Over five years have passed since my last entry in here. It feels a bit peculiar that, in spite of all the drastic changes that have transpired in that amount of time, this little achival keepsake of my life has stood frozen in time. Patiently waiting to be rediscovered and dusted off like an old video game cartridge that sifted to the bottom of the stack, ready to be played again.
I'm glad it hasn't gone anywhere, even as I've been all over the place. After all these years of inactivity, it could have fallen victim to a mass pruning by the blogger gods, hackers or spammers, or some other cause of certain death. But it's comforting to finally revisit a familiar dark haven of my own creation, one that still contains such personal significance, and find that it's still very much intact and undisturbed.
I am especially grateful considering how disinterested in the online realm I have become, particularly in the social aspect. My favorite discussion forums I grew up with are either long gone or on the verge of dying. My writing was once very prolific on Livejournal, but only one person I know still uses it, so even contributing to that feels like an especially pointless endeavor. I've got me a tumblr, but it, too, is hard for me to take seriously. I've never had any desire to join in the social networking craze; in fact, it's only made me want to socially regress toward the halcyon days of yore when I and everyone around me was perfectly content to never be tethered to a cell phone.
Besides, so few can even be bothered to send an e-mail or a letter these days, or sometimes even respond to a note, or a text that says something along the lines of "hey, I'm still alive, are you?" The general lapse in communication even amongst old friends has been largely disappointing, even though I'm sure my greatly diminished internet presence may have something to do with it. But, my phone number and e-mail have been exactly the same for years, so I'm still trying to come to terms with the scarcity of others, how much is real and how much is imagined, and whether I should ever take any of it personally or if it's just happening to most of us.
Actually, I've been craving for a quiet, cozy space to write like I used to, expressing thoughts and ideas in proper English with greater than 140 characters per post. I would very much like to publish using my allegedly antiquated desktop computing device and similarly old-fashioned indifference toward likes, feeds, and followers. Yet, at this point, I'm beyond starting over from scratch with another new blog, and just writing paragraphs into word files and saving them isn't as satisfying, for some reason.
So in a way, this very blog of mine and my photo gallery feel like the last surviving online holdouts that bear any real meaning for me. I feel strongly compelled to cease neglecting either of them. Just as I end up with thousands of new photographs I've taken every year, I also have novels worth of material I could write about, mostly life experiences, observations, and musings. It's just a matter of setting aside the time and getting back into the habit of writing many of them down as I used to do.
Here's hoping. Toodles.
Aug 4, 2014
Jun 27, 2009
the cretins cloning and feeding
Let me just clear something up right now: I don't hate humans.
As a matter of fact, I enjoy human inventions such as baseball, video games, and the craft of taking carefully composed and deliberate still images of places I've been, and there are quite a few humans in particular who have earned my admiration. The problem is that there are too many people and not enough room for all their stupid bullshit, not to mention the unreasonably excessive amount of offspring many of them choose to have. Humanity as a species would be done a favor if more individuals thought of how many resources the average human being consumes and its impact on the planet that sustains us before squeezing out little shits left and right as if counting little pigges on their toes. I love how the media just flocks to Octomom, as if littering the planet with her larvae is something worthy of the attention of anyone besides the humane society. Personally, stories like that makes me wish for a pandemic that does nothing to the population but leave 90 percent of it sterile. We'd all get along much better with each other and everything else if there was only one-tenth of us.
As a matter of fact, I enjoy human inventions such as baseball, video games, and the craft of taking carefully composed and deliberate still images of places I've been, and there are quite a few humans in particular who have earned my admiration. The problem is that there are too many people and not enough room for all their stupid bullshit, not to mention the unreasonably excessive amount of offspring many of them choose to have. Humanity as a species would be done a favor if more individuals thought of how many resources the average human being consumes and its impact on the planet that sustains us before squeezing out little shits left and right as if counting little pigges on their toes. I love how the media just flocks to Octomom, as if littering the planet with her larvae is something worthy of the attention of anyone besides the humane society. Personally, stories like that makes me wish for a pandemic that does nothing to the population but leave 90 percent of it sterile. We'd all get along much better with each other and everything else if there was only one-tenth of us.
Jun 9, 2009
Geology rocks and space matters.
I received news that Gemini Observatory is shutting down for the entire month of July for telescope mirror resurfacing. I guess it's an annual tradition, since they did the same last year. Keck has one laser run in the month, but it's only six days long, and I would be given merely a fraction of those days to work. Looks like it would be the ideal month to jump on a plane and escape from the utter monotony and familial tension for a few weeks, since I wouldn't be missing out on hardly anything around here.
Another observatory, Subaru, is just starting to work out the kinks in their adaptive optics system. Ever since the 'Big One' of '06 destroyed their sensitive laser, they've been trying to g6et it going again. Whenever they do start operating the laser again, that could translate to more work available throughout the months.
It is also looking more likely that the Thirty Meter Telescope will be sited on the summit of Mauna Kea, right near the other observatories. This behemoth would take awhile to build, but it would introduce a significant amount of jobs both through the construction phase and in the form of research and maintenance positions. Of course, there are the usual native Hawaiian activists trying to fight it from defiling their sacred mountain, but the EIS draft suggests they won't have much to justify their argument. I can understand their point of view, but it's not as if they would be razing sacred temples or denuding hundreds of acres of pristine forest. The summit is hardly anything more than a huge pile of brown volcanic rocks, and I'm sure the ancient spirits residing at the summit can co-exist with another research facility occupying such a minuscule portion of their vast territory. If not, well, they'll just have to take over and scare all the astronomers back to sea level.
Mauna Kea is dormant, not extinct. Perhaps it could erupt again in my lifetime, but not nearly as likely as the neighboring volcano Mauna Loa. For now, it is at once the past of this island's creation and the future of astral discovery.
Another observatory, Subaru, is just starting to work out the kinks in their adaptive optics system. Ever since the 'Big One' of '06 destroyed their sensitive laser, they've been trying to g6et it going again. Whenever they do start operating the laser again, that could translate to more work available throughout the months.
It is also looking more likely that the Thirty Meter Telescope will be sited on the summit of Mauna Kea, right near the other observatories. This behemoth would take awhile to build, but it would introduce a significant amount of jobs both through the construction phase and in the form of research and maintenance positions. Of course, there are the usual native Hawaiian activists trying to fight it from defiling their sacred mountain, but the EIS draft suggests they won't have much to justify their argument. I can understand their point of view, but it's not as if they would be razing sacred temples or denuding hundreds of acres of pristine forest. The summit is hardly anything more than a huge pile of brown volcanic rocks, and I'm sure the ancient spirits residing at the summit can co-exist with another research facility occupying such a minuscule portion of their vast territory. If not, well, they'll just have to take over and scare all the astronomers back to sea level.
Mauna Kea is dormant, not extinct. Perhaps it could erupt again in my lifetime, but not nearly as likely as the neighboring volcano Mauna Loa. For now, it is at once the past of this island's creation and the future of astral discovery.
May 8, 2009
Everything grows here
Last night I decided to trek around my immediate neighborhood on foot. It's a complete ghost town for most of the night, but the advantage is no cars and their night vision-killing headlights to worry about. Just utter tranquility and solitude in a beautiful tropical mountainscape, as green and lush as ever thanks to all the rain that fell throughout the winter. I made my way up the ironwood tree-lined road until I reached the irrigation canal which leads several miles into deeper wilderness. Followed it through a densely forested gulch, across a wooden flume, and over someone's backyard or two in a sneaky manner. Explored a plant nursery for a bit, took a self-guided tour through a mostly empty and incredibly expansive greenhouse, and headed down another heavily wooded road leading down into the valley and rejoining the canal. Since a long underground tunnel linked where I had gotten to with the flume I had crossed, and the water flowing through it was only up to my knees, I opted to just switch on my flashlight and follow the tunnel back.
I definitely savored the evening, though. Nature's air-conditioning was on and the breeze through the trees was pleasant. Not only felt pleasant, but sounded euphonious in the treetops as a gently cascading waterfall. The fallen pine-like leaves of the ironwood trees richly carpeted the ground, making it entirely conducive for wandering around shoeless. And of course the moon was shining brightly through an atmosphere of orographic clouds racing by several hundred feet above me, at times completely obscuring the sky and painting a ceiling of luminous silver. My idea of paradise.
Even after living here so long, I still don't take the scenery for granted. The drive to work is simply amazing. Over a mountain of green grassy hills and cloud forests, through a misty mountain town with rustic charm and an ever purifying crisp wind, giving way to a region of mostly barren cattle pastures of brown grass and sad-looking wilted trees (with which a little imagination could easily resemble somewhere in bumfuck Texas). Then up through fog-drenched upperlands which more resembles Ireland, with farm houses perched on hills of lush green, over a crest into upper elevation desert with a "lovely" Army base accentuating the worthless wasteland, then scaling above the clouds to a lifeless tundra landscape over 13,000 feet above sea level, where distant mountain summits appear as islands peering up from a sea of clouds. Watching the full moon rise above that celestial ocean at twilight was a spectacular sight, as were the wisps of clouds rising off the summit at sunset, a bright fiery orange that appeared as if someone had over-saturated them using Photoshop.
I definitely savored the evening, though. Nature's air-conditioning was on and the breeze through the trees was pleasant. Not only felt pleasant, but sounded euphonious in the treetops as a gently cascading waterfall. The fallen pine-like leaves of the ironwood trees richly carpeted the ground, making it entirely conducive for wandering around shoeless. And of course the moon was shining brightly through an atmosphere of orographic clouds racing by several hundred feet above me, at times completely obscuring the sky and painting a ceiling of luminous silver. My idea of paradise.
Even after living here so long, I still don't take the scenery for granted. The drive to work is simply amazing. Over a mountain of green grassy hills and cloud forests, through a misty mountain town with rustic charm and an ever purifying crisp wind, giving way to a region of mostly barren cattle pastures of brown grass and sad-looking wilted trees (with which a little imagination could easily resemble somewhere in bumfuck Texas). Then up through fog-drenched upperlands which more resembles Ireland, with farm houses perched on hills of lush green, over a crest into upper elevation desert with a "lovely" Army base accentuating the worthless wasteland, then scaling above the clouds to a lifeless tundra landscape over 13,000 feet above sea level, where distant mountain summits appear as islands peering up from a sea of clouds. Watching the full moon rise above that celestial ocean at twilight was a spectacular sight, as were the wisps of clouds rising off the summit at sunset, a bright fiery orange that appeared as if someone had over-saturated them using Photoshop.
May 6, 2009
Reaching out farther apart
I'm not a fan of this "social networking" phenomenon. I can hardly go a day in the presence of others without hearing the terms "facebooking" or "twittering" being flung around as if they have already become verbs assimilated into traditional English. Even at work, I feel like I'm surrounded by twittering twits and myspace cadets. It's actually kind of an amusing and fascinating scene up here at the Gemini observatory. All four of us sitting side by side at three long tables joined together, each of us with our noses buried in our respective laptops for most of the night, carrying out our own specialized long-distance communications while barely paying attention to what's happening on either side of us.
I think that accurately symbolizes of the irony of the online social networking explosion. Supposedly it helps us meet all sorts of new people from all around the world with ease and forge valuable friendships and social networks. Why, it virtually eliminates the need to head outside and meet people in the real world, as in coffee shops, bookstores, or dog parks! The initial mainstreaming of the world wide web and e-mail was only the beginning; now sites like facebook, myspace, and who knows how many dozens of other knockoffs automate things even further and make it even easier for people to remain in the privacy of their homes while meeting people from around the world.
The advantage to this pervasiveness of social inter-connectivity through virtual means is that the world now seems smaller than ever. People who interact globally obviously have much broader cultural horizons than those who don't. It is easier than ever to meet people who you know share many things in common with you before you even speak to them for the first time.
The drawback is that it's turning more and more people into recluses who couldn't tell you who their next door neighbor is because they're too busy having their noses buried in their monitors for several hours a day rather than interacting with real people in their own neighborhood. The sense of local community and community involvement becomes increasingly eroded. Decades ago, shy people were forced to overcome their social anxieties to do a banking transaction, to submit a resume, to find a potential friend for companionship. The fact that all of that can be done online now must certainly be comforting to social recluses, but it can also make them overly dependent on technology for happiness. With tools that allow them to prolong confronting their anxieties and aggressively seeking psychiatric treatment, perhaps indefinitely, they may be doing more harm to themselves then they realize. As we become increasingly connected through wires, we become more and more distanced from each other in the flesh. I don't think I like the way that's heading.
At any rate, I have no interest personally in social networking sites, probably because I'm just not that interested in meeting a bunch of people.
I think that accurately symbolizes of the irony of the online social networking explosion. Supposedly it helps us meet all sorts of new people from all around the world with ease and forge valuable friendships and social networks. Why, it virtually eliminates the need to head outside and meet people in the real world, as in coffee shops, bookstores, or dog parks! The initial mainstreaming of the world wide web and e-mail was only the beginning; now sites like facebook, myspace, and who knows how many dozens of other knockoffs automate things even further and make it even easier for people to remain in the privacy of their homes while meeting people from around the world.
The advantage to this pervasiveness of social inter-connectivity through virtual means is that the world now seems smaller than ever. People who interact globally obviously have much broader cultural horizons than those who don't. It is easier than ever to meet people who you know share many things in common with you before you even speak to them for the first time.
The drawback is that it's turning more and more people into recluses who couldn't tell you who their next door neighbor is because they're too busy having their noses buried in their monitors for several hours a day rather than interacting with real people in their own neighborhood. The sense of local community and community involvement becomes increasingly eroded. Decades ago, shy people were forced to overcome their social anxieties to do a banking transaction, to submit a resume, to find a potential friend for companionship. The fact that all of that can be done online now must certainly be comforting to social recluses, but it can also make them overly dependent on technology for happiness. With tools that allow them to prolong confronting their anxieties and aggressively seeking psychiatric treatment, perhaps indefinitely, they may be doing more harm to themselves then they realize. As we become increasingly connected through wires, we become more and more distanced from each other in the flesh. I don't think I like the way that's heading.
At any rate, I have no interest personally in social networking sites, probably because I'm just not that interested in meeting a bunch of people.
May 2, 2009
The flavor has left the building
I'm working on constructing a 3-disc ultimate video game music compilation. Since I'm so meticulous with making mixes, it's going to take me awhile, but I may post the results when I'm done.
1991-1998 was the true Golden Age of Gaming in my mind. I remember being such an avid gamer who got so excited to finally hold the shrink-wrapped box of a long-anticipated game in his paws for the first time. I would test myself to see how long I could go without tearing into it like a hungry pup lunges after a Beggin' strip. I pretty much flipped out when I held my brand new copy of Yoshi's Island one Christmas. I was also in the habit of reading monthly video game publications cover to cover. I was even a member of the Nintendo Power Super Power Club and collected all sorts of nifty trading cards and pogs.
I wish I could experience anywhere near the same passion for gaming today as I did then. It used to be so much fun. Now I have pretty much no interest in playing any console that isn't Nintendo, and even the Wii doesn't excite me that much. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing it and am still looking forward to being able to afford more games for it soon, but I just can't be nearly as passionate about the hobby as I was 15 years ago, when video games were such a humongous part of my weird, wild world. In the present, I find myself paying very little attention to modern games, instead spending my time digging up soundtracks, pictures, and whatever odd little virtual trinkets or material collectibles relating to games from the golden age. That seems to give me much more satisfaction than trying to enjoy myself (and failing) by playing grand theft auto or whatever all today's little kids consider the "best game evar." As far as gaming is concerned, I think I would like to remain stuck in the past. Linked to the past, if you will. At least there is the occasional 'niche' game that piques my interest. Like Okami, for instance. Not too many games out there let you play as a wolf god who can do everything ranging from urinating on demons to smiting townspeople with a bolt of lightning at will. I suppose Wii is a very niche system, too, which is probably why it appeals to such niche gamers like myself. (I rather enjoy saying the word "niche.") I know my heart will always remain with Nintendo, bless them and their continued success.
If I had to pick just one game that epitomizes the golden age of video gaming for me, it would have to be a Super Nintendo title, because the SNES will always stand in my mind as the best console ever. It's all gone downhill since then. Narrowing my selection down to just one game with so many wonderful titles to choose from is difficult, but I believe I'll go with Super Mario RPG. Everything about the game is perfect. Unlike so many typical serious RPG's that tend to play out like a soap opera with so many heavy-hearted tragical moments, it hardly takes itself seriously and is full of delightful humor. The characters, even aside from the sexy beast that is Bowser, are lovable and very original. Where else are you going to play as a talking marshmallow-like creature who makes it rain when he cries, or some kid's wooden doll who comes to life by the power of the stars? The entire game blends plenty of creativity and innovation with the lush, colorful worlds that typify Mario games, and tosses in all sorts of nostalgia-inducing throwback Mario moments. Listening to the soundtrack for the game the other night reminded me just how fabulous the musical score is... so many euphonious tunes that make the game even more beautiful. And best of all, it's FUN. This game is the epitome of fun. If you've never played it before, I'm going to sit you down, tie you to the chair, and make you. ...Play the game, I mean.
The closest honorable mentions are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Earthbound and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. A could write a novel about how great those two games are as well, for many of the same reasons as mentioned above.
I know I've mentioned this a few times before, but once again I'm left wondering whether I've outgrown gaming or gaming outgrew me. I'm willing to bet it's more the latter, since I managed to enjoy the heck out of Super Mario Galaxy, as frustrating as the play control it could be at times (damn lack of gravity!). What I see most "adults" playing these days doesn't look appealing to me at all. I don't decline to play Call of Duty at work with "the boys" to be antisocial, but I tried it once and I knew I could never grow to like games like that one bit. Gaming is hardly the only thing that I can't enjoy nearly as much as I did as a cub. There used to be so many cool messy shows and great cartoons on Nickelodeon, and now almost all their programming is utter crap. Cartoons in general these days can't even come close to matching the splendor of those in the early to mid-90's. And another thing that seems to suck much more now compared to yesteryear is LEGO. Out of curiosity I browsed the toy section at Wal-Mart the other day, noting their LEGO collection mostly consisted of Star Wars and Indiana Jones-themed garbage. Even popular music seems tragically bad now compared to two decades ago.
What gives? Is it merely my childhood nostalgia making everything seem much worse than it used to be, or is everything really that much worse today? Once again, I do believe it's the latter, but I'm not quite sure. Maybe I would have had an even more enjoyable childhood if I was a kid in the 60's and 70's or even earlier than that... but I can say with certitude that I'm glad I didn't have to be a little squirt in this decade, because things that have gotten a whole hell of a lot crappier. But hey, if they don't know what they missed, it can't hurt them.
Oh, why didn't anyone tell me there was a Chocobo kart racing game released 10 years ago? I read the play mechanics are pretty terrible, but still, Chocobo... racing... aww.
1991-1998 was the true Golden Age of Gaming in my mind. I remember being such an avid gamer who got so excited to finally hold the shrink-wrapped box of a long-anticipated game in his paws for the first time. I would test myself to see how long I could go without tearing into it like a hungry pup lunges after a Beggin' strip. I pretty much flipped out when I held my brand new copy of Yoshi's Island one Christmas. I was also in the habit of reading monthly video game publications cover to cover. I was even a member of the Nintendo Power Super Power Club and collected all sorts of nifty trading cards and pogs.
I wish I could experience anywhere near the same passion for gaming today as I did then. It used to be so much fun. Now I have pretty much no interest in playing any console that isn't Nintendo, and even the Wii doesn't excite me that much. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing it and am still looking forward to being able to afford more games for it soon, but I just can't be nearly as passionate about the hobby as I was 15 years ago, when video games were such a humongous part of my weird, wild world. In the present, I find myself paying very little attention to modern games, instead spending my time digging up soundtracks, pictures, and whatever odd little virtual trinkets or material collectibles relating to games from the golden age. That seems to give me much more satisfaction than trying to enjoy myself (and failing) by playing grand theft auto or whatever all today's little kids consider the "best game evar." As far as gaming is concerned, I think I would like to remain stuck in the past. Linked to the past, if you will. At least there is the occasional 'niche' game that piques my interest. Like Okami, for instance. Not too many games out there let you play as a wolf god who can do everything ranging from urinating on demons to smiting townspeople with a bolt of lightning at will. I suppose Wii is a very niche system, too, which is probably why it appeals to such niche gamers like myself. (I rather enjoy saying the word "niche.") I know my heart will always remain with Nintendo, bless them and their continued success.
If I had to pick just one game that epitomizes the golden age of video gaming for me, it would have to be a Super Nintendo title, because the SNES will always stand in my mind as the best console ever. It's all gone downhill since then. Narrowing my selection down to just one game with so many wonderful titles to choose from is difficult, but I believe I'll go with Super Mario RPG. Everything about the game is perfect. Unlike so many typical serious RPG's that tend to play out like a soap opera with so many heavy-hearted tragical moments, it hardly takes itself seriously and is full of delightful humor. The characters, even aside from the sexy beast that is Bowser, are lovable and very original. Where else are you going to play as a talking marshmallow-like creature who makes it rain when he cries, or some kid's wooden doll who comes to life by the power of the stars? The entire game blends plenty of creativity and innovation with the lush, colorful worlds that typify Mario games, and tosses in all sorts of nostalgia-inducing throwback Mario moments. Listening to the soundtrack for the game the other night reminded me just how fabulous the musical score is... so many euphonious tunes that make the game even more beautiful. And best of all, it's FUN. This game is the epitome of fun. If you've never played it before, I'm going to sit you down, tie you to the chair, and make you. ...Play the game, I mean.
The closest honorable mentions are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Earthbound and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. A could write a novel about how great those two games are as well, for many of the same reasons as mentioned above.
I know I've mentioned this a few times before, but once again I'm left wondering whether I've outgrown gaming or gaming outgrew me. I'm willing to bet it's more the latter, since I managed to enjoy the heck out of Super Mario Galaxy, as frustrating as the play control it could be at times (damn lack of gravity!). What I see most "adults" playing these days doesn't look appealing to me at all. I don't decline to play Call of Duty at work with "the boys" to be antisocial, but I tried it once and I knew I could never grow to like games like that one bit. Gaming is hardly the only thing that I can't enjoy nearly as much as I did as a cub. There used to be so many cool messy shows and great cartoons on Nickelodeon, and now almost all their programming is utter crap. Cartoons in general these days can't even come close to matching the splendor of those in the early to mid-90's. And another thing that seems to suck much more now compared to yesteryear is LEGO. Out of curiosity I browsed the toy section at Wal-Mart the other day, noting their LEGO collection mostly consisted of Star Wars and Indiana Jones-themed garbage. Even popular music seems tragically bad now compared to two decades ago.
What gives? Is it merely my childhood nostalgia making everything seem much worse than it used to be, or is everything really that much worse today? Once again, I do believe it's the latter, but I'm not quite sure. Maybe I would have had an even more enjoyable childhood if I was a kid in the 60's and 70's or even earlier than that... but I can say with certitude that I'm glad I didn't have to be a little squirt in this decade, because things that have gotten a whole hell of a lot crappier. But hey, if they don't know what they missed, it can't hurt them.
Oh, why didn't anyone tell me there was a Chocobo kart racing game released 10 years ago? I read the play mechanics are pretty terrible, but still, Chocobo... racing... aww.
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