The War on Logic

Careful You Don’t Step In The Bullshit

How do we let people get away with so many false analogies without calling them on it for what they are? I was watching Real Time with Bill Maher a couple weeks ago and am now convinced that Tucker Carlson causes aneurisms. During a debate about the function mercenary groups, like Blackwater, in Iraq and other war-zones, Mr. Carlson was very up in arms about how important it is to have private security forces there to guard diplomats after Paul Krugman suggested that guarding our diplomats should be province of the United States Marines as it has been in the past. To combat Mr. Krugman’s statement, Mr. Carlson simple dismissed the idea of Marines guarding diplomats because they are not doing so currently and then proceed to imply that the statement Mr. Krugman made lacked merit because the New York Times, which Mr. Krugman works for, employs a private security force to protect its assets in Iraq.

The fundamental flaw in Mr. Carlson’s argument is that the New York Times (NYT) is a private institution that the U.S. government is under no obligation to protect in Iraq so it makes sense that NYT would hire a security force to guard its people and property in Iraq but diplomats, on the other hand, are the responsibility of the U.S. government to protect, which means that it is the tax payers footing the bill for their private security. As a taxpayer, like Mr. Krugman, I would feel much more comfortable if the diplomats the U.S. government is protecting were being protected by the U.S. military. I feel this way for several reasons. First, the private security forces in Iraq are very expensive and paid far better than our military personnel who could easily fill these positions. This practice not only raises the cost of operations in Iraq but it is also hugely unfair to the troops who are underpaid and indentured for a term of service and thus lack the option to seek a competitive wage with their mercenary counterparts. Second, I generally do not like this privatization of the modern battlefield. We often look to World War II as our greatest moment in war with a country united for a common purpose and our military bravely defending our way of life from those who would seek to infringe on our sovereignty but what you do not see in World War II (or really any war up until now) are civilian companies bidding for things like supply contracts and security details for government officials (among other things). The reason you do not see companies providing the aforementioned functions on the battlefields of yesteryear is because those duties were largely relegated to the military and should remain as such because then those responsible for the soldiers well being are soldiers themselves and under the military chain of command. In addition, limiting the privatization of the battlefield will curb, to some extent, war profiteering, which is a part of any conflict but should be mitigated to what is necessary (the production of arms and equipment for soldiers). Finally, I like that within the military there is a chain of command and direct lines of accountability. These private security forces are not beholden to the same rules of engagement as our armed forces placing them in some sort of gray area as to whom they answer to when something goes wrong.

I invite you to judge Mr. Carlson’s statement for yourself provided this video link remains active.

Damage Done?

It seems like this kind of false representation of reality is becoming more prevalent and I find that dangerous. Mr. Carlson’s argument breaks down to this, Marines aren’t guarding diplomats therefore Marines cannot guard diplomats, and it is that kind of X is happening now therefore Y is impossible way for presenting things that is so dangerous. If there is a concrete example as to why option Y is impossible then please by all means take the time to explain the reasons that the option is off the table and thus open the debate to new ideas because that is the kind of discourse we need in order to learn from one another. Even if it is shown, through a dialog, that option Y is impossible it is likely that the examination of the situation, as it relates to option Y, will yield new ideas and put option A, B, and C out there for further discussion rather than just assume X is the best option because it is the one that is under implantation at the time of the debate. The more we allow ourselves to be taken in by these absolutist arguments, usually involving a louder equals righter bent, the more we damage our ability to think for ourselves and find new and better ways to approach any given situation.

Simple Isn't Always Bad

In the Begining

It has been a long time since I've had a handheld gaming device. Way back in the day, through a fluke of chance, I ended up with two first generation Gameboys (one of which I think is still in use although on its last leg) and I remember how much I loved squinting over the games on that atmospherically lit (read “hard to see”) screen, which I ended up getting a cool Gameboy light with a magnifying glass to enhance my gaming experience and use twice as many double-A batteries.

Despite stiff competition from arguably better handheld systems, the Gameboy managed to last for almost twenty years with very few changes to its core system. Over time it became slimmer, got a color screen and a backlight but the core system was the same and it could always run older games. Even its successor, the Gameboy Advance platform, can (with some exceptions) run the older Gameboy games. I see this fact as less of a testament to the greatness of the Gameboy itself and more as verification that the games that come out for handheld systems are fun.

It seems to me, as a new Nintendo DS owner, that Nintendo, has at the same time, remembered how to make fun games in some cases while turning a blind eye to the aspects of some classic series that made them fun in the first place in other cases. I see a lot of potential in the DS (and in the PSP but I don't have one so I invite PSP owners out there to speak on Sony's behalf) but at the same time I worry that developers for the system will forget some of the “funness factors” that in games that gave the Gameboy such a long shelf-life.

It's all about the Games

Enough about the system (for now), the real meat and potatoes of handheld gaming is the games. Why are they so damn fun now and why where they so damn fun then? I think the short answer is: simplicity and portability. A lot of classic handheld games were sidescrollers, RPGs, and puzzle games. Each of these genres tends to offer up the right dose of simple fun and addictiveness without necessarily sacrificing deeper game play. For instance (and jumping away from handhelds for a second), I know very few people that disliked Mario 3 when it was new and I know very few that don't like it now just the same. Furthermore, I know several people who have only recently, in the big scheme of all things gaming, played Mario 3 and, despite the antiquated graphics and simple two button game play, they really liked it. Now I assume Nintendo is fully aware of the phenomenon since they keep pumping out classic side scrolling Mario titles with striking similarity to each other. What I find shocking and sad is that the last of these super fun sidescollers to be release on a non-handheld platform was Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo back in 1990.

Technology Outgrew My Fun (Maybe)

As most people know, since the N64, Mario has gone 3-D not only in character design but also in his ability to run wild in a fully 3-D world. I will admit that the new 3-D Mario was fun the first time out and the 3-D world seems to work for Mario fairly well. Zelda also went 3-D on the N64 and again seems to have worked out well. During the new 3-D era of Mario and Zelda we still saw the classic style of each game pop up on the handheld system, largely because that is what the technology on the handheld supported, but now we are seeing closer matching of handheld games to their console cousins and I am concerned that this will be another step toward the elimination of those “simple fun” sidescrollers games that I love.

I think my strongest case study for this is the Metroid Prime series that brought Metroid from an action packed sidescroller to a somewhat action packed first person shooter. Many hold the move of Metroid to the FPS world as a great and wonderful thing but I do not. I may have understood if the move was to a third person platformer a la Mario and Zelda but as an FPS Metroid has lost its fun factor for me because it just feel like more of the same. I know many sidescollers are very similar but for some reason first person shooters, unless they do something very stand out, often feel lacking. At the same time Metroid went 3-D shoot it also released one of its last sidescroller incarnations with Metroid: Fusion for the Gameboy Advance. Metroid: Fusion was a hell of a lot of fun and I played through it several times. I expected to see a similar release format (sidescroller on DS and FPS on Wii) but much to my disappointment the DS got Metroid: Hunters. I think Metroid: Hunters has some cool ideas like wireless multiplayer between DSes but I would have much rather seen a sidescroller.

I think with the current gaming systems out there, especially the Wii in this case, we could, if a company is willing to give it a try, see a great sidescoller for a fully powered console platform. With nostalgia gaming in full swing, one would thing it is only a matter of time before someone decides to take a step back and make another fully 3-D rendered sidescroller with some innovation that sells buckets loads of copies because of word of mouth on how damn fun it is (see New Super Mario Brothers). So, here is my free suggestion to any developer out there who may be listening because lord knows I don't have the resources to pull this off: I like how the Wii handles the aiming in Metroid: Prime Corruption so I would love to see a game (another Metroid would work perfectly) take that aiming concept and tack it on to a sidescroller where the movement is handed by the nunchuk. What you would end up with is a control system similar to PC sidescroller Abuse, which was a great game that came out at the exact wrong time to be a sidescroller but it featured a cool mouse based aiming system and multiplayer sidescolling death-match that was a hell of a lot of fun and innovative for its time and genre, and, if whoever owns the rights to Abuse is listening, for the love of god port it to the Wii and see what happens.

Away on business

My blog schedule is going to be all messed up this week because I am away from home on a business trip. I will try to get the "Solid Entertainment" piece out on time but no promises (it may also get shifted to next week).

Armchair Lawyers? (NFL rules don’t make sense)

The last minutes of the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Buffalo Bills game on Monday, October 8, 2007 were nerve racking, exciting, disappointing, and somewhat heart stopping no matter what side of the score you were on but I would hardly call the majority of the excitement “sport.” What I saw was a lot of legalese to determine the outcome of a game, which in its waning moments became a drama akin to Law & Order: Special Football Unit – entertaining, still, but not in a sportsy way.

In brief, the events as I saw them (starting with the Cowboys’ last touchdown): Touchdown; pitiful two point attempt with good defensive stop; Dallas made an onside kick that actually worked; wait it is the last five minutes of the game so we better check and make sure because this is so important that I have to go hide under sheet; ok yeah we were right the first time; completed pass for good kicking field position; Dallas spikes the ball to stop the clock; wait that pass game them position to make a field goal so this is important and we should review the play that was previous to the spike play; ok I guess he didn’t catch the ball so put all that time back on the clock and do-over; the pass is caught again for sure this time; Dallas makes the long field goal to win the game and everyone in Texas is happy; just kidding, Buffalo called time out just prior to the snap to “ice” the kicker; do-over; the kick is good, again, and everyone in Texas is happy.

This is why football frustrates me sometimes. I watch sports to see athletes do stuff that I am incapable of due to the somewhat gimpy nature of several of my limbs and general lack of commitment any single task for too long. I do not watch sports to see them indulge overpaid whiny men when they don’t get their way. Of course I care when I see a bad call that adversely affects the well being of my team but I figure the other team’s fans are having the same problems so it all comes out in the wash.

There is no reason a game should ever be so complex that the rules change depending on how much time is left and officials have the option to look back on their calls and interpret the reviews with the same consistency as a drunken Supreme Court judge interpreting the Constitution after a week long coke and peyote bender. Referees make bad calls because they are human and that is part of the game and it should go on because it really isn’t so important that play should stop while half the country yells at their TVs for one side of the call or the other.

To be fair, football isn’t the only offender of this new tendency to allow players to whine about bad calls and actually get headway (often in the form of new rules allowing review stoppage). Tennis has introduced a challenge system and for a fast paced game like tennis to do this is even more criminal than allowing the snail pace of football to slow down even more.

Solid Entertainment

He Doesn’t Make Your Entertainment. He Makes it Sound Better

Since his breakthrough role as Childs in John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), Keith David has made virtually every form of media with audio better in addition to being a notable screen presence in all of his live action roles. You may not recognize Keith David but at some point you have heard him and it is likely that you have seen him since he has been in almost everything. David is blessed with deep, clear, powerful, and haunting voice and he has lent it to many voice projects. Some of his more notable voice appearances include Goliath in the Disney series Gargoyles and in the hugely popular Halo video game series as the Arbiter (Halo 2 and Halo 3).

I know that my world would a very different place if not for Keith David since he has been in virtually all of my favorite films, games, and television throughout the years and I think it is safe to say that your world would be fairly different as well given the incredibly broad scope of work he has done from Requiem for a Dream to the god awful crime against television that is 7th Heaven.

So no matter who you are, you should thank Mr. David for making your life better through his voice and acting prowess.

The Editors

I’m not sure if these guys could look anymore Brit Pop Hipster Rocker if they tried (and from what I can tell their guitar player is really trying) but I have to say I like their sound. They have been compared to bands like Interpol, Arcade Fire, and U2.

I had a chance to catch these guys live about 2 weeks ago and I would argue that the Editors have their own brand of melodic indie pop with relatively insightful lyrics served up by lead singer Tom Smith, but what really sets the Editors apart from the rest of the pack is their unrelenting drum beats, provided by Edward Lay, which really elevate the sound beyond your average local show or one hit wonder. From what I could tell at the show, these guys are really into their music and the only possible downfall I can see for them would be the potential of Smith to develop an ego that is too big for the band as it is already apparent from his excessive posturing during the show that, like many front-men, he revels in the limelight a little bit beyond what is necessary to put on a good show. That being said, on a whole they are all great performers and seem to legitimately have fun on stage, which is always refreshing to see.

If you have a chance to go see them then I recommend you do so before they start to get big and the ticket prices go up, and it couldn’t hurt to pick up their albums at some point.

Console Gaming

Sorry this one is late. The topic at hand played a part in my tardy post.

Where it All Began

Some of my happiest early childhood memories are those of playing our old Atari 2600 with my Brother and my Dad. Given how old I was at the time, I have a shockingly good (if not rose tinted) memory of playing through a lot of the games on the old Atari. I remember other Atari related events too like going to Toys R Us to get Pitfall II and Frogger II.

Well now the Atari 2600 is thirty and some of its classic games have made various levels of resurgence largely due to their “simple pleasure" and nostalgia appeal. So happy birthday Atari. Keep on keep’n on.

The Next Step

For me, the Atari started to wane when we got our fist computer, an Apple IIc. The graphics seemed better and the games were way more complex and engaging. These games had complex stories and a greater ability to save your progress. Even some of the more simple games, like Karateka and Captain Goodnight, seemed to have more depth and loads of replay ability. For a long time, in my household, the Apple IIc reigned supreme.

Enter Nintendo

The first Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) ushered in a new era of console gaming no only for me but for the world. For me, the NES brought simplicity back to gaming. The Apple IIc was getting old and computers were expensive (I think the Apple IIc is still one of most expensive computer anyone in my family has purchased to date), and its replacement was a Macintosh SE (this was the most expensive), which was nice but the screen was small and black and white, and it was mostly my Dad’s work computer. So the NES was where it was at for gaming.

The Super Nintendo (SNES) that followed the NES was great too. At his point my brother had a PC 386 that was pretty much devoted to gaming but I think it is safe to say, with a few exceptions, that the SNES surpasses the PC in a lot of areas as far as ease of use and repeat playability.

The N64 ushered in the end of my (and I think a lot of other people’s) love affair with Nintendo. I got one and I liked a lot of the games but it seemed to fall short when compared to my friends’ Playstations and it didn’t really hold a candle to the PC and Mac games of the same era.

Soon I had a Playstation of my own and spent plenty of time on that and playing a variety of PC games as well.

The Playstation Years

The Playstation and especially the Playstation 2 (PS2) kicked console gaming into high gear. The graphics were clean, the controls were universally good, and the catalog of games was outstanding. Yet, despite the outstanding game selection, I find that I have very little strong memories of playing very many Playstation games. Those years seem largely overshadowed by PC games and internet play (on games such as Counter Strike). A few of the later PS2 games stand out, such as Tiger Woods Golf and Gran Turismo, but overall both Playstations played a secondary role to my overpowered computers at the time.

The Return of Console Gaming

My return to the world of console gaming was largely brought on by three things. The first being the advent of the flat panel HD Television. The picture quality alone made my older PS2 games jump back to life. The second being my long time support of Bungie. I played through pretty much all of their earlier work for the Mac platform and was bitterly disappointed when Halo became an Xbox title but the Bungie quality was still there. The second reason should have cued you into the third. I was very impressed by the Xbox 360. Not only does it have a variety of outstanding titles now, such as Halo 3, and more down the pipe (say it with me, Mass Effect) but it also offers easy online play and a variety of media options for a price tag that is hefty but when you look at computers with similar feature then the price is not so bad. In addition, the Xbox Live arcade selection allows you to play an assortment of classic games that harkens back to the good old “simple pleasure" days of the Atari 2600.

Shared Experience

I find that there is very little point to what I wrote above except to say that I think people my age (+/- 3 to 6 years) have grown up with very similar experience. We represent the first batch of humanity to grow up in a console gaming world. Before the console made its way into every home, video games were more of a community experience in that one had to go to an arcade to play, which is still more social than throwing your Xbox headset on and playing with an online community. Granted, I love being able to play the same games with my friends around the country but in a way, as a social being, I miss the draw of the old fashion arcade as much as I love being able to veg out on my couch and fire up the Xbox on those days that I don't feel like getting off my ass, which are becoming too many lately but that is another story and I recommend that we all force ourselves into the outside world as much as possible.