Pleasantly Surprised. Somehow.

I'm so used to lambasting the latest film/show/game/etc. that I really don't know how to say that I liked something.

I set down to work on electronics this evening and decided to put on some Hulu in the background. On a whim, I put on Kings and...huh.

It took about five minutes before I realized that I was watching something vaguely Final Fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not referring to magic or giant swords or over-choreographed fights. I've always respected the way the games would drop you in the middle of a new world, not bothering to hand-hold you through exposition. Kings does the same, dropping the viewer into a new world vaguely familiar to the present but absolutely not. And every time you think that you've figured something out, that you've foretold the plot or figured out a character, it hints at another layer.

Unpredictability? Character depth? Opposing ideas and dilemmas without a right answer?

I bet it's canceled in two months.

Are RIAA Employees a Protected Class?

We're getting close (I know, I know...) to having some songs ready to put up at Blind Satellite. In the interest of protecting our intellectual property, we will need some form of license that will allow users to download and listen to our music for personal use, etc. I think we need to make sure to include a provision along the following lines:

These songs are free to download for all individuals that are not employed by the RIAA.

- E

Religion vs. Science. Fight!

Kurt and Walt have been having a back and forth about the struggles between religion and science. Being the nosy, opinionated guy that I am, I feel obliged to weigh in.

The issue that Kurt began to touch on in his last post is epistemology, the philosophical discipline concerned with the source and nature of knowledge. Science is, at it's root, an epistemological philosophy, explaining that knowledge comes from observation of the natural world, refined through experimentation.

Religion - or at least, a major component of most religions - also contains an epistemological component, explaining that knowledge is to be found on page 128. "Faith," by definition, belies questioning, asserting a trust the precludes the very need to question. Even if your particular strain of religion is not as fanatical about faith as some (e.g., those Kansas evangelicals), to take something by faith means to trust an answer absent empirical observation and experimentation.

And that's the crux of it: science and religion are indeed opposed. They both assert a different source of knowledge. There is no reconciling that, and no way for both to be right.

- E

Fork

I've been going in two directions lately - one about software engineering, one about politics, religion, etc. In the interest of not boring (and insulting) my readers, I've decided to split my blogging efforts in two. Abstract Method will contain my thoughts on software engineering, while this one will dwell on more personal topics.

Update your links, change your bookmarks, etc. etc.

- E

Sacrifices

I'm not Catholic, but if I were, I know exactly what I would give up for Lent. I'm not one to go halfway, so I'd make sure to give up the most important thing in my life: Jesus.

- E

Politics, Redux

Post-partisanship only works when both parties are interested in governing. Seeing as the Republican party's basic platform includes, "government is bad," I don't think they qualify. They have a a nasty tendency to turn that idea into a self-fulfilling prophecy (reference 2001-2008).

I would suggest that, instead of either fighing GOP or playing nice, that President Obama should make them completely and totally irrelevant. Point them out for the small-minded narcissists that they are.

Step One starts with the Right's propaganda machine. Call a press conference and announce that the White House Press Corps will be reorganized to better reflect the top standard's of America's elite journalists. As such, Fox News will no longer have a spot. Nothing against them - no lawsuits, no FCC crackdown - just that they are no longer considered journalists. Cite the number of factual errors and outright lies propagated by the organization.

Finally, announce their replacement: an organization with tremendous popularity that succeeds in educating their viewers, a group who's followers are consistently more aware of world events and have a more accurate understanding of the issues - Comedy Central.

Close the event by asking the Press Corps to vote for who gets to decide the new representative: John Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

- E

Going All Political

Newly elected RNC chairman Michael Steele declared:

We’re going to bring this party to every corner, to every boardroom, to every neighborhood, to every community. And we’re going to say to friend and foe alike: ‘We want you to be a part of us. We want you to be with us, and for those of you who are going to obstruct, get ready to be knocked over.’

The problem is: no, you don't want me.

I'm an atheist - nothing against religion or the religious, but it ain't for me. The GOP have made it quite clear that they feel there is no room for me in this country.

I s'pose I'll just be waiting to get knocked over.