

I would say that a geek is merely someone with a deep, abnormal (and perhaps unhealthy) preoccupation with a particular topic, whereas a nerd is more academic, booksmart, knowledgeable on many topics, and takes the time to research or read up on areas of interest or curiosity. Superficially, a geek is more about depth, whereas a nerd tends toward breadth (but that isn't clear-cut).

As a prime example, I'll assert that most doctoral students at my undergraduate university are geeks -- you pretty much have to be if you're willing to dedicate all your time to a specific subject. The undergraduate students, for the most part, are nerds, and I'd even claim that characteristic is essential to get into such a high-level school (though that's not to say some aren't geeks as well).

GEEKY NERD VS. NERDY GEEK

So now to get to my intended focus of the discussion. If we consider the above ideas for "geek" and "nerd", how do you distinguish between using them as qualifies for one another?

One of my friends claimed it's a moot topic, and that "geeky nerd" and "nerdy geek" are like Crayola's colours "green blue" and "blue green". But I say fiddlesticks to that! There's definitely a difference, though perhaps subtle.

The term geeky nerd signfies "geeky" as the qualifer for "nerd", which suggests to me that you have a nerd exhibiting geeky tendencies. Taking that into consideration, I say if you've got yourself an all-around booksmart person who pulls away away from others to (an unhealthy) focus on his or pastimes, that's more of a geeky nerd. I'd even go so far to say that it's not something you want to be (but oftentimes results unintentionally). As an example, I'd draw upon several of my fellow straight-A high school students who eventually consumed their time with World of Warcraft or other MMOs during college and later years. Some of my co-workers are geeky nerds (and in general, I'd say all of my co-workers are nerds in general). Oh, and as I said above, it doesn't have to be games. But usually it does involve losing oneself for a little while, perhaps even at the expense of personal hygeine (too extreme?).

A nerdy geek, on the other hand would be a person who, at the onset, has distinct (but not necessarily academic) geeky interests, say, video games, art, or music -- really anything that encompasses a wider range of knowledge and exposure to a particular topic or idea. Over time, this evolves into a desire to learn more than simply "what" but rather "how" and "why". So an interest in video games might transform into desire to program; an appreciation for creating art could become a study of art history; an enjoyment of music could evolve into a career in musical theory and composition.

Perhaps a distinct difference between the two terms is that a nerdy geek would still define him or herself by his very obvious interests, whereas a geeky nerd is more all-around agreeable with several interests, but none that steer away quite as much (less the occasional relapse). Calling back to my crude analogy to university students, your nerdy geeks often end up being your Ph.Ds and your (geeky) nerds tend more toward the MBAs. And even if they don't take that route, they still exhibit the tendencies. Of course, these aren't mutually exclusive. It certainly is possible to be a blend of the two, or to be one for certain and still share characteristics of the other.

Oh, and in case you were wondering where I evaluate myself, as someone who has a strong interest in music and technology and now has one bookshelf dedicated to engineering and another for theory and history, I would call myself a nerdy geek, as would I call my closest friends from school.

So what about you? What do you think?

The History of Grammar

2010-08-18T16:58:00.006-04:00

A fun read from Uncle Orson Reviews Everything (Note: I'm quoting the non-political part because it isn't my intention to include politics on this blog).

After my last column, I got a grammar question from a reader:
"You used 'older than me' in your fifth paragraph; I would use 'older than I.' Which is preferable (correct)?"
The word than is in transition. It was a comparative conjunction, so that "smarter than I" was taken as an elision of "smarter than I [am]." But today this is felt as wrong by most English speakers today, who may be processing "than" as a preposition, so that it needs the objective case. This may not make grammatical sense (though half of grammar does not make grammatical sense, anyway -- look at "aren't I?" and tell me what's going on there!), but when you think about it, treating "than me" as a prepositional phrase is no more or less "right" than treating "than I" as a clause with a missing or imaginary verb.
What's really going on may be part of the process of attaching particles to verbs. Just as we have combined verb and following particle to create "keep on," "keep up," "keep away," "keep out," "keep out of," "keep up with" and "keep down," all of them completely different verbs with little of the original sense of "keep" as "hold fast" (which is why we can end sentences with prepositions, precisely because they are not prepositions at all, but the final particles of multi-part verbs), so also we may be in the process of creating a new version of "to be": "to be ... than" (insert comparative word between "be" and "than").
In fact, so strong is this new verb, "to be ... than," that we have begun inserting the word "different" into that slot, as well as comparative adjectives. When I was growing up, "different" took "from" in America, "to" in England, as in:
"Her taste in clothes is different from mine" (America)
"Her taste in clothing is different to mine" (England)
But in recent decades another form has become dominant:
"Her taste in clothes is different than mine."
The compound verb "to be ... than" seems to be staking out its territory and winning the contest with its rivals.
Yet if "than" has become another "be" verb (as "become" long since did), isn't the use of "me" still wrong? Isn't it violating another rule?
It is, if you still believe the old nonsense about "it is I" being better than "it is me." But Middle English used "it is me," and it shows up in the work of nearly every great writer until the Victorians came up with a rule that had never existed. There is no particular reason why "be" should not take the direct object form just like any other verb, and the "it is I" form sounds hopelessly old-fashioned and elitist in conversation -- except when it's sarcastic!
Most English speakers say "it's me" and "is it them?" and "it was him" without a qualm, so why not "They are older than me" in conversation instead of the snooty- or pedantic-sounding "They are older than I"?
That missing "am" at the end is just that: missing. It isn't there. So why should we choose our pronouns as if it were?
You are certainly not wrong to say "older than I," but in speech it carries with it a sense of pedantry or snobbery or even foreignness (i.e., English as opposed to American). In writing, however, it is far less strange -- so it's really one of the tools you can use to control how formal or informal your writing sounds. In my columns, I aim for a conversational formality, punctuated now and then with bursts of overwhelming erudition. Like that one.
By the way, in case you wondered, here is my explanation of the common use of "aren't I?" in a language where we would never dream of answering "aren't you?" with "yes, I are."
We front the verbs in our questions: Did you? Are you? Am I? But we have gradually come to use the contractables only: Not: "Ate you the sandwich?" but "Did you eat the sandwich?" Not "Come you at eleven" but "Are you coming at eleven?" The confirming questions take the negative -- "Ate you not the sandwich" becomes "Did you not eat the sandwich?"
But that isn't where the "not" was originally placed. It was tied to the first verb in the sentence. Jane Austen regularly writes oddities like "Did not you speak to him?" However, no one in her time would actually have said that. She was merely writing "correctly." Just as we usually write "going to" when everyone actually says "gonna," she wrote "did not you speak to him?" when the person would actually have said -- and the reader would probably have read aloud -- "Didn't you?"
All the "be" verbs had their contractions: aren't, isn't, weren't, wasn't. And the negative (confirming) question ("wasn't it?" as opposed to "was it?") absolutely required them, so these forms were used constantly.
But there was a weird one: "am not," as in "I'm too fat, am not I?"
Most other contractables end with closing consonants -- didn't, wouldn't, hadn't, hasn't, haven't. With a closing consonant, the "not" shrinks into a grunt -- "nt" -- but it constitutes an entire syllable in which the "vowel" is the sound of N.
There were also some contractables that ended with liquids -- Shall, will -- and there the consonant disappears completely -- shan't, won't. Why? Just try saying "shalln't" or "willn't." You can't turn the "not" into a grunt after the L -- you have to put a vowel into it or drop the L. You can say "shallent" and "willent," but then, in rapid speech, the L sound still wants to disappear completely. It's just too hard to combine the liquid with the nasal at the end of the word -- "LNT" -- and so the liquid is quickly gone, and "shan't" and "won't" are now monosyllables.
Then there's "can't," which alone of the contractions survives with a rapid single-word alternative: "cannot." It's obvious why "can't" became a monosyllable -- the N of "can" and the N of "not" became the same N, and the O disappeared in pronunciation. The trouble is that in rapid speech, as we all know, it is hard to distinguish "can" from "can't." "I can't take it" and "I can take it," or "I can't do it" and "I can do it," sound so much alike that to make your meaning clear, you need to have the choice of using "I cannot take it," "I cannot do it."
At last we come to the last contractable: "am not." In the natural progress of a spoken language, a phrase used so often would drift into "amn't," but unlike the case with "can't," these aren't two Ns, which merge into a single one; instead we have an M and an N. Being nasals, the difference between "amn't" and a version of "an't" with the A held a little extra time cannot be distinguished by the hearer. The effort of closing the lips to make the M is going to get dropped, while the lengthening of the A remains.
Along comes the great vowel shift during the Wars of the Roses, and long A (A held for a little extra time) became the sound we have today in "fate" -- the A that "says its name." Long A used to be "faat," or "faht" with the A held longer. Along with all the other long As, the vowel shift happened to the already common "aan't I," so that in many English dialects it became "ain't." This was perfectly correct where it replaced "am not," so that if you said, "I'm coming too, ain't I," you were using good grammar and contemporary pronunciation.
But the retroflex R in "are" is also a liquid, and it also has a tendency to make "aren't" migrate to "aan't" and then to "ain't." (This did not happen in dialects which tapped their Rs instead of using the pure liquid retroflex. In those cases, "are" ended with a closing consonant, not a liquid, and remained a two-syllable word, "aren't.")
Wherever R was a liquid, the natural movement of English would have been to use "ain"t" in both positions -- for "aren't you" and for "amn't I." These are completely natural movements in the rushing of speech. They were never "wrong," though some dialects used "aren't" for "are not" and some used "ain't," depending on how they pronounced R.
Then these contractions happened to run up against orthography: Jane Austen and others were still writing "are not they?" and "am not I?" which everybody knew was wrong because no one actually talked that way. So writers started writing dialogue in a way that reflected natural speech, and the written contractions were introduced, complete with their little apostrophes to show us what was being left out. (Though it left us with absurdities like "won't," as if the original phrase were "wo not," and "shan't," when accurate apostrophizing would require "sha'n't," which is indeed how it was written by some.)
The pedants of the 19th century insisted that it was wrong to say "ain't" when you meant "aren't," though it wasn't wrong, just not the dialect they preferred. The trouble was, they taught it like a rule: "There's no such word as 'ain't'; you mean 'aren't.'" This despite the fact that there obviously was such a word as "ain't," which most people used frequently.
Well, if you decide that the dialect with liquid R should not prevail, then you could replace most instances of "ain't" with "aren't" and no harm done. Except where "ain't" did not mean "are not" at all, but "am not." Then you were doing something very strange -- forcing people who would never say "are I not" to say "aren't I?" The foolish rule tossed out the baby with the bathwater.
We make negative statements in the first person as often as in any other person -- I am not, he is not, they are not -- but we don't ask first-person confirming questions anywhere near as often as questions that require "aren't" -- how many times do we ask "am not I?" compared to "are not you?" or "are not they?"
All that kids were told was, "Don't say 'ain't,' say 'aren't,'" so they replaced it in all cases, even where it was replacing "amn't I" rather than "aren't you." As a result, "aren't I" was said so often that it became the first choice. We learn it (as an idiom) from the cradle, while "ain't' survives among the educated -- which is most of us -- only as a sarcastic hickism.
This is the nonsense that results when people try to impose a rule to expunge some natural part of the existing language. For instance, in the effort to expunge the language of "Me and John are having lunch today," people were taught, "No, it's 'John and I,'" which has resulted in the absurd "Between John and I, we know everything."
There was nothing wrong with using the objective case in declarative subjects: "Me and John," "him and Joan," "them and the Jacksons." The rule in English used to be that the objective pronoun was used when it did not immediately precede the verb. Thus these sentences were all correct in spoken English for centuries, and still are in informal speech:
Me and Joan are going out tomorrow night.
Joan and me, we're going out tomorrow night.
Joan and I are going out tomorrow night.
That was the rule. But somebody decided that instead we should follow Latin rules, and so we "corrected" our language -- to be just as wrong as ever. Now we have the rule that we always use "I" and always place it last when creating a first-person compound, regardless of its position and use in the sentence. The result is sentences like this: "That's what happened to Joan and I on our date." It's every bit as "illogical" as the original, native English way. Oddly, they both often coexist in the speech of the same person!
Anyway, that's the history of why we say "aren't I" -- it's a former pedantry that led to an illiteracy that has now become the rule. That's one way that languages change over time: Idiots, armed with college degrees and a puritanical attitude toward people they think are less smart than them, force a stupid change on the language in order to "improve" it, and end up with no more logic than the language started with.

Source: The Far Right, "Than", and "Aren't I?"

Super Mario Advance 4, World E

2010-08-13T01:27:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, Nintendo created the game Super Mario Bros. 3, hailed as the best video game on the NES (Famicom) console. Over the years, this gem had been remade, first with updated graphics in Super Mario All-Stars (SNES) and then in Super Mario Advance 4 (GBA) with updated gameplay earlier in this decade.

Within this game is a special "World E", which featured a lot of throwbacks to past Mario platformers, from the very first NES game through the later games of the SNES era (and even some ideas that would eventually manifest in New Super Mario Bros. Wii). These features, however, could only be unlocked using Nintendo's e-Reader peripheral for Game Boy Advance (and its requisite connector cables).

Nintendo e-Reader, you say? Yeah, exactly. It didn't sell well (I'm not even sure if it made it state-side), so these "lost levels" fell into oblivion, making this a ~~forgotten~~ well-kept secret. A secret that had you miss out on items including pickable vegetables (Mario 2) and cape feather (Mario World).

But to truly experience the nostalgic glory, you'll need to check out this video by copyRighthunter, who compiled every exclusive feature in action for your viewing pleasure. Even if you haven't played all of these games, it's still pretty awesome. Prepare to be amazed with ten minutes of absolute nostalgia.

Exclusive elements from the following other games are present in World E (no more spoilers, just watch!):

This is how Nintendo made the best retro Mario platformer even better (now if only New Super Mario Bros. Wii adopted ideas like this). Maybe later down the road we can get a port of this game to the console...and with multiplayer!

Harmony University

2010-08-09T01:20:00.008-04:00

Ah, Harmony University -- the most enriching experience for any singer (or vocal music educator).

Having returned from my favourite week of the summer, I thought I'd reiterate why it's still such a great time.

What is Harmony University?
Harmony University is hailed as "the best barbershop experience you will ever have". But what is it really?

In short, it is a retreat in which hundreds of singers from all over the world gather to learn more about vocal music with an emphasis on the barbershop style (with obvious applications to choral and a cappella music). Held on an actual university campus, the "university" consists of multiple "colleges" which have their own classes focused on that area: Harmony College (well-rounded, general studies), Director's College (theory and technique), and Quartet College (individual coaching).

Top 10 Reasons to Attend HU

Learn about a cappella singing from the best barbershop instructors in the land. There's a class for everyone! Theory? History? Chorus? Directing? Coaching? You name it.
It provides a thoughtful, organised, schedule with no pressure. There's always something fun to do, yet it never seems overwhelming.
Re-experience highlights from the international convention. Besides live performances of the champions, you can also watch and discuss footage from the most recent convention.
Rub elbows with your barbershop heroes and icons -- including the international champions and other legends. Forget who won what and does what for a living. You're all here to enjoy yourselves.
Sing as much you want throughout the week. It's guaranteed to improve your singing and vocal technique.
Meet tons of new, lifelong friends. To this day, some of my best friends I met at HU.
Harmony Marketplace. Buy items in person from the catalogue -- from apparel to sheet music -- at reduced prices.
Everyone is just so darn friendly. The staff is amazing and quite accommodating. They really intend for you to get the most out of your experience, and it shows.
All-You-Can-Eat ice cream! The variety in toppings and flavours is astounding.
Completely worth it for the price. Plus there's a discount for people 25 or under. And there are even scholarships available.

Source: HU homepage (with my own additions)

Schedule (in case you were wondering)

General sessions (everyone): on Sunday night and every morning. Each day, they do warmups and focus on one of several songs (sent via mail upon registration).
Classes: Four two-hour, student-specific sessions, Mon-Sat. For variety, Session 3 consists of two one-hour sessions, and Session 4 is a different course Mon-Wed.
Meals: The buffet-style beakfast, lunch, and dinner are served between sessions.
Outdoor barbecue and concert: Thursday night, featuring quartets, as well as choruses with all newcomers. No dining hall food!
Quartet Parade: Friday night concert, featuring all quartets who attended for weeklong coaching.
Chorus concert: Saturday night concert, featuring the youth chorus (< 26 years), directors chorus (all directors attending), honours chorus (advanced singers), with the guest singers being the international quartet champions from the past year. Plus, it's open to the public.

In looking back at my Harmony University experiences, it really feels like it takes all the best things about college (like meaningful courses, worthwhile friends, and insightful conversations) and strips away all the complications (like studying, exams, and priorities). With six full days of fun, it has the perfect balance of length and variety to keep you engaged the entire time.

I should reiterate that it's a steal of a deal for the price. For only about $500 (cheaper if you're under 26), you get a well-balanced schedule of relax seminars, concerts, and general socialising -- and with all meals and housing. They even includes school supplies and linens for your room! Really, all you have to bring is yourself and your belongings.

FFVI: Celes and Locke's themes

2010-07-20T20:34:00.007-04:00

Final Fantasy VI has several memorable themes, but two of my favourites are the leitmotifs (or character pieces) for Celes and Locke, two of the more fully-developed characters.

Below is Celes' theme, whose opening notes continue to remind me of Aerith's theme (FFVII). It's a light, sweet, and somewhat introspective theme, with a couple of leading tone accidentals that make it quite interesting.

Besides the accidentals, I also enjoy how the strings move in contrary motion with the melody in every other measure. That bit of "complexity" is complemeneted with a rather straightforward harmonic analysis. There's the tonic (I), predominants (IV, ii) and dominant (V) chords with a handful of iii's. The iii (the minor chord built on the third degree appears quite a bit here and function as a substitute for the dominant V.

That secondary dominant in the penultimate measure also catches the ear since it's so foreign. After all, a diatonic (i.e. "in the key") chord appearing on scale degree 7 is usually diminished (even more "minor" than "minor"), but instead we have a dominant seventh chord built on that same degree -- which means plenty of extra accidentals. Yet it leads right back to that familiar iii chord, so it's not all that strange in the grand scheme

Now, contrast this with the theme of Locke, the energetic, adventurous treasure hunter, who plays the role of "hero" for our damsel in distress.

This upbeat theme has an even simpler melody, but it also has an extra element with its rhythmic driving force. Though the other theme does some stepwise motion, this theme includes some more in the bass accompaniment and the trade-off during the second half. Though it doesn't do much with contrary motion, it does have some interesting chords (and a key change) thrown in the mix. The bIII and bII, in particular, stand out, as do those few close-harmony chords played by the horns.

What I like most about this theme is its shift on tonal center; it starts off in G major and shifts to F major (the next portion goes into Eb major, and it eventually looping back to G). What it lacks in contrasting motion, it certainly makes up with motion in rhythm and between keys.

Each of these themes have contrasting rhythm, characters, and overall sound, which is probably why it fascinates me when they appear in counterpoint during the end credits theme. Listen for yourself:

First, I thought it's worth mentioning that this final key, Bb with 2 flats, is the "average" of the original two keys, Eb with 1 flat and G with 1 sharp (or -1 flats). A striking coincidence? Perhaps.

Upon closer inspection, the reason why the counterpoint harmony works so well for those overlapping measures is because (1) several of the chords are actually common (though expressed differently) and (2) for the half that aren't exactly the same, their scale degrees overlap (it also helps that the notes between the melodies line up to form appropriate harmonies). To break it down, here is how the chords compare:

Measure

Celes

iii

Locke

Ending

iii7

If you aren't as familiar with chords and their scale degrees:

A triad built on scale degree 1 (I), contains 1, 3, and 5 ("do, "mi", and "so")
A triad built on scale degree 3 (iii), contains 3, 5, and 7 (or "mi", "so", and "ti")
A triad built on degree 5 (V), contains 5, 7, and 2 ("so", "ti", and "re").
A seventh chord built on 3 (iii7), contains 3, 5, 7, and 2

So if you line up a I against a iii, you're sharing 3 and 5. If you line up a iii against a V, you're sharing 5 and 7. As long as your melodies don't have too many disagreeable notes when superimposed, you're in for a treat (especially when the independent lines form chords when they meet).

No wonder it sounds so good. Of course, that's the whole "point" to counterpoint.

What did you think of this more theory-centric entry? Want more? Less? Did I make any typos in the analysis? Be sure to provide some feedback. Oh, and if you're into games and music theory, check out Cruise Elroy.

Facebook privacy settings

2010-07-12T22:04:00.011-04:00

Seeing as how Facebook keeps changing view on privacy settings (and consequently your default profile settings), I thought I'd follow up on a previous post.

The following is a breakdown of my personal settings, with points of clarification, where needed. So let's get started with Account > Settings.

My Privacy Settings (click to enlarge)

List Definitions:

Inner Circle (Inner): You can see my direct contact info and (rare) exclusive posts.
Professional (Pro): I know you on a professional basis and don't think you should track me.
Random (Rand): I have no idea who you are, so you're basically a tick mark on my friend count.

Note: I decided it makes sense to grant additional privileges to the default setting (via "Inner Circle") rather than remembering to remove privileges (via the former "Acquaintances" list). This way I always control who gets extra access to my phone number and mailing address.

Philosophy:

Manage based on restrictions and exceptions, depending on the type of information.
Posts by me should be visible to friends only, or else it might as well be Twitter. Besides, there should be a motivation for someone to want access to your profile.
I use the Professional group for people I'm connected to work but wouldn't call friends -- the sort of people I don't need reading my silly thoughts or judging me.
I don't mind listing my birthday (month, day) for people outside of my Facebook friends as long as I don't include the year. Criminals can do some bad things with all of that information.
There is some data that I have no problem sharing, such as my favourite quotes and website.
The short bio ought to be public in case someone can't determine who you are based on your profile photo or mutual friends. There's no reason to post something inappropriate in that small field.
Associate multiple email addresses if you want to log in through other accounts. However, only make one email address visible -- the one they should use to reach you directly.

You could, of course, tell nothing to Facebook to begin with. But that wouldn't be very social for a social network, now would it?

Edit, 7/12/2010: I thought it would make sense to map it out in a table.

Edit, 8/10/2010: I revised the settings to include "Inner Circle", the complement of "Acquaintances". This is based on the idea of being conservative by default, since it takes an extra step to add friends to "lists".

FMA:B criticism

2010-06-07T17:04:00.001-04:00

In hopes of not coming off as one of those snobs who compares the motion picture version to the source material...

I wasn't thrilled with the way the handled the big reveal about Scar during his fight with King Bradley. In the manga, they ended the (monthly) issue with the big reveal as a cliffhanger (or a climax, as I thought of it), whereas here it was pretty much glossed over it here right before a commercial break.

When I first read it in the manga, I thought, "Oh snap". But when I saw it on screen, all I thought was, "Oh, I suppose that's convenient".

I felt similarly when Mustang was faced with a choice after what happened to Hawkeye. In a previous issue of the manga, it ended month-long way over "What will Mustang do?", but here it ended with: "Fine, I'll do it". Not nearly as suspenseful.

SMG2 really is that great

2010-06-06T23:49:00.000-04:00

I've only played through the first couple of worlds, but I'm convinced that Super Mario Galaxy 2 may be the best Mario game to date (despite SMB Wii's overshadowing figures). In some ways it's the quintessential Nintendo game -- having refined concepts from other trademark series, such as Zelda. Locally, it took everything from Super Mario Galaxy (and its predecessors) and pushed them to the limit. Yet in the grand scheme, it may redefine the very idea of platforming.

Anime without English

2010-06-06T10:41:00.000-04:00

I watched a raw episode of Dragonball Kai (Japanese, without English subtitles) and it occurred to me that I could figure out enough of the plot without the help of the translation. It's that straightforward / predictable / obvious.

That and I have already see the entire original, much longer Dragonball Z.

Review: ‘American Harmony’ | We Are Movie Geeks

2010-06-06T03:45:00.000-04:00

Review: ‘American Harmony’ | We Are Movie Geeks

Smiles and laughs

2010-06-03T23:04:00.000-04:00

I don't do much of either. But I certainly appreciate any person who does them well.

It's complementary!

Allergic?

2010-06-02T23:56:00.000-04:00

I'm either getting allergic to cats...or there's just too much cat hair in this apartment.

Will vacuum this weekend this determine the answer.

What They Do Best

2010-06-02T20:25:00.001-04:00

What They Do Best

2010-05-31T11:40:00.001-04:00

It's so hard to accept that the world won't end if you don't constantly check your email.

2010-05-31T04:31:00.001-04:00

Other favourite phrases I just remembered include: "___ -- my only weakness!" (upon messing up) and "Found it!" (any trivial discovery).

2010-05-31T00:59:00.001-04:00

I like to use certain phrases, such as: "Awesome" (default response), "It's magic" (default explanation), and "Thanks for playing" (default closer).

2010-05-28T21:37:00.001-04:00

I'd never seen so many women who looked like men as I did during my airport adventure today.

2010-05-28T20:57:00.001-04:00

This ordeal alone has made having internet access on my phone totally worth it (considering I don't have my computer and the airport's lack of free wi-fi).

2010-05-28T19:05:00.001-04:00

Arrived a half hour after the (same) plane was supposed to depart. Looks like I'm stuck in Minnesota for a bit longer than I had intended.

2010-05-28T15:22:00.001-04:00

I figured I might as well sleep through the flight. Yet when I woke up an hour into the "flight", I discovered we still hadn't left the runway. Joy.

2010-05-28T12:47:00.001-04:00

The guy in front of me kept complaining about the wait on line. After ordering a ticket, he then demanded the clerk dig up the number to voice complaints.

The Muppets Studio feed

2010-05-28T02:12:00.000-04:00

Occasionally, the Muppets Studio releases a new, entertaining video to its YouTube channel.

I highly recommend subscribing to their feed (link here).

By the way, their latest video is American Woman.

2010-05-27T19:10:00.001-04:00

My kitty now chases thing I fake throw. With that, I guess that pretty much makes her a doggy.

Privacy groups on Facebook updates: meh

2010-05-27T17:22:00.000-04:00

Privacy groups on Facebook updates: meh. Wait, there's a privacy group called "EPIC"? It's the (E)lectronic (P)rivacy (I)nformation (C)enter. Oh yeah, and the article's about Facebook too, I guess.

Test answers

2010-05-27T17:08:00.000-04:00

funny: FUNNIEST KID TEST ANSWERS OF ALL-TIME (via HUFFINGTONPOST.COM): "this is amazing because kids are equally annoying and funny."

Hey -- I Don't Remember You!: The Lesser Known Pac-Man Ghosts - Geekologie

2010-05-27T11:18:00.000-04:00

Hey -- I Don't Remember You!: The Lesser Known Pac-Man Ghosts - Geekologie

Mario Galaxy 2 Soundtrack Hits Japanese Club Nintendo - Wii News at IGN

2010-05-26T15:58:00.001-04:00

Mario Galaxy 2 Soundtrack Hits Japanese Club Nintendo - Wii News at IGN: "Kondo revealed that he's recently come to the conclusion that he subconsciously might have choreographed the game's famous world 1-1 music to how a player might approach the first Goomba attack."

Mother of Chuck

2010-05-25T22:50:00.001-04:00

Crazy idea. What if Chuck's mother is...General Beckman? Wouldn't that be wild?

Edit: After seeing the finale, that clearly isn't the case.

Chuck & Beans

2010-05-24T21:17:00.000-04:00

Facebook: where privacy goes to die.

Chuck & Beans:

Lucky number seven?

2010-05-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

Amidst a certain anime (Reilly knows which one), I just experienced the seven-year time skip.

That was when I recalled the time skip in The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time -- seven years.

And that makes me wonder...is "seven" a special number in Japanese culture? If it were me, I would have gone with a decade. It seems like a nicer, rounder number. And I would argue easier to grasp.

Thoughts?

Investing in What I Know: Video Games

2010-05-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

Investing in What I Know: Video Games: This article basically summarises my thoughts on why I thought to do a tad bit of investing.

Fullmetal Alchemist: (Oh) Brother[hood]

2010-05-24T06:50:00.000-04:00

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has definitely slowed down its pace. My guess is was to keep itself far enough behind the manga at the time of animation. But my fear is that when it does get down to its final episodes (around 68) it may suddenly fly through major plot points in order to cram it into its allotted time, leaving it with an uncomfortably uneven pace.

That said, I'd much rather have what they're doing (dragging out some scenes with a bit extra action and expanding on dialogues and soliloquies) instead of (1) recap episodes, (2) repeated animation, or (3) nonsensical sidequests with no impact to plot. I just hope that the additions get the Arakawa's (manga author's) stamp of approval prior to animation to avoid inconsistencies or contradictions (and likely this is the case, since the conclusion to the original anime was devised by Arakawa, even if it was a bit inferior).

Namco Bandai helping to create textbooks with RPG elements -- Joystiq

2010-05-23T23:31:00.000-04:00

Namco Bandai helping to create textbooks with RPG elements -- Joystiq: It's like the "Manga's Guide to" books, only more expansive.

Entire Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack now on YouTube

2010-05-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

Entire Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack now on YouTube: "Super Mario Galaxy had one of the most delightful, transportive soundtracks of any game in the current console generation, with themes both new and familiar set to a sweeping orchestral score. To show off the sequel's equally impressive accompaniment, a YouTube channel purportedly belonging to composer Mahito Yokota has uploaded every single track from Super Mario Galaxy 2 onto a single playlist. You can listen to it here, though the tracks' names might include a few minor, minor spoilers. If you can suffer those, you're in for a full afternoon of happiness-inducing music."

Family Guy vs. Lost

2010-05-22T19:03:00.001-04:00

I find it rather entertaining that the season finale of Family Guy, "Something, Something, Something Dark Side" (a parody of Star Wars Episode V, which was already released last winter as a direct-to-DVD) is up against the series finale of Lost, one the most watched television show on network television.

Of course, maybe that was their intent (like they've been doing, oh, the last few years) -- you know, not even bothering to try at all.

Facebook notifications

2010-05-22T11:49:00.004-04:00

I spend far too much time on Facebook, especially considering I only have a mild curiosity about what other people are doing.

What doesn't help is that Facebook generates notifications every time someone else comments or "likes" something you've interacted with -- even if you simply chose "like". They really need to make future notifications optional. At times I find myself reading what others posted out of a desire to keep that notification count down to zero (the red is rather distracting).

As I was trying to figure out how to best handle Facebook (since they obviously preoccupied with other issues), I tried to consider ways to stay away without formally disabling my profile (since sharing things with others gives me this twisted sense of self-worth).

I finally decided to adjust my Facebook notifications. Originally, I only received an email for weekly birthday updates, posts on a group wall, in an effort to avoid duplicating the effort of receiving emails and internal red notifications -- but that probably works right into their trap (to keep people logged in and wasting time).

Now I've resolved to increase the scope of the ~~email~~ SMS notifications to a more common scheme. "Sends me a message", "Posts on my Wall", "Comments on my photos", "Comments on a story in my wall" (might need to confirm those last two). For the time being, I'm reserving the more verbose Facebook messages for emails). This way, I'll at least be able to filter fleeting notifications that are truly directed toward me and ignore consequences of the casual feedback I provide.

And it might keep me away from needlessly wasting time reading updates on Facebook.

We'll see how much value real-time SMS messages provides. If it becomes too much of a hassle with my unlimited text plan, then I'll resolve to the more conventional email notification scheme.

The Life And Times Of Yoshi | GameTrailers.com

2010-05-22T00:53:00.000-04:00

Life And Times Of Yoshi (compilation) | GameTrailers.com: Get your Yoshi fix here.

Steak, egg, and cheese sandwich

2010-05-21T13:19:00.000-04:00

What a great combination -- the Venn diagram of the three. You already know steak + cheese works, as does egg + cheese, but when you put them together you have something pretty awesome.

And the place where I had it considers it a "breakfast" meal, so it was under $5.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 review: Nintendo perfects platforming

2010-05-21T12:53:00.002-04:00

Super Mario Galaxy 2 review: Nintendo perfects platforming: "Well. I guess it's time I visit my parents to use the Wii I bought them. Nintendo: Bringing families together."

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review - Wii Review at IGN

2010-05-21T01:30:00.001-04:00

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review - Wii Review at IGN: The game got a perfect score -- 0.3 higher than its predecessor. That just makes me even more excited that I'm getting it on opening day (and as a gift!).

2010-05-21T00:55:00.000-04:00

If I started using this site more to share things I came across on the internet (mainly in my RSS feeds and recommended items), would you still read/visit?

Here's something to start you off: imgur: The Simple Image Sharer

I came to the conclusion that no one was really checking my Google "shared items" feed. This could conceivably consolidate for a [less frequent] blog and miscellaneous feed.

2010-05-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

After subscribing to my own RSS feed (out of curiosity), it occurs to me what a bore it must be for those of who you do actually read it (I guess you're just being too nice and letting me humour myself?).

Maybe I should try and post ideas that are a bit more substantial than, uh, this.

Virtual Shackles - Damsel Envy

2010-05-19T09:28:00.001-04:00

Virtual Shackles - Damsel Envy

2010-05-18T00:02:00.002-04:00

Mario Galaxy 2 preview: bludgeoned by great ideas, surprises: "It's not that this is an astounding game (although, so far, it is), it's that Nintendo makes it all look so easy. It feels like a middle finger to every other company that ever tried to create a platforming game. Not only is this how it's done, but this is how you do it brilliantly without giving a hint that you're breaking a sweat." - Ars

Goodbye, feeds

2010-05-17T20:29:00.003-04:00

If you enjoy silly distractions and don't already read it, subscribe to Geekologie (feeds: RSS / XML).

That said, I've decided to lessen my distractions and stop subscribing to it. I'll probably check out the homepage every now and then, though.

Other feeds I've decided to stop following on a day-by-day basis:

Joystiq Wii - I just can't keep up, though I confess they have some great humour
Zero Punctuation - Timeliness isn't a factor for me, since I don't play the games he reviews

And here are some feeds that I do follow and recommend checking out at least once, if you don't already:

Doghouse Diaries (comic)
Dork Tower (comic)
Fox Trot (comic)
Muppets Studio (videos)
Sequential Art (comic)
Sunday Sweets (photos)
Super Effective (comic)
VG Cats (comic)
Virtual Shackles (comic)
xkcd (comic)

Most of them aren't updated on a regular basis and hardly take time to look over when they show up.

Oh, I've also decided to ~~delete~~ consolidate my Google Reader "shared items" feed (that hardly anyone uses) with this blog (which some use, usually the same audience). I've already started using that feature a bit, and I think it works well enough. Though you may find that some also end up on Facebook, particularly links that I think appeal to the "Facebook audience".

2010-05-17T16:59:00.001-04:00

Seeing this ridiculous post-graduation traffic reminds me why I took the train in today instead of my car.

2010-05-17T11:37:00.001-04:00

Just figured out how to change modes on my cameraphone. Also learned that it's been set to the wrong default mode this entire time.

2010-05-15T10:43:00.000-04:00

A lot of shows have this bad habit of overhyping a stronger character (friend and foe alike). But then they introduce said individual, that person demonstrates strength or abilities that parallel those before him/her.

I understand that it's all relative, but they need to live up to the hype, no matter how ridiculous. In that sense, I suppose Dragonball (Z) succeeded -- either because it just kept getting more and more ridiculous or simply because it didn't constrain itself to ever limiting its plot to single, rushed episodes.

2010-05-15T10:07:00.000-04:00

I'm the kind of person who deletes certain "clutter" posts that Facebook publishes to my newsfeed. Part of it is a concern for not wanting to spam my friends' feed. Another is because of the appearances -- it just looks messy.

2010-05-15T02:17:00.000-04:00

It still bothers me that IGN readers call "shenanigans" in their comments about the specific numeric review for a given episode, rather than caring about their content. First of all, who cares how the numeric score fares overall? Second, who really cares what numeric rating you, the commenter, would have given it instead?

2010-05-15T02:11:00.002-04:00

Interesting twist in the Smallville season 9 finale. I was wondering how they were going to handle that deux ex machina.

2010-05-14T08:44:00.004-04:00

This lost woman asked me for directions. I gave them to her, correct street names and number of stoplights included. Yet I saw her drive off into a dead end at the next light.

2010-05-14T00:14:00.002-04:00

Chuck's been renewed for a fourth season. Woo hoo!

2010-05-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else ever find that College Humor is kind of like a TV show that's supposed to make you laugh, but it hardly ever makes you smile? But once in a blue moon it surprises you -- though just enough to raise your eyes.

Kind of like Family Guy.

2010-05-13T15:07:00.000-04:00

I wish I had co-workers my age whose social activities didn't always have to focus on drinking. Is that really too much to ask for?

2010-05-13T01:10:00.001-04:00

Facebook should have an option such that every time you "like" or comment on a post, you can click a checkbox to receive future notifications for that specific post. And the default setting should be OFF.

2010-05-13T00:03:00.000-04:00

If the character Alex (Ariel Winter) from Modern Family were ten years older, she'd be a pretty cool kid. Bookworm. Prankster. Orchestra geek. All-around nerd. What's not to appreciate?

2010-05-12T23:20:00.001-04:00

Amestris = Germany? Xing = China? Drachma = Russia? Ishbal = India?

No idea about those other countries of Aorugo and Creta.

2010-05-12T20:06:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the only way to shut other people up is to just do what they say. Because they're probably right, even if they're exaggerating about how you're wrong

2010-05-12T00:59:00.000-04:00

Iwata addresses Wii's future and 3DS at investors briefing -- Joystiq: "Iwata shot down the possibility of revealing a successor to Nintendo's home console any time soon, adding, 'we believe there's still more we can do with the Wii.' Sure there is! You can paint it different colors."

2010-05-12T00:42:00.000-04:00

I secretly harbour feelings of ought when claiming them all for naught.

2010-05-11T12:32:00.001-04:00

So many people are limping around the office. It makes me rather uncomfortable.

2010-05-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

"Whereby" vs. "thereby". - englishforums.com. I learned something new today.

2010-05-11T08:45:00.001-04:00

I bet cops purposely wear sunglasses to hide their eyes and seem more like cold authority figures.

2010-05-11T08:15:00.002-04:00

My YouTube autoshare tends to make favourite videos appear twice in my feed. I wonder why.

2010-05-11T06:17:00.001-04:00

I had a dream I was in a healthy relationship with a beautiful girl. I woke up so confused.

2010-05-10T22:23:00.000-04:00

To everyone on Facebook that complains that the "Top News" doesn't list the most recent information, I have two things to say: (1) that's why they have a "Recent News" option, and (2) if you're on Facebook enough that you expect your "Top News" to always be the latest, you're spending too much time on Facebook.

2010-05-10T19:57:00.002-04:00

Whoa, the latest issue of the FMA manga, entitled "The Final Battle" was actually a double issue. Sweetness.

2010-05-10T19:11:00.002-04:00

This week's episode of Family Guy was actually kind of tolerable, possibly because it actually had a connected plot instead of ridiculous manatee jokes. It was very much not the Family Guy standard. I was particularly surprised that the cutaway gags were horrible, yet the plot-related jokes were actually kind of entertaining.

Except the vomit. Could've done without that half a minute.

2010-05-10T01:18:00.002-04:00

So it's kind of funny that the actor playing Clark Kent in Smallville is 33, and yet he still isn't Superman.

2010-05-09T15:55:00.001-04:00

Wawa had a cookies and cream doughnut so I tried it out. Was not impressed.

2010-05-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

I think it's a growing trend that writing ill-constructed status messages with blatant typos, repeated letters, and nonsensical punctuation somehow makes you seem cooler. And for that, I fear for my generation.

What's the point if you can't effectively communicate your thoughts in text?

2010-05-09T10:02:00.001-04:00

I waste way too much time on the internet. No, that isn't a realisation -- I was already well aware. I just felt like sharing.

2010-05-09T00:27:00.000-04:00

In my book, you don't get points for wishing an early birthday on Facebook. Of course, you get points for doing the day of, but next would probably be the day after -- not the day before.

2010-05-09T00:02:00.000-04:00

Amazon.com: Used and New: Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector's Edition. I think they had a typo, since this "just launched" seller is offering the game for $499.99 + $3.99 shipping.

2010-05-08T23:59:00.000-04:00

HD-DVD Player - Toshiba USED: "I cannot say if/how it will play Blu-Ray DVD's. " - Craigslist

2010-05-08T15:03:00.002-04:00

I was considering going to the barbershop Atlantic Division contest the weekend of 14-15 May, but I can't justify spending $35 per head just for one night. Maybe if it were half the price.

2010-05-08T14:25:00.004-04:00

There's a difference between a TV show review and a TV show recap. Why do people on the internet seem to confuse the two? One provides opinion and insight -- the other simply summarises the show.

Oh, and stating the obvious doesn't count as insight.

2010-05-08T12:38:00.000-04:00

I admit that I secretly judge people when they make blatant spelling mistakes on the internet.

My logic is: if I take the time to proofread before I post (or repost) something to the internet, shouldn't they? Especially since many tools have spell-check these days.

2010-05-08T00:52:00.001-04:00

If used improperly (and too frequently), Facebook can be rather a rather depressing tool to use, especially when you note that your friends are out having more fun than you.

That said, I had a pretty swell night hanging around the town's premier "First Fridays" -- which I won't be sharing on Facebook (you can just know that by reading it here).

2010-05-07T08:15:00.001-04:00

People who are naturally quiet and shy tend to make friends of friends uncomfortable.

2010-05-06T16:09:00.002-04:00

I have a softspot for Joystiq Wii's sarcasm. It certainly makes up for IGN Wii's lack of quality posts.

Nintendo profits down in last fiscal year, but not out

2010-05-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

Now that I think about it, it's quite possible that the mystery UPS shipment was a book or game I've really been looking forward to. So until I find out who it is, I can't hold it against anyone who promised they would get me a gift but never followed through with it.

That's no fun.

2010-05-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

If you're going to bother to wish someone "happy birthday" on something as impersonal as Facebook, you might as well take the extra effort to say something a little more impersonal than "happy birthday".

2010-05-05T23:36:00.002-04:00

The next time I do college, I promise I'm gonna' do it the right way.

2010-05-05T23:12:00.000-04:00

So now I know that the actress in this clip of Smallville wasn't actually Kristin Kreuk. Doesn't really surprise me, though.

2010-05-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

If on Tuesday, "May the 4th be with you", does that make today "Revenge of the 5th"?

2010-05-05T13:46:00.001-04:00

The Escapist : Video Galleries : Zero Punctuation : Splinter Cell: Conviction: "If there’s one thing that characterizes [Tom Clancy’s] games, it’s that they always seem to be about someone trying to take over the United States. Speaking as a foreigner, who...would want to take over the United States? It’d be like trying to keep a giant, diseased ape in your apartment that eats money and suffers from life-threatening obesity and constant diarrhea, but viciously savages you every time you try to give it free healthcare"

2010-05-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

How to Send Funny Text Messages ...Eh?

2010-05-05T02:19:00.001-04:00

Just realised my name can be expressed using solfege. That just blew my mind.

"Ra" is the lowered second (half-step lower than "Re"). "Fi" is the raised fourth (half-step higher than "Fa").

FYI, in case you didn't check it out before, the complete chromatic series of solfege syllables is: Do, Di / Ra, Re, Ri / Me (Ma), Mi, Fa, Fi / Se, Sol, Si / Le (Lo), La, Li / Te (Ta), Ti, Do.

2010-05-05T01:43:00.002-04:00

In case you didn't know, I'm the kind of person who puts a lot of thought into each word he types. Which is why I oftentimes end up staring at my words and retyping them (or in the case of Facebook, deleting a post so that I can rewrite it to make it more visually pleasant). Every word has to count. Every word has to matter.