So, yes, I play video games. Fallout 3 is an excellent game. I want to talk about one sidequest in it. Major Spoiler potential here, but if you had the same moral and intellectual conundrum I did, maybe reading my thoughts on it could help you. Maybe.
Granted, it’s just a game, but I still like to be able to feel that my in game decisions are right for me.
So here is the deal, you character comes across a little place in the wasteland teeming with green growth. The place is called "Oasis". It turns out, all of this growth stems from one man, Harold, who has rooted to the spot and been there for decades, while a mutation ravages his body. He has named the growth “Bob”. Yes, he talks to it, and yes Harold is a tad mental.
There are three options.
1- Put Harold out of his misery (he's very bored) by killing him.
2- Rub a substance on his heart to inhibit his overall growth, but keep him alive.
3- Rub a substance on his heart to accelerate his growth so the greenery spreads all across the wasteland.
Now, one of these 3 options, I dismissed immediately. No way in hell was I going with option 3 (more on that in a minute). The very idea was bone chilling. I was stuck between the other two.
I was curious as to what other people decided to do, so I started checking the game forums. Boy was I surprised at first to see other people considering option 3 as a valid choice, and even going so far as to call that greenery “natural”.
My first thought, was “are people really this retarded?” Not a very charitable thought, as I then considered that many of these people were quite possibly just kids who had not yet taken even a HS Biology class yet.
Let me tell you the problem I had with option 3. Harold made it quite clear that all the greenery was still “him”. That it was like having senses all over the valley his mutation had covered so far. That means, from a biological consideration, all the trees, plants, and grass, despite having different physical structures, are still genetically the same. Not just the same, but still all one single organism.
Harold got this mutation by falling into a vat or puddle of goo inside a military facility. By what definition can one call this “natural”? Whoever started the association “green = good” needs to be slapped back into his or her momma.
The critical element for a successful ecology is biodiversity. Harold’s growth is the opposite of biodiversity. Granted, it’s a shortcut to a green planet, but at what cost in the long run? The pools of water surrounded by greenery have just as much radiation as water anywhere else in the wasteland. Maybe I would have felt differently if the greenery were having a tangible positive impact on the environment, like removing or reducing radiation levels wherever it grew, but it did not. The greenery was just there for its own sake. It just looked pretty. Nothing in nature exists just to look pretty. In fact, things that are pretty in nature serve to attract organisms that the pretty thing finds useful in some way. And by useful, I mean they serve as either a vector for proliferation (spreading seed), or as a resource (food). That consideration makes the greenery “Bob” potentially ominous.
Now, is helping Harold commit suicide an option? Depends how you feel about suicide. I consider it a last resort. The question I had to have answered was “Is Harold’s potential for personal development over?” And at first, it seemed like that answer was “Yes” as he was stuck in one spot, and the people who came around him were only there to worship him.
But then I talked to Sapling Yew, the little girl, and learned that Harold did indeed have a friend, and where there is one friend, there is the potential for other friends. Having friends who can come and share stories, and Harold being able to still do the same…yes, Harold still had the potential for personal growth.
The other thing to consider, at this point with the growth “Bob” already spread across this valley, there is no guarantee the death of Harold would mean the death of “Bob”. And given my feelings already mentioned about “Bob”, that seems like a Very Bad Thing.
So I went with option 2. Inhibit the growth (stopping “Bob”) and accepting that Harold would continue to live, likely for a very long time. But considering that knowledge in the Fallout 3 Wasteland is at a premium, with undamaged books selling for considerable bottlecaps, Harold has the opportunity to become a living repository of knowledge for the future generations. He can be more than he currently is.
I also imagined future scientists (after completing Project Purity) could travel north, and really study Harold and “Bob”. And discover for sure whether or not “Bob” represented a true potential for benefitting the Wasteland (then come up with a way to undo the growth inhibition), or if he really was a potential ecological disaster fortunately stopped before it had a chance to upset the existing biodiversity (scant though it is) of the Wasteland.
Lot of thinking for a video game, I know. But that’s just me.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Entitle-Moo and Tween Invade Post Office
So yesterday I had to mail a box. The day before yesterday was a Federal holiday, so I had a pretty good idea that it would be busy when I got there.
Sure enough…major line. I share an understanding nod with a couple folks in front of me, and settled in to wait.
Suddenly, the door bangs open, and in storms this little tween girl, who takes in the sight of the line and loudly begins to exclaim about its length. Her mother follows her into the postal office, and starts exclaiming even louder than her tween about all the people in line. Like what the hell were WE all doing there?
So then moo-om gets in line behind me, and tells her kid to go linger where the postal workers can see her, maybe they would be “nice” and disregard everyone else because she had been in earlier a couple hours ago. I’m happy to say that did not work.
They had been there before trying to track down the boots this kid ordered from China. The tween had filled out the delivery instruction for where she lived instead of where she would be, and there was now a routing issue. How do I know? Moo-om couldn’t shuddup about it. For half of the tirade, I really don’t know who she was talking to as I sure never turned around. A guy got in line behind them (after sulky brat came back from making the try to hop the line), and then moo-om took his courtesy hostage, but prior to the man’s arrival I guess she was ranting at the world at large before he got in line. Charming.
I can say everyone in line felt the same way about this woman and her kid because everyone’s shoulders would tighten in unison every time the woman spoke. The guy in front of me turned just enough to give me a sympathetic look (bitch was practically yelling in my ear) before facing forward again.
The tween kept exclaiming, loudly, about how pissed she’s going to be if the postal workers don’t hand over her boots. Now…my mother would actually have gotten after me for saying something like that. It’s not that she never got pissed off at people, but she made it very clear to me that it wasn’t appropriate to get pissed at people until they’d earned it. Openly and loudly planning to be pissed off (basically threatening people), was inappropriate.
Not according to this girl’s moo-om apparently. She was in total agreement with her rude little sprat. Really fun was when they’d caught sight of the guy who’d tried to help them before. Tween exclaiming (at volume still) that she didn’t want help from that “Asian guy” after he’d “screwed them up last time”. As if she could alter random chance while the line was still 10 people deep, and dictate which of the employees were going to give her service.
I was sort of amused in a way. She didn’t want service from the Asian employee at the post office after ordering footwear from China. I would have pointed out the irony if it didn’t mean actually having to talk to these people. Rather doubt they would have appreciated it anyway.
It was as if everything that went through this kid’s head had to come spewing forth from her mouth. No filter at all. Nor volume control. My mom would have sent my rude ass to the car, or more likely threaten to take us out of there all together as I clearly did not deserve the effort she was expending to help me get my boots, and I could just wait until the postal service sorted the issue out.
I almost wish I’d hung around to see how their encounter with the Postal Workers went. But by the time I got my package sent off, I just wanted to put some miles between myself and them.
As I left, I wondered how and when this tween girl was going to be slammed with the fact that the world did not actually revolve around her. Not that awareness and realization of that were guaranteed if her moo-om were any example. She’d pretty clearly missed that memo herself somehow. And was active and eager to influence her daughter's "social skills" shudder
Sure enough…major line. I share an understanding nod with a couple folks in front of me, and settled in to wait.
Suddenly, the door bangs open, and in storms this little tween girl, who takes in the sight of the line and loudly begins to exclaim about its length. Her mother follows her into the postal office, and starts exclaiming even louder than her tween about all the people in line. Like what the hell were WE all doing there?
So then moo-om gets in line behind me, and tells her kid to go linger where the postal workers can see her, maybe they would be “nice” and disregard everyone else because she had been in earlier a couple hours ago. I’m happy to say that did not work.
They had been there before trying to track down the boots this kid ordered from China. The tween had filled out the delivery instruction for where she lived instead of where she would be, and there was now a routing issue. How do I know? Moo-om couldn’t shuddup about it. For half of the tirade, I really don’t know who she was talking to as I sure never turned around. A guy got in line behind them (after sulky brat came back from making the try to hop the line), and then moo-om took his courtesy hostage, but prior to the man’s arrival I guess she was ranting at the world at large before he got in line. Charming.
I can say everyone in line felt the same way about this woman and her kid because everyone’s shoulders would tighten in unison every time the woman spoke. The guy in front of me turned just enough to give me a sympathetic look (bitch was practically yelling in my ear) before facing forward again.
The tween kept exclaiming, loudly, about how pissed she’s going to be if the postal workers don’t hand over her boots. Now…my mother would actually have gotten after me for saying something like that. It’s not that she never got pissed off at people, but she made it very clear to me that it wasn’t appropriate to get pissed at people until they’d earned it. Openly and loudly planning to be pissed off (basically threatening people), was inappropriate.
Not according to this girl’s moo-om apparently. She was in total agreement with her rude little sprat. Really fun was when they’d caught sight of the guy who’d tried to help them before. Tween exclaiming (at volume still) that she didn’t want help from that “Asian guy” after he’d “screwed them up last time”. As if she could alter random chance while the line was still 10 people deep, and dictate which of the employees were going to give her service.
I was sort of amused in a way. She didn’t want service from the Asian employee at the post office after ordering footwear from China. I would have pointed out the irony if it didn’t mean actually having to talk to these people. Rather doubt they would have appreciated it anyway.
It was as if everything that went through this kid’s head had to come spewing forth from her mouth. No filter at all. Nor volume control. My mom would have sent my rude ass to the car, or more likely threaten to take us out of there all together as I clearly did not deserve the effort she was expending to help me get my boots, and I could just wait until the postal service sorted the issue out.
I almost wish I’d hung around to see how their encounter with the Postal Workers went. But by the time I got my package sent off, I just wanted to put some miles between myself and them.
As I left, I wondered how and when this tween girl was going to be slammed with the fact that the world did not actually revolve around her. Not that awareness and realization of that were guaranteed if her moo-om were any example. She’d pretty clearly missed that memo herself somehow. And was active and eager to influence her daughter's "social skills" shudder
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Terra Nova Review
I caught the Opening night of Terra Nova by Ted Tally, directed by Tom Skore at UAA last Friday. Tally wrote the screenplay for ‘Silence of the Lambs’, so he’s no stranger to creating the framework for intense visual entertainment.
Director Tom Skore’s talent for ‘herding cats’ is evident in his prior directorial work, and no less so in this performance. He inspires actors to really dedicate themselves to their roles while at the same time allowing for their need for self expression, but not to the point of going in opposition of the playwright’s intention.
Terra Nova was the name of the ship that carried Robert Falcon Scott to Antarctica to make a try for reaching the South Pole in 1912. The play Terra Nova recounts what happened on that Expedition.
I would go so far as to say that what happened to these men heralded the beginning of the end of modern humanity assuming it had carte blanche dominion over the natural word. A truth harshly confirmed a few short months later with the RMS Titanic sinking.
I have to give credit to Costume Designer Frances Covais Lautenberger. Authenticity of appearance was a major point as pictures from the actual Expedition were part of the performance.
Lighting Design was handled to beautiful and stunning effect by Daniel Anteau, who was tasked with the challenge of bringing the Aurora Australis inside…and virtually to the opposite pole! Patterns of haunting beauty and desolation were conveyed. This was enhanced by the Sound Design put together by Erick Hayden. The combination of the light and the sound were sufficient to make one feel Antarctica in their seat. Bring a sweater. In this ambience you may need it.
And then there were the actors themselves.
Jaron Carlson plays Scott. He conveys the pressure of being a public figure subject to the expectations and hopes of his entire country, the uneasiness of trying to balance being a national hero with just being a man with a young family, and the upsetting jolt that carrying the tried and true values of his society to the most uncivilized place in the world may not only fail, but could even be fatal to the men he considers as younger brothers and sons.
Nathan Huey plays the role of expedition member Edgar Evans as a man pushing to be part of something he sees as greater and grander than himself. His determination to match reality with his dreams, and his physical drive to succeed the race to the pole in spite of the odds make him someone we understand and sympathize with on his trek.
The role of Lawrence Oates was played by Bradford Jackson. The Perfect Soldier, Jackson manages to fill a pretty big pair of shoes as a man’s man whose selflessness would have been beyond belief had there not been a recording witness. Oates has become a romantic figure in entertainment and in art, Jackson brings the heroic angel down to earth and turns him back into a real human being with merits, flaws, and aged beyond his years by his life in the service.
Joshua Kovach plays Dr Edward Wilson, principled and dedicated, he is the beating heart of humanity for the expedition. Joshua delivers a sense of deep care and sensitivity for life. His embodiment of the sympathetic ear is downright priestly in its degree of confidence. This quality adds greatly to the sense that the group shares a deep bond just as the original members of the Expedition did.
The part of Henry Bowers was played by Zach Gowdy, as a man short in stature, but large in personality, he is the organized and undisputable optimistic spirit of the party. Zach embraced the sense of ease, merriment with enthusiasm and friendship. The group banter flows around and through him naturally, his timing for humorous delivery was excellent, and served as the glue binding these men together.
Kathleen Scott is played by Tiffany Guinn with a welcoming warmth and affection, seasoned perfectly with an intriguing and delightful prickliness. Kathleen Scott was a woman of strength and personality that most women were just beginning to own in that era. Antarctica disappears in a sensation of warm summer when Robert Scott remembers her, only for the cold chill to come howling back with a vengeance when immediacy demands his attention.
The practical antagonist embodied by Scott’s imagining of his competitor Roald Amundsen is played by Eric Holzschuh. He is as goading as he is encouraging to Scott, he speaks hard truths, but like Cassandra of Agamemnon his words go unheeded. As time and hardships increase for the party, Scott’s delusion of Amundsen becomes increasingly real to the point of him becoming almost an unmentioned sixth member of the expedition.
The actors complement each other extremely well as they work to bring to life not only the text as Ted Tally wrote it, but to do honor to the history of a group of men who pushed for glory at the bottom of the world.\
This performance runs from October 9 through Sunday October 25th, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 PM with Sunday Matinees at 3PM. Directly following the Sunday 18th performance, there will be a symposium on Arctic climate change.
Ticket costs on Friday and Saturday performances are $13 for general admission, $18 for reserved seating. Sunday matinees are $10 for general admission and $13 for reserved seating. Discounts are available. Call the UAA Theater Box Office (907) 786-4849 for more details.
Director Tom Skore’s talent for ‘herding cats’ is evident in his prior directorial work, and no less so in this performance. He inspires actors to really dedicate themselves to their roles while at the same time allowing for their need for self expression, but not to the point of going in opposition of the playwright’s intention.
Terra Nova was the name of the ship that carried Robert Falcon Scott to Antarctica to make a try for reaching the South Pole in 1912. The play Terra Nova recounts what happened on that Expedition.
I would go so far as to say that what happened to these men heralded the beginning of the end of modern humanity assuming it had carte blanche dominion over the natural word. A truth harshly confirmed a few short months later with the RMS Titanic sinking.
I have to give credit to Costume Designer Frances Covais Lautenberger. Authenticity of appearance was a major point as pictures from the actual Expedition were part of the performance.
Lighting Design was handled to beautiful and stunning effect by Daniel Anteau, who was tasked with the challenge of bringing the Aurora Australis inside…and virtually to the opposite pole! Patterns of haunting beauty and desolation were conveyed. This was enhanced by the Sound Design put together by Erick Hayden. The combination of the light and the sound were sufficient to make one feel Antarctica in their seat. Bring a sweater. In this ambience you may need it.
And then there were the actors themselves.
Jaron Carlson plays Scott. He conveys the pressure of being a public figure subject to the expectations and hopes of his entire country, the uneasiness of trying to balance being a national hero with just being a man with a young family, and the upsetting jolt that carrying the tried and true values of his society to the most uncivilized place in the world may not only fail, but could even be fatal to the men he considers as younger brothers and sons.
Nathan Huey plays the role of expedition member Edgar Evans as a man pushing to be part of something he sees as greater and grander than himself. His determination to match reality with his dreams, and his physical drive to succeed the race to the pole in spite of the odds make him someone we understand and sympathize with on his trek.
The role of Lawrence Oates was played by Bradford Jackson. The Perfect Soldier, Jackson manages to fill a pretty big pair of shoes as a man’s man whose selflessness would have been beyond belief had there not been a recording witness. Oates has become a romantic figure in entertainment and in art, Jackson brings the heroic angel down to earth and turns him back into a real human being with merits, flaws, and aged beyond his years by his life in the service.
Joshua Kovach plays Dr Edward Wilson, principled and dedicated, he is the beating heart of humanity for the expedition. Joshua delivers a sense of deep care and sensitivity for life. His embodiment of the sympathetic ear is downright priestly in its degree of confidence. This quality adds greatly to the sense that the group shares a deep bond just as the original members of the Expedition did.
The part of Henry Bowers was played by Zach Gowdy, as a man short in stature, but large in personality, he is the organized and undisputable optimistic spirit of the party. Zach embraced the sense of ease, merriment with enthusiasm and friendship. The group banter flows around and through him naturally, his timing for humorous delivery was excellent, and served as the glue binding these men together.
Kathleen Scott is played by Tiffany Guinn with a welcoming warmth and affection, seasoned perfectly with an intriguing and delightful prickliness. Kathleen Scott was a woman of strength and personality that most women were just beginning to own in that era. Antarctica disappears in a sensation of warm summer when Robert Scott remembers her, only for the cold chill to come howling back with a vengeance when immediacy demands his attention.
The practical antagonist embodied by Scott’s imagining of his competitor Roald Amundsen is played by Eric Holzschuh. He is as goading as he is encouraging to Scott, he speaks hard truths, but like Cassandra of Agamemnon his words go unheeded. As time and hardships increase for the party, Scott’s delusion of Amundsen becomes increasingly real to the point of him becoming almost an unmentioned sixth member of the expedition.
The actors complement each other extremely well as they work to bring to life not only the text as Ted Tally wrote it, but to do honor to the history of a group of men who pushed for glory at the bottom of the world.\
This performance runs from October 9 through Sunday October 25th, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 PM with Sunday Matinees at 3PM. Directly following the Sunday 18th performance, there will be a symposium on Arctic climate change.
Ticket costs on Friday and Saturday performances are $13 for general admission, $18 for reserved seating. Sunday matinees are $10 for general admission and $13 for reserved seating. Discounts are available. Call the UAA Theater Box Office (907) 786-4849 for more details.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Introduction
I've made the mistake before of trying to maintain a blog with a very narrow topic focus. As a result, there were tons of things I wanted to talk about that I couldn't, and nothing to talk about regarding stuff I could.
I'm not doing that this time. This blog will have a few focal points, but if I decide I want to talk about pigs eating bacon...I'm going for it.
Here are some things about me...this relates to some of the topics that you can expect to find here at some point.
1 - I'm Child Free. I am not Child Less. The distinction is that I have made a deliberate and conscious choice regarding the possiblility of having children, and decided that it is not and never has been for me. I feel having children is something you should want, not just do because it's in the "life script".
2 - I'm an Atheist. I do not believe any religion, past or present, holds the divine truth of the universe. As a result, the divine beings these religions are focused around are no more real than characters in a fictional novel. At this time, we do not have the capabilty of proving that the universe displays deliberate intent, design, or management on a higher level. I have a mind, I'm going to use it without restriction, and it happens to require actual evidence.
3 - I'm an Alaskan. I live in an awesome place dammit, and every so often you are going to hear about it. Possibly see it if I can trouble to get a camera I enjoy using.
4 - My politics are mine. I'm neither Red nor Blue. I'm Purple and proud of it. That means Sarah Palin mania annoys me, and if Obama does something messed up, I'm not going to sugar-coat about it. I'm not on either team, so I'm not going to worry about my views offending one team or the other. I work my ass off at elections time to learn relevant information about candidates (I don't care what their respective Party made them wear) before picking and punching my ballot.
5 - I'm a 5'1" female. Only recently (helped by reading other blogs) I've learned my hatred of shopping for clothes is justifiably placed...especially when you've been shopping in the wrong section for your body type. Petite in clothes is about height, not girth (shush, I've lost 18 pounds since April). I'm not going to bore you with fashion "wisdom" as I don't have much, but I may want to occasionally crow about the occasional shopping success.
That seems like a good start for now. Already topics are jostling around in my head desiring self-expression. Good, but I don't want to over-post myself out of subjects of interest! So I will go ahead and bring this post to a close.
I'm not doing that this time. This blog will have a few focal points, but if I decide I want to talk about pigs eating bacon...I'm going for it.
Here are some things about me...this relates to some of the topics that you can expect to find here at some point.
1 - I'm Child Free. I am not Child Less. The distinction is that I have made a deliberate and conscious choice regarding the possiblility of having children, and decided that it is not and never has been for me. I feel having children is something you should want, not just do because it's in the "life script".
2 - I'm an Atheist. I do not believe any religion, past or present, holds the divine truth of the universe. As a result, the divine beings these religions are focused around are no more real than characters in a fictional novel. At this time, we do not have the capabilty of proving that the universe displays deliberate intent, design, or management on a higher level. I have a mind, I'm going to use it without restriction, and it happens to require actual evidence.
3 - I'm an Alaskan. I live in an awesome place dammit, and every so often you are going to hear about it. Possibly see it if I can trouble to get a camera I enjoy using.
4 - My politics are mine. I'm neither Red nor Blue. I'm Purple and proud of it. That means Sarah Palin mania annoys me, and if Obama does something messed up, I'm not going to sugar-coat about it. I'm not on either team, so I'm not going to worry about my views offending one team or the other. I work my ass off at elections time to learn relevant information about candidates (I don't care what their respective Party made them wear) before picking and punching my ballot.
5 - I'm a 5'1" female. Only recently (helped by reading other blogs) I've learned my hatred of shopping for clothes is justifiably placed...especially when you've been shopping in the wrong section for your body type. Petite in clothes is about height, not girth (shush, I've lost 18 pounds since April). I'm not going to bore you with fashion "wisdom" as I don't have much, but I may want to occasionally crow about the occasional shopping success.
That seems like a good start for now. Already topics are jostling around in my head desiring self-expression. Good, but I don't want to over-post myself out of subjects of interest! So I will go ahead and bring this post to a close.
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