Getting a word in edgewise
And the tail end of the his keynote…
And all that matters this weekend is that we are gamers. And there are 30,000 of us here. Which makes it hard to believe that we are socially maladjusted misfits. But if you run into someone who believes that you are, invite them to play a game with you. Just try not to be a dick when you own them.
So I’m at the keynote for PAX listening to the keynote by Wil Wheaton
His first two sentences involved sucking his balls and telling the anti-video game campaigner [jack thompson] he can go fuck himself.
And it’s getting better from there.
1) okay, so Seattle is awesome. Smaller than chicago, less scary for a cyclist, plenty of vegetarian friendliness, easy access to forests and mountains and places that humans have yet to build over, and an acceptable gay scene … at least from what I can determine on day 2. But, I’m pleased with the social life I’m developing in chicago, and do not want to make the jump just yet.
2) I almost bought ffxi again. On dvd so it would install quickly, donchya know. It’d only be 15 bucks a month, right? And so different from WoW… but nobody to play it with, so pass.
3) Wrath on DHL and (to a lesser extent) Frys. Frys says if you get an order in before midnight it will ship that day. I ordered my laptop wednesday morning for next day delivery to seattle. Frys got the laptop to DHL about 15 hours later. Just past midnight. DHL has since moved it to the wrong facility then to the airfield 5 miles away, where it sat for another 6 hours before it “departed facility” that was 21 hours ago. No status updates since. This was the same company that [had an employee who] stole my apple laptop on its return trip from the repair shop 2 years ago. Hate!
So, as some of you have observed, I believe I have some nonspecific, dire effect on anyone I get into a relationship with. It doesn’t take a shrink, armchair or otherwise, to trace the origins of that one, just someone with a decent knowledge of my childhood.
Or maybe I just fear that it’s true. And as a decent human being I feel the need to warn my would be intimates. The “funny” thing about that one is that my warnings may be a form of self fulfilling prophecy.
Is there a statute of limitations on my disfunctional conscience? Can I get a replacement?
So far I’ve resisted warning off the most recent one, but I still fear.
Hmm, looking at craigslist, seattle housing looks no more expensive than chicago’s and maybe a little cheaper.
How bike hostile is downtown seattle, particularly compared to chicago, pittsburgh, minneapolis, san fran, oakland, or berkeley?
I bought a new laptop with windows pre-installed. Low end of the new laptop market, slightly less processor power than a macbook, slightly better graphics, $400 cheaper than the cheapest mac laptop. Definitely puts my work computer and my old iBook to shame. Also a 13″ for reduced space consumption. Getting it in time for PAX, whee! =)
Speaking of which, who wants to hang out with me while I’m in Seattle? Let me know and I’ll set aside some time. Ciao!
I think the article’s main point is that you can’t go around conducting multiple major military operations with a small army. It rightly notes that there isn’t political support for the draft. Our military is stretched to the breaking point even with civilian contractors. (a.k.a. mercenaries) Q.E.D. We need to reduce the scope and/or number of our military engagements. It’s that or the draft.
I’m of two minds here.
One, I think there’s a lot to be said for mandatory universal military service, with possible substitutions of other types of public service. It gives everyone an appreciation of and stake in the nation’s military operations that they might not otherwise get. It builds communal bonds.
Two, I think of the reasons I was unwilling to go ROTC when I went to CMU. (sexuality was least among them) I don’t trust the political process that runs a soldier’s life. I’m not willing to turn off my own judgment, salute and say “Yes, sir!”
I think they’re both driven by the same motive, a desire for the ultimate expression of force to be employed responsibly.