Category: Media

Violence and Video Games

People keep trying to sue to stop violent video games, and the courts in the US keep bitch slapping them.  Scanged from Slashdot.org.

 

Judge Richard A. Posner: ‘Violence has always been and remains a central interest of humankind and a recurrent, even obsessive theme of culture both high and low … It engages the interest of children from an early age, as anyone familiar with the classic fairy tales collected by Grimm, Andersen, and Perrault are aware. To shield children right up to the age of 18 from exposure to violent descriptions and images would not only be quixotic, but deforming; it would leave them unequipped to cope with the world as we know it.'”

Elly’s journey

My friend Elly is the subject of a ten minute documentary about her recovery from bipolar illness. As I have seen her in a very bad way, and been her friend over 20 years, and I conveniently live in Vancouver, I got elected to talk a bit about the difference between then and now. Frankly, she’s not the same person, and everybody’s really happy about that, especially Elly.
Recovery from mental illness is not always possible. It is not easy to have enough insight to start working on it. Step one, take responsibility for it. Step two, learn to cope with stress and learn what your triggers are. Step three, eatrightexercisemeditate&sleep. Step four, let people into your life who support your recovery with open arms, and move away from people who don’t support your recovery – without taking on a big load of grief or guilt. Rinse. Repeat. The steps are simple. Doing it is backbreaking work. I’d like to point out the link to her website here, commercial plug.
The energy level, sincerity and professionalism of the VFS students making the film was a palpable thing – I got a contact high hanging out with them.

And one of them showed me a Youtube video he made. It was SO GOOD! I think I’ll watch it again. It’s called Making me Nervous, and the band is called Brad Sucks.

Hurry weekend

My weekend started with me sitting ON MY BALCONY – literally the first time since I moved in that I sat on the balcony with somebody – and drinking panty remover, which is the nicest thing you can call Mike’s Hard Cranberry lemonade (note to self, bleaaaagh) with a friend.  Fortunately there’s a big jug of fruit juice.  And soon, the salad with hard cooked eggs.
The rest of the weekend hasn’t happened yet.

Katie’s birth certificate FINALLY ARRIVED.  Note how I’ve kept my cakehole shut, because this situation has had me in seizures since the last time I complained of it here.

Other matters remain undecided and likewise sidewise.  I should make phone calls.  Apparently I’m helping with a documentary next week.  More details as they become available.

Also, Sin City.  It’s been an age since I went, and it should be peerlessly entertaining.

Also, I’m thinking of maybe finally buying a television.

I think I’ll finish rewatching Meet the Feebles. I got … uh … distracted, the last time I tried to watch it.

oo! oo! oo!

Primate grunts and hoots!  Trevor loaned me a copy of Meet the Feebles AND Bad Taste!  I can feel an evening of serious video coming on!  My place, Friday!!!  Man, there’s nothing like having ex-pat Kiwis working with you.

And in other Kiwi news, Tanya’s hubbbay has got his papers and can legally work here.  Woo hoo!  Time to have a hangi!!! 

Fan boy freakout

It was with a certain resigned annoyance that I had to listen  to Keith’s tirade about everything that was wrong with the fifth Harry Potter movie.  I paid for it, after all.  Finally I told him to go away, thinking that he would have perhaps have calmed down when I see him again tomorrow.  He bumped into me and Katie later and apologized by handing over a can of V8, which I have to admit served better than an apology in many respects.  Katie and I much enjoyed it, thanks.  A lot of the little touches were exactly right.

“It’s a franchise cash cow – some movies are better left unmade – honk, snort, woof.”

Slick

Installed a new Canon printer/scanner/copier this morning – everything worked slick once I figured out where to put the ink cartridges.  The first picture I printed was Katie’s beautiful grad photo.  Thanks Paul for enabling this purchase to happen.  We had a LOVELY time eating dinner on the back deck at Planet Bachelor last night and stopped over briefly at Suzanne’s to admire her gorgeous new apartment in New West.

I am doing something I have never done at work since the day I started here.

I am sleeveless. 

I have found a videographer to do my Youtube video.  Oh, I guess I didn’t mention that.  I guess I’m in planning stages, but the Tapioca Song belongs to the world – and Youtube is the world.