Category: Pax Ganelonia

December 3, 2009

When The Science of Global Warming Died

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax Ganelonia, PontificationComments Off

Jonah Goldberg has a great post over at National Review Online about the Climate email scandal. Clock on over to read the whole thing, but here are a few salient points:

In a long string of embarrassing e-mail exchanges, CRU scientists discuss with friendly outside colleagues, including Penn State University’s Michael Mann, how to manipulate the data they want to show the world, and how to hide the often-flawed data they don’t. In one exchange, they discuss the “trick” of how to “hide the decline” in global temperatures since the 1960s. Again and again, the researchers don’t object to just inconvenient truths but also inconvenient truth-tellers. They contemplate and orchestrate efforts to purge scientists and journals who won’t sing from the same global-warming hymnal.

In one instance, Phil Jones, the CRU director, says a scientific journal must “rid (itself) of this troublesome editor,” who happened to publish a problematic paper. In another, Jones says we “will keep them out somehow — even if we have to redefine what the peer-review literature is!”

These documents reveal the trick behind how they hide the dissent. Climate-change activists often dismiss critics by noting that the skeptics haven’t offered their arguments in peer-reviewed literature. Hence why they work so hard to keep dissenters out of the literature! Indeed, whatever the final verdict on the CRU’s shenanigans, two things are already firmly established by even a sympathetic reading of these documents.

And when you loss the Daily Show…

November 26, 2009

As God is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax GaneloniaComments Off

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2009

Very Superstitious Writings On the Wall

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax Ganelonia — Tags: , , , , , Comments Off

It’s been a long time since I gave this subject any thought, but as part of my scholarly journey into objective comparative theology, I spent a good deal of time studying cultural metaphysics and the occult as viewed from various religious traditions.

I believe think a conclusion that there are events and energies behind what we call “haunting” and/or “possession” is a fair intellectual pursuit… as are the nature of these events and energies open for equally fair debate.

In then end, as a more rational thinker… I cannot commit to any of these suppositions as part of my world view.  Regardless of that fact, Demonology is a tantalizing and even entertaining line of study for a genre geek like me, so I put together a reflection on the research I did.

Supernatural events are reported to follow a system of progression. In the following post, I will highlight the 5 stages of Demonic or Spiritual Influence.

(more…)

November 17, 2009

Care for a Penguin?

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax GaneloniaComments Off

In this video, we see a National Geographic photographer meeting face to face with a huge Leopard seal.

October 28, 2009

30 Minutes With Fallen Earth

by Ganelon — Categories: Game, Geekery, Pax Ganelonia, ReviewComments Off

I’m cutting Fallen Earth a lot of technical slack as it is an indie game that is working to get it’s act together and offer something new and unique.

Creating the Character

The character creator was similar to that of Guild Wars, but with a bit more refinement to each options.  Generally speaking, I was able to make my character distinct and personal… which is all anyone can ask for.


Tutorial

I found it to be very intriguing and entertaining. It threw me into the game world and did so  in a very well made environment (the bowels of Hoover Dam).

The combat was similar to that of Hellgate London… a mix of FPS and RPG. Entertaining… but not deep. Again… this is just the tutorial. I expect ore details when other elements, such as crafting, mutations and level abilities are added to the tactical mix.

The “mount” I was able to use was a ATV and it was well done, IMO. Excellent responses, but more of an arcade type of physics than “realism” or simulation.
Starter Zone

After the tutorial, I picked my starter city and got some exploration in. The graphics look a few years old, but the game world design is well done. It’s not the magnificently rendered desolation of Fallout 3…but it is it’s little brother. I kind of reminds me of Star Wars Galaxy, but with vastly superior terrain designs.

I enjoyed the experience enough to want to learn more about what lies ahead so I can give it more than a glancing appraisal. I’ll comb the forums for some directions, because my newb gear is no where near as fun as the tutorial stuff… and I want to approach this wold well-healed.

Note: Technically speaking, the game has some obvious glitches and graphic anomalies. There was occasional rubber-banding of mobs that broke immersion. I’ve also heard reports of patching troubles. I had to download hours of content before getting started, so I can understand the frustration if you did so… and found you had to do it again because of some unreported installation failure after the fact.

October 27, 2009

Review: Paranormal Activity

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Movie, Pax Ganelonia, ReviewComments Off

This is the $20,000 indie flick that could.

The premise is simple: A young day trader buys a video camera to try and record “paranormal activity” that is graduate student girlfriend has been telling him about. He zealously records conversations about these events, taking the whole thing as a bit of light adventure. His girlfriend is more serious about it as these events scare her and she ultimate just wants them to stop. The main story takes place in these video clips, as well as the very stirring and effective nighttime shots where the camera is left on overnight to monitor them while they sleep… and the activities predominantly occur. As the couple give more attention to the activities, they intensify into oppression.

Comparisons to The Blair Witch Project are apt, in that the film reports to be video evidence that was found by authorities after the fact of the events. The entire film is presented as an archive of real recordings, and for the most part…does a good job in maintaining that level of immersion. While watching the film, I never think of script, direction or acting. It’s very organic and I think most people would view it as if it were made live and with real people who are experiencing he plot, not re-enacting it.

The movie starts out slow, but once we begin with the “Activity”…it becomes engrossing. This is a movie that uses sound… and the absence of sound, most effectively. I found the film to be quite chilling…literally, hair raising. The bedroom scenes are absolutely immersive… you really get into the vulnerability of sleeping people…especially with an unknown menace lurking in the darkness.

Regardless of the chills, Paranormal Activity is not a perfect film. A very regrettable scene with a Ouija board was an odd man out. When you see it, you will know what I mean. The beginning is slower than I think warranted, and the whole feels slightly out of pace. The male lead comes off as kind of a douche-bag… but I think the role called for it. Even so, he was at times unpleasant to watch. The ending was acceptable and even appropriate… but somehow I am not satisfied with it.   I do admit it is a better ending than Blair Witch.

I think this is a great flick to see with the significant other…  it is scary and leaves you unsettle, much like the end of The Ring. I was most definitely aware of  every sound my house made that night… that has to count for something.

September 18, 2009

Gantastic Geek Round-up 09/18/09!

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax Ganelonia1 Comment

Champions…Champions…Champions…

Nothing can be said in this roundup unless it starts with Champions Online. I’ve been crazy playing this since it went live earlier this month. As much as I want to get out of the perma-newbie mold I had playing City of Heroes… I still find it addicting to create new characters.  Even so… I do have my old mainstay, Warcat. He’s been growing in levels and is trudging along.

One of my weaknesses in this style of game (MMORPG) is that I shun achievement, which these games are primarily geared toward. I goof. I wander. I pick meaningless fights. Leveling is a surprise when it happens. I read of my cohorts in Champions of Akalabeth, some of whom are zooming through levels toward this mythical beast called “End Game”.

The one thing that will keep me playing this is that it is well built to use the 360 controller. I’ve been having some shoulder stress that mouse use has aggravated, and the controller totally mitigates that issue. For an action/RPG hybrid that wants you to play for hours, this is a God Send!

Supernatural is back!

The Winchester Boys return for Season 5 of this really kick ass show.  The SheGan and I have been chomping at the bit for this since we finished the last episode of season 4. We got insanely hooked on the show and watched every episode one after the other over a two month period. Glad to have that back on our radar again.

A Basestar full of Naked Boomers

I recently got SheGan into Battlestar Galactica. To my surprise, she has dived straight into it. She’s never been about the Geekly Arts, so this is a delight. She’s even started to yell “Frak!!!” in good context. Delightful.

I Fear Bats. It’s time my enemy shares my dread.

I have…obtained… a copy of the Batman Arkham Asylum game for the PC. This is one of the best ports I’ve ever played. The graphics are stunning and very smooth, even on my subpar Pentium D processor. True, I have a good Video card… but even so… it plays as good as I see it being played on the console.

District 9

I got a chance to see District 9, and I concur with the direction of Tholan thoughtful review. However, I was put off by the over the top nature of the inhumanity. The movie is produced by Peter (let’s make a 9 hour movie about gay midgets walking) Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp, and there is an air of “Meet the Feebles” and “Dead Alive” in how the Aliens and Humans are portrayed. Unlike those two bad movie classics, this film is a serious film and a competently made social commentary on apartheid. I recommend it, but it was not a mind blowing experience for me. Could of been my mode going into it though.

June 23, 2009

I Am The Hive

by Ganelon — Categories: Pax GaneloniaComments Off

Remember the end of the movie Aliens, when the surviving space marines venture into the bowels of the colonial  Terra forming power plant, to find that it had been transformed into a catacomb hive of bio-organic material, where the aliens could breed and prosper?

Yeah… that what my lungs feel like.

I have an appointment with the local shaman. Hopefully, his potions will be strong enough to purge the evil spirits that dwell within my ribcage.

June 20, 2009

I am Plague…

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax GaneloniaComments Off

So, I have a Death Cough ailement.

Moist gooey lumps of proto-matter are being painfully wretched from my core. This reminds me of a story.

4 years ago, I got a nasty bronchitis infection. As a REAL MAN, I just kept on keeping on, confident that my antibodies would triumph over the invading spore and handily return home from battle to marry the comely antibody-ess next door. After two months of raging conflict, where the battle lines moved back and forth from Wellness to Death’s Door, a co-worker who notice the wheezing rattle of my impending demise forcefully encouraged me to go to my local sawbones.

I relented. My Doctor is an affible fellow, who after devining  my present state advised me that had I waited another day or two he would have me in the hospital for two weeks. You see, I had allowed the lung infection to fester and become “That Which Can Kill You”. He asked why I waited so long, and I replied “Well, it seemed like it got better, then it got worse…back and forth. I thought it would just go away eventually.”

To which my Doctor replied “Brian, you’re not 28 anymore. These things don’t just ‘go away’. They kill you.”

That was the moment where I realized my true mortality. Even if I am careful…even if I never jump out of a plane with a parachute or go skiing or cave diving… age will still weaken me till something trivial lays me low.

So, I now have Death Cough 2.0.

The SheGan wanted me to call the Sawbones this morning, to get in right away. “Nah…” I said. “Let’s see how I feel by Monday.”

*Coughs violently*

This is how I ride…

June 7, 2009

Brown Eyes, Curls and a Shotgun

by Ganelon — Categories: Geekery, Pax Ganelonia — Tags: , Comments Off

It should come as no surprise that I am doing my best to instruct my children in the Tao of Ganelon. These are the True Things that some weak souled parents will obfuscate from their young, and in doing so make them vulnerable. Of things Import, I have started with the basics: Kill the Zombies.

My 7 year old daughter has been playing Left For Dead for a month or so…and it has changed her. She is some rough new beast that speaks of puppies and Molotov cocktails. She loves Hannah Montana and Zoey, thinking both are perfectly acceptable role models. While some avoid Witches…she goes out of her way to blow there heads off.

True story:  We were visiting my grandmother a couple of weeks ago at her retirement community. As we were in the elevator, some saintly gray haired woman joined us and was enchanted by my daughter’s curly hair. As she was doting on her, my daughter mentions, with the sweetest of smiles, that “There is an elevator like this in Left for Dead… but it’s covered with blood!!” Her eyes sparkling on the word “Blood”.  The old woman had a look on her face like “Did…did… I just hear what I think I heard from this little angel?”. The awkward silence was equal to any one of the best moments of my life.

Yes, my girl is a new creature… and the Old Ones fear her power.

A cohort at the office is stunned that I let her play such a violent game. He tells me his son, a full year older, hesitates to enter the living room for fear of watching something “too violent” and having the ever warned “bad dreams”. To which I can only reply “When the Zombie Apocalypse comes, be assured my daughter will save your son from the flesh eating hordes.”

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