When Liberty Goes, So Does Sega

It was a mediocre day for multiple reasons, Sega included.

But first, I would like to briefly mention Thursday's Supreme Court ruling.  Five out of nine Justices have made it mandatory to buy healthcare or else you'll face a fine, something that can be seen as unconstitutional (citizens are forced into commerce).  That's 2700+ more pages of regulations that you must abide by.  It may not seem as "epic" as that Skyrim expansion but just come back in 5-10 years and tell me which one's more important then.

I don't claim to know a lot about politics...it's dirty business no one likes to hear but with big elections coming up soon, let me say this in layman's terms:  Do you like authority?  Do you like being told what you can or cannot do?  Most of us would say "no" because it's common sense and these absurd video game/SOPA bills from recent times are still burned into our memory.  So even if you want nothing to do with politics, would you encourage and/or vote for candidates who will intrude your life with even more of the same?  Who will hire more faceless bureaucrats to regulate everything from businesses to cars, from energy production to food?  Who will pass more and more of these endless laws?  Who will print & spend money on the taxpayer's dime?  Are these guys able to make better decisions than you and I?

NOTE: I'm not suggesting anarchy.  I'm suggesting we follow the US Constitution.  The Founding Fathers listed a bunch of things the government can NOT do--nowadays, our politicians are all about what the government CAN do.  Big difference.

Sorry--I know we all want to fly away to this perfect little blue-sky world where the "worst" thing that happens is Sega releases a bad Sonic game but it gets much heavier than that in real life.  But you know where I'm going with this so I'll stop.

Anyway...there goes Sega of Europe & Australia.  Offices shut down and more jobs lost though their HQ remains intact.  I've been thinking for the last couple of months--"Well, Sega can't get any lower where they are now," and then they fall down another notch and then I really begin to wonder if they'll assume room temperature in the next couple of years.

CUMON SEGA STEP IT UP!!!!!

So Sega is reaffirming their confirmation to focus on four IPs only: Football Manager, Total War, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and Sonic.  Did you ever imagine years ago that Sega would need to rely on the mundane like FOOTBALL MANAGER or ALIENS to survive???  Speaking of which, Aliens is made by Gearbox, an American company out of Plano, Texas so what's Sega involvement outside of publishing, I really don't know.  And where the hell is Yakuza?  Here, read this quote:

"The big IPs are becoming bigger. Whether that's FIFA, Call Of Duty or Assassin's Creed, those titles are just becoming bigger and bigger and it's harder and harder to break into the market with new IP." - Jurgen Post, some Sega dude

Ya wanna talk big government: well, let's talk big video games.  I believed for a long time now that video games are becoming bigger and more popular until it's become this big, bloated abomination and games are deemed "failures" if they sell less than 5+ mil copies.  Take a look at what they're doing with these video game consoles, trying to make too much out of them that it actually hinders playing the game itself.  Sega is too fragile to do things "their way" so you get very little in terms of innovation--the same sterile crap that gets them by and nothing else.  You aren't going to see a plethora of games out like you did back in the Arcade/Genesis/Dreamcast games anymore.  The "Good Old Sega" is NEVER coming back until this current gaming model disintegrates and everyone stops pissing themselves over games with $15 mil+ budgets.  Until then, enjoy the Dreamcast ports released far & between and pretend it's Sega's glory days again.

I can keep kicking Sega while they're down but what's the use.  Sega fans are just used to being sent through the Ass Kicking Machine on a daily basis so we're just numb to it all.  I don't know if actual Sega employees read this but we wish you the best but damn, it's so hard to get optimistic for anything anymore.

BTW, I guess I'll conclude with my job search.  I cannot go into much detail now but we're all looking for job/internships.  I cannot delve into much information right now.  I did the unthinkable and applied to Sumo Digital as a "Gameplay Programmer."  Yes, Sumo Digital in the UK (healthcare for everybody!!).  A reply back two weeks later said I needed more experience which is understandable and at least I'm glad they read my resume.  At least they seemed "okay" with hiring a foreigner.  I'm not surprised but still, what a bummer.  BTW, Sega of Europe also has plenty of job openings, one for "C++ Programmers."  I didn't apply there yet but...so what?  If Sega of Europe was going places, I'd say "yeah" but now, I'm hesitant.  If you live in the UK, have game design experience, and like Sega racers, APPLY TO ONE OF THESE PLACES IMMEDIATELY!!!

Getting experience here in the States is the best option and the best place to do that is at none other than Electronic Arts but that's still a toss-up right now.  Then I have some more leeway on where to go.  It's just strange cause it was only a few years ago, you had dreams of working at the place you love to be doing what you want the most.  Yet here I am and my main focus has shifted from doing what I love to just getting paid.  Cause working at EA or some small-time social game studio isn't my dream but what choice do I have?  Oh, Sega, if you didn't tease me so much, then maybe I could live a NORMAL life and get paid and be happy for once.

YouTube And Game Cutscenes

I was pleasantly surprised to log into YouTube about a week ago to find out that a 4+ year old video I uploaded is now "copyright infringement" and my account has a strike on it.  Tell me what else is new.

But rather than send me an e-mail of wrongdoings or come over to my house and drag me into the town square as they scorn, whip, and spit at me, I get an stern invitation to "YouTube Copyright School."

You have to watch a Happy Tree Friends video of how horrible of a person you are.  Wait--what...??  Happy Tree Friends??  Do they show the part where you're impaled by a stake or beheaded with a guillotine???  The video talk about how you can't post videos of other peoples' content and paste the words "I DON'T OWN THIS CONTENT" or "IT'S FAIR USE, I SWEAR" as an alibi.  If you do, you get a strike.  Three strikes and your account is suspended FOREVER.  If you answer the questions (not all of them are referenced in the video), you get your strike taken away...six months from now.

...But enough about me.  I don't care about those videos anyway.  So you may be wondering why these videos are taken down.  People who own the content sift through YouTube searches and mark any video that they believe violates they copyright.  But wait, what about Fair Use?  No, nothing to do with SOPA/PIPA/etc. this is just normal old copyright law.  In brief, here are the four things that are looked at to determine if it really is Fair Use:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work (if it's a motion picture, soundtrack, video game footage, etc.).
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole (did you copy bits and pieces or the whole thing?).
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work (how much profit do you detract from the owner?).

The funny thing about Fair Use is that there's no absolute formula to figure it out.  If your video negatively applies to two or more of these, it's probably Fair Use.  If it's one (or even zero), it's probably not Fair Use. Hence, properly.  I assume most of the evil copyright police don't take the time to think whether or not it's Fair Use--they just mark the video and move on.  If you disagree with the mark, you can reply with a counter-notice (a document that says "it's Fair Use, STFU") but it's such a mess I wouldn't bother with it unless you're absolutely certain.

Now for how it pertains to video games.  It's funny because when you think about it, there's a hough-jazz amount of video game clips out there.  And in theory, most or all of them violate copyright in some way.  And not just unedited footage but montages, guides, paradies (specifically and supposedly covered by Fair Use), YouTube Poops, and fan stuff in general. The only reason why there isn't this mass eradication of YouTube videos is because frankly, most game companies don't care or have the patience to deal with it.

I read somewhere that as video games become more cutscene-based, that you're seeing more and more of these long ass cutscenes, these "Let's Play"s, or whatever.  Stuff from games like Mass Effect, Halo, Heavy Rain, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto.  And, in some sort of a sick way, they can deter people from actually buying the game.  Part of all these massive games is the curiosity of figuring out and unlocking stuff.  And with the opportunity to just cut through all the "lousy" gameplay you don't like and see everything for yourself, spoilers and all.


Honestly, folks, you have no reason to play this game now.

Let's take Heavy Rain.  I already talked about this game before.  In terms of gameplay, it's all walking around and QTE's.  There's a couple of things you can do to change the outcome but not much else besides go from stage to stage.  What if don't feel like playing it?  Or buying it?  Or buying the PS3 required to play it?  Just look at a YouTube movie.  Problem solved...sort of.  Not the same thing as playing it but you get some "entertainment" from watching it.  Enough to divert a couple of folks like me.

PRESS X TO JASON

This whole topic may sound asinine to some cause playing the actual game is best way to go.  Hey, I'm not denying that.  Nor am I suggesting that all game cutscenes should be removed from YouTube.  It's just strange that in the face of DRM's, anti-used game policy, tons of DLC, etc., one of the most back-handed ways of "cheating" the system is right in front of you.  It's as if an avalanche is being held back by a single stone and no one's nudging it.  Some game companies have caught on and start putting ads in front of their vids which probably infers that's the farthest they're willing to go.

...doesn't really bother me anyway.  I like production value in my games but personally, I'm a "gameplay guy."   Only exception is Shenmue which is awesome.  The rest of you crappy games can go to hell.

But actually, back on the subject of game companies--it seems completely random which companies want to take down copyrighted  footage.  I knew a YouTube guy named Howard Cneal.  Basically, he had mounds of ROMs on his computer for lots of vintage consoles (Famicom, Super Famicom, 32X, GBA, X6800, Amiga) and would "review" each for two-three minutes and make ridiculous commentary about them.  Somehow, he pissed off some relatively non-descript JRPG company like Atlus and then his account was swiftly removed.  He obviously stopped uploading videos after that.  It's really funny that a few obsolete movies can tick off a few people and then the harshest of penalties are dealt.

Bear in mind, that this whole time, we're just focused on video game footage.  Same thing applies to TV, movies, music, etc. but much worse.  Watch out for Viacom!!  They will molest you the first, second, and third chance they get.  Oh, the YouTube leviathan...don't f*** with YouTube.


Evil TV footage eroding the corporate culture of the Internet.  BTW, this show is boss.

BTW, your YouTube account is also binded with Google and Blogspot.  If my YouTube account was suspended some day, does that affect my Blogspot account?  What if Google concludes that I'm a troublemaker who doesn't deserve a blog?  Why do they instill us--err...me with such paranoia?

Sadly, if SOPA passed, it would've been much worse.  Remember the "recording of little girl singing Lady Gaga" example.  Apparently, according to SOPA, that's pure evil and may result in jail time.  So throw Fair Use out the window there.  And it would've been nauseating to watch the nukes & fallout all over YouTube. I'm just glad that bill is gone...for now.  We're fans of games.  That's why we make YouTubes, fan sites, blogs, etc.  Cut us a break since we're all empty on the inside.

I won a can!

Still, Shenmue defies all the rules cause it's awesome.  I refuse to spoil the game by watching the cutscenes.  You know what, I keep hearing all this talk on Reddit and elsewhere about the overwhelming desire for a Half-Life 3.  Valve is a rich nice guy, Gabe Newell is a billionaire who replies to your e-mails, etc. so bring us Half-Life 3.  That game will inevitably come out, that's for sure.  But you know what--WE WANT SHENMUE 3!!!  DO IT, YU SUZUKI, AND BALANCE WILL BE RESTORED TO GAMING FOREVER!!!  Well, that, or Daytona USA 3.

Though I wouldn't mind a Half Life 3...wait, cardboard signs outside Valve???  We need to do something like this Sega.

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EDIT: NVM, I've seen the light.  Thanks Reddit cause this is 100% true.

These YT videos are so craptastic they aren't obstructing anyone's copyrights.  But I would like to see 'em taken down anyway.

Sega Can't Scrub Away SOPA

Now we all know this SOPA bill has been around for a long time yet it just won't die.  Hey, I've talked about it six months ago.  Basically, every single gamer hates it (the day a gamer likes it is the day Sega makes the Dreamcast 2) while the companies themselves are lukewarm to the idea.  And the fact that we have other pressing issues in the United States like our national debt, massive spending, massive unemployment, the healthcare debacle, illegal immigration, expanding size of government & regulations, our national debt, the disastrous housing market, energy independence (or lack thereof), our dwindling military, and our national debt, you'd think SOPA is a drop in the bucket.  But whatever, let's deal with it because this can be disastrous if it passes.

Here's a funny story pertaining to the bill that's generated some controvery and I want to address it.  There's some website that's been sending mass e-mails to all game companies requesting their stance on SOPA.  Some companies replied while some have not.  Sega replied to the e-mail...with an automated message that doesn't pertain to the question in the least (perform a "hard reset").  This set up for a funny Internet joke at the time.  Sega's inbox searches for keywords in its e-mails and sometimes sends an appropriate reply in order to save the Q&A crew some time.  But apparently, the story got around the Internet so much that Sega themselves replied to it.  With a video:



"I used to be Nintendo's rival company, until I took a hard reset." - YouTube comment.

Yes, it's a hokey video and some do hate it.  This is when the Sega haters come out the woodwork to take pot-shots at them.  For one thing, they never mentioned if they support SOPA or not.  Like they know they're "busted"--they don't want to lie but they don't want to admit they support the bill so here's a "non-answer."  But are we really going to find out if they support it?  These are just some guys working on the ground level who are just responding to Internet trends.  Do you think the suits at the top will find out and give their opinions on the issue?  Probably not.  But I REALLY would like to know Sega's stance on this.

Then again, we know that Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts, and Capcom have been flirting with the bill but have pulled support due to peer pressure so does it really matter if Sega supports it?  Who really cares what Sega thinks anyway??  Do they have that much clout in anything anymore?  I don't know...judging from Sega's cease-and-desist demands in a couple of things (Sonic advice YTMND's, Streets of Rage remake), I think they'd be somewhat for the bill.

Man, screw the bill.  I'm all for stopping illegal piracy (well duh, that's why it's illegal), but this whole streaming crap is next.  What's next--they systematically strip the Internet of any gaming-related media?  Yeah, you may not be able to watch every cutscene on Heavy Rain (which could remove the incentive from buying the game), but it may go much farther than that.  What's to stop them--what's the end-game anyway when it comes to censorship?  And you can blame the "evil corporate lobbyists" all you want (never mind the fact people will mass boycott them), if these dummies in Congress can't get the q-tips out their ears and end up passing this law, then SHAME ON THEM.  Will they even read the bill?  Remember: "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."

Anyway, forget about SOPA, I wonder what the corporate culture at Sega is like.  Seems like a couple of kids floating around the office with a camera as Sega continues to act impotent as usual.  If it weren't for Sega of Japan & Sumo Digital's heroics, they'd be in a much worse position than now.  I'm going to write an essay on that soon--I'll let you know about that in the future.

BTW, SOPA is a stupid name for a bill...almost reminds me of SOAP...shoes that is.  Sonic Adventure 2.

ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND...

Oh and one more thing.  Some Japanese tabloid has predicted which Japanese game companies will shut down in the next decade.  Sega, Square, and Tecmo are ranked "most likely to fail" followed by Capcom, Konami, Namco, and Sony.  Nintendo and Gree (who the f*** is that) have a massive gap over the others and thus are the only ones sitting cozy so basically Japan is screwed.  But to restate, Sega is doomed.  Go to Hell, Sega won't die on my watch.  They'll always have a niche and won't resort to producing slot machines and UFO catchers for all eternity.  Stop hating on your own country's developers and get lost.  And y'all can't stop me from talking about Sega racers--not SOPA, not Sega's misery, all that nonsense.

Crazy People In Orlando

Last Tuesday (Oct. 11), President Obama was in Orlando.  I was at school at FIEA and he was at the Sheraton Hotel literally a quarter-mile away from the building I was in.  He was there for a private fundraiser.  There was a few roadblocks with Secret Service and cops on horseback (yeah, cause horses can catch fleeing suspects who are driving away).  At 6 pm, after classes, I just walked to my car in the parking lot and drove home (West).  I wasn't checked for weapons or anything.  And no, I didn't "see" Obama.

TBQH, I wasn't really thrilled that he was here so I didn't care (neither were a few Tea Party guys with signs).  I heard Mr. President went to a certain downtown bar about a half-mile from the Sheraton later that day.  How Secret Service pulled that off, I don't know.  Ok, I am done talking about politicians.  It was just a surreal moment, that's all.

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But there's something better going on--MLG IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!!  Well, it's 20 miles from here at the Gaylord Palms resort.  Did I go?  No, it's already over and I'm afraid of large crowds.  But guess who was there (the POTUS?  no)....

OMG BOXER (of Starcraft fame) WAS THERRRREEE!!!!  *school girl squeal*  I WAS TWENTY MILES AWAY FROM BOXER, NOW MY LIFE HAS MEANING!!!  IF ONLY I COULD'VE BEEN THERE TO SEE HIM!!!

"Babe, how 'bout takin your top off?"

Like last time, they were playing Halo 3, CoD: Black Ops, and Starcraft 2.  I can only tolerate the Halo footage for just a minute since those RvB Master Chief clones & single-fire rifles get friggin boring after a while.  Yeah, CoD isn't that much better (Lightweight/Famas/Red Dot combo) but at least that game looks smoother in motion.

Lol, I'm not making this up.  In between game footage, the official MLG stream would play commercials.  One was a promo for NFS: Shift Unleashed 2.  They offered "tips" on how to play the game correctly.  #1 thru #3 were obvious stuff like "don't crash into other cars."  #4 was "Buy Dr. Pepper products for secret unlockables/tips/cheat codes!"  I just about lost my s*** at that point.  It's almost as if NFS is trying to rival Burnout/FnF/Split Second for my hatred.

Lol, it's really funny they are playing Black Ops. That game's professional scene will wither away in a month. WHO CARES ABOUT THAT GAME ANYMORE, LOLOLOL OMG!!!11!!! Here comes MW3!!!!!

Gaming as we know it is dead.  Time to throw out the Doritos in the pantry!!!

I'm not drinking Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper.  You know what I'm drinking?

It's good.

NOW GET BACK TO SCHOOLWORK!!!

Congratulations, YouTube Users, You're Viewed As Criminals Now

At first, we were all jovial about the Supreme Court ruling that permits retailers to sell M-rated games to minors, but that's peanuts compared to this next bill...

I'm pretty sure everyone's heard about this US Congress bill S.978 which makes streaming or uploading various types of media (including video games) illegal and worthy of jail time.  The irony that this was discussed on July 4th, America's birthday in which we celebrate the freedoms we have.  Now I don't think this will get passed, but really, do we need more vague regulations as it is?  In a country where you can't even dig a hole or buy a toilet without getting hit in the face with some red tape?

A lot of this article talks about streaming.  I know jack about streaming--I'm mainly focused on uploading YouTube videos.  It's not as if we're already getting our asses kicked by copyright infringement (random vids getting pulled left and right).  Fun fact--I actually did get suspended from YouTube years ago by uploading three short clips from movies/TV: Home Alone 2, Office Space and...the Monster Rancher anime (as if anyone cares about an twenty-second, crappy VHS quality clip of an abandoned anime but alas...someone DOES care).  Funny fact is the Office Space clip was removed because it had the Comedy Central logo in the corner (Viacom is anal about that logo), not because of the actual feature film itself.  I got my account back though--more on that in a sec.

A brief overview if you don't know what we have today: How YouTube works is that companies (particularly Viacom) scroll through videos that they believe have copyright material that belongs to them, marking videos that don't follow Fair Use (though due to the subjective nature at hand, they hardly put thought into it and just mark anything without regard to this) so they send letters to YouTube demanding their removal.  YouTube takes the videos down and gives the uploader a "strike."  Three strikes and the account is "suspended" (a big fat lie since odds are you'll never get it back) and the user is told he can't create any future accounts (something YT rarely ever enforces...many people come back although they have to start from scratch again).

Nowadays, this process is made a bit simpler since YT can auto-detect movie, TV, and music in uploaded vids and immediately correct the situation (though people have found ways to circumvent this--i.e. mirror the media clips so the scanners don't pick it up).  Not only that, but YT doesn't even have to follow the "three strikes" rule--they have to power to kill your account for whatever reason...one strike, that's it, goodbye, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

The reason why YouTube seems to be pulling "dick" maneuvers by suspending accounts left and right is because no one wants to get sued.  YT could get sued if not pulling the cord on these videos so soon.  Consider this a blessing...would you rather lose your YT account or face the wrath of civil courts?  You can actually counter-act videos you think were unfairly removed by e-mailing YT back claiming that the videos in question were actually Fair Use.  If the original copyright owners don't reply in two weeks, you get your video back and a strike removed.  That's what I did although it may just be wiser to avoid the mess and just create a new account and get back on your feet that way.

Of course, I haven't even mentioned getting sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars...don't go around monetizing movies or music that doesn't belong to you.  Simple as that.  Obviously I admit that's bad, but I'm not even talking on that grand of scale here.  Just lame-o YouTube filler.

I'm also aware about music and video piracy (even non-profit) which has always existed...companies have gone nuts shutting down sites like Kazaa and Limewire but the fact is it's like trying to kill a horde of bugs with a fly swatter--there's too many of them.  So companies have to derive new ways to monetize copyrighted material, such as slap on ads to user-uploaded vids to at least save face.  That's how the economy works--you can try to hunt down infringers, but change with the times and find other means to get by, not just pass more bills looking to strike down the very people who you're catering to.  ESPECIALLY those who are barely doing anything illegal such as the little kid singing Lady Gaga in an embarrassingly bad YT clip...

This new bill in the legislative branch is going scorched earth--basically scaring the living daylights out of anyone attempting to upload anything barely copyrighted.  This is from the article above: According to the bill as it’s currently written, if you engage in “public performances by electronic means” 10 or more times over a 180 day period, and if either the total economic value of those performances exceeds $2500 or the cost of getting the copyright holder’s permission to perform exceeds $5000, then you can potentially get fined and put in jail for 5 years.  Jail.  FIVE YEARS.

Think about this--want to get people to stop doing something bad, such as driving over the speed limit?  Hand out tickets?  Doesn't seem to stop many people.  How about subjecting people to life in prison or the death penalty?  Does it get people to stop doing this?  Yes.  Is it ridiculous?  Obviously.

And the main problem I have with the bill is that it's just vague.  Okay, so you upload a short clip from a movie or something.  Considering the companies' habit of marking anything as copyright infringement, what's to stop them from coming up to you, claiming you broke the financial threshold, and getting your ass thrown in jail?

So no new gaming videos?  What for?  Watching video game clips on YouTube and such is not a substitute to obtaining the game and playing it for yourself.  Otherwise, I'd get my gaming fix just by watching Daytona 2 and Scud Race footage but no...I'm still overwhelmingly depressed by games today.  The only time I've seen gaming clips get removed from YT is Grand Theft Auto 4 footage around the time that game was released.  So Rockstar was being picky...okay, but for the most part, go ahead and type in any game in YT and you're bound to find some sort of gameplay footage of it.

And if this bill gets passed, then what's to stop them from punishing people who posted videos previously, such as walkthroughs, tool-assisted runs, speed runs, Let's Play's, and other miscellaneous stuff?  What about anything falling under Fair Use?  So get rid of every user-uploaded video off of YouTube (which has its own category BTW)?  Congrats, that's about a fourth of YT gone there.  Goodbye gaming community.  What's next--prosecute anyone that creates an emulator that plays copyrighted ROMs for free (talking about old stuff like NES or *cough* arcade games)?  Or even worse--come over to my blog and say it's illegal for me to use pictures from video games, particularly Sega racers?  When does this end?

The funny part about this is that some companies don't care.  For instance, Treyarch has implemented means for users to upload Black Ops clips to YouTube from their consoles...so suddenly, uploading Black Ops clips is bad?  Now things get even more dicey because you don't know what copyright material will get you busted and what won't.  But all of a sudden, you get cozy and try to share clips of great games like Daytona USA 2 and that's under fire.  Yeah, imagine that--Sega doesn't give a damn about Daytona USA anymore, but if any fans try to revitalize or enshrine the series, they get their asses kicked.  Geez...

And one more thing.  I read this here from some guy...perhaps this is a sneaky maneuver for some anti-gaming politicians to cut at the knees of video gamers everywhere.  They can't even stop retailers from selling M-rated games to minors so what do they do?  Chip away at the community.  I don't think this is entirely true but it's something to think about.  We are dealing with modern-day politicians here who think they know better than everyone else on how to run our lives...

Anyway, this is just me rambling on about copyrights.  I still don't think this bill will be passed.  Anyway, go here and sign a "petishun"--very easy to do.  The gaming blogs aren't harping on it anymore so maybe this thing's really dead--I don't know.  I'm not saying that we should be able to violate any copyright we want but this bill is just absurd...hunting people down like dogs for uploading clips of stuff that hurts nobody (and spending the taxpayers' money while they're at it).  God bless America...

I hope there is nothing factually incorrect about this post--feel free to correct me since I want to learn too...



CALL THE POLICE, WE HAVE A CRIMINAL ON THE LOOSE!!!  PEOPLE SAW A 14-SECOND CLIP OF WILL SMITH PUNCHING AN ALIEN AND THEREFORE, THE MOVIE PRODUCERS HAVE BEEN CHEATED OUT OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!!!  BEAT HIS ASS!!!  WELCOME TO EARTH!!!

Happy Fourth Of July, America F*** Yeah

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

 ...

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. 

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was primary written by Thomas Jefferson was signed on July 4, 1776 (duh, I sure hope you learned that in elementary school).  These Founding Fathers of the United States weren't stupid people.  They were educated in science, history, and philosophy.  They spent years clashing over how to conduct business.  But one thing that was certain--that this would be a limited government founded upon the Judeo-Christian view of Natural Law--that all men get their rights from God, not flawed human beings.

Think about it.  These were well-to-do men that risked losing everything to declare independence.  After fighting a uphill battle for eight brutal years (the Revolutionary War), they got it.  But instead of usurping power for themselves, they wrote the United States Constitution with the specific purpose of limiting their authority...like the Bill of Rights and the three branches of government.  It was the government that feared the people, not the other way around.  Think about the song Won't Get Fooled Again--how many tyrannies does mankind have to endure before they get the hint that this isn't working??

It is no surprise that the US of A has gone from a scattered bunch of colonies to the top world power in less than 200 years.  Yes, I know that have been kinks along the way because mankind is imperfect (the Civil War & slavery), but tell me we couldn't get here without this Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

So don't just sit there playing your stupid video games, be thankful that we have the USA, the most benevolent nation in the world.  Well things may be different today but that doesn't mean we can't observe this holiday.  Now let's take a page out of their book while we're at it...come on America, don't lose faith just yet.

If you're not from the US, please don't take this as offensive...I like other countries but I love the USA.

Hey Kids, STOP ALL THE DOWNLOADIN'...

Right now, I'm experiencing a lot of mental fatigue and I'm downloading this new Black Ops map pack so we'll see what that's like soon.

But first, the Supreme Court case.  So video games are an art form that are no longer persecuted by the government.  Or M-rated games can now be sold to minors in the state of California...I really don't understand what was the big deal by this...an EPIC WIN for gamers everywhere despite the fact we have much worse problems like the economy, the massive deficit, wars in the Middle East, etc.  Aren't kids already prohibited from buying M-rated games (in my state of Louisiana anyway)?  And so what--kids are always playing M-rated games like Call of Duty and Halo so it's not like their minds haven't been "infected" already.  Just get mommy and daddy to buy the games, problem solved...

I don't think the government should dictate what games can and cannot be made (yes, even Burnout).  Although this doesn't mean I don't frown upon ultra-violent/sexualized/other-questionable-material games (uh, Duke Nukem?  Rofl, well that's the Duke, that gets a pass...).  Happy games only...

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Oh, and right now, I'm checking my blog stats (don't worry, I'm not whoring hit counts here) and I see that I'm getting an abnormal amount of hits on my Cars 2 blog post, look at this:

For no reason at all, I'm getting an assload of Google Image views for one picture...this one.  Originally, I copied the url from the third-party website, then uploaded it to my blog, then removed it altogether.  I'M STILL GETTING HITS FOR A PICTURE I REMOVED FROM MY BLOG POST ALTOGETHER.

You might say, "Look at you!  You're getting tons of hits, you should be happy!"  Really, now how many people going through Google Image Search are going to stop and read what I have to say?  I'm going to try removing the pic from my Picasa album, maybe that'll solve things.

And to make matters more embarrassing, Cars 2 is turning out to be the biggest Pixar flop ever...33% on Rotten Tomatoes.  That's unheard of.  EDIT: Just like Nintendo producing a horrible Mario/Zelda game.  At least Cars 2 topped the weekend box office at $66 mil.  I haven't even seen it in theaters yet...I'm too lazy.  Cars is pulling a Duke Nukem...supposed to be great but no it sucks.  I want to talk more about that later.

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GREAT, now my XBL is just screwing with me again.  I can sign in any time I want, but I get signed out ten/fifteen seconds later.  While I'm halfway through downloading the new map pack.  This is horrible.  Maybe if I just keep mashing the "Connect to Xbox Live" button, it'll work (and make my name pop up on my friends' screens repeatedly)...

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One more thing.  This has to do with computer updates.  Last week, I got two Windows updates within a matter of a week.  So the computer always nags you--"When do you want us to remind you to restart your computer?" and I'm like NEVER!!  POSTPONE, POSTPONE, I restart my comp when I feel like it.

Every time it "reminds" you, it tries to restart the computer from under your nose.  EDIT: It still reminds you every ten minutes even if tell it to postpone for four hours.  As a matter of fact, I was in the middle of a chat with a Steam buddy and then my computer went through this self-initiated restart process (without telling me)....it started losing "focus" on the window so I had to keep clicking and getting off one letter at a time...something like "I think my computer is gonna restr (enter) r (enter) tt.."  as every single thing on my desktop disappeared one-by-one.  Just great.

And the updating process is so slow.  It's this blue screen that says "Installing 1 of 6 updates.  Please don't turn off your computer."  Alright, no big deal.  So the computer gets to the final update relatively quickly (in about 15 mins) so I'm thinking this last update will be quick.  NOPE.  My computer sits in the "Installing 6 of 6 updates" phase for about 8 to 12 hours...and there's NO indication of how close it is to completion.  I thought something was wrong with my computer and was about to manually power off the thing but it went "ding-a-ding-dong" late at night to indicate the computer had finished & restarted.  Both updates were the same.  Thanks, Microsoft, thanks.

And I also love how the computer has to restart over the most absurd updates...AVG?  Java?  Adobe Reader???  Now how many times have you used Adobe Reader recently?  I've only use it to read some .pdf attachments I've received in my e-mails.  And yet somehow the install has the gall to sneak in a little desktop icon every time like it's really that relevant.

Reference.

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY.  HOW FITTING WOULD IT HAVE BEEN TO TYPE UP THIS WHOLE POST IN CAPS CAUSE DAMN I'M REALLY PISSED OFF.  AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED ALL THE Windows Account Alert! E-MAILS BUT THAT'S IT.  I'M GOING BACK TO SLEEP.  OH WAIT, DID THE BLACK OPS MAP PACK ACTUALLY DOWNLOAD?  WELL F*** IT I'M KILLING SOME SHANGRI-LA ZOMBIES!!!

Magical Journeys Throughout Europe Just Got More Difficult

I really have tried to stray from political issues, but if this true, then it is disturbing.

Some people at the European Union are trying to ban gas-powered cars from cities by 2050.  What for?  Cause of climate change???...but Carbon Dioxide only makes up 0.035% (give or take) of the atmosphere and if anything, the earth is getting colder.  Record winters & snowfalls everywhere.  Remember the '70s Time Magazine cover of the coming Ice Age and all the panic these big heads get into over extremes.

And if cars are deadly...well, there's plenty of things that people get killed by, such as planes, knives, peppermints (assuming you choke on 'em), swimming pools, etc.

I also don't even know how this is supposed to work--you can use cars outside of cities but not in them...so if you live in the city, you have to ride a bike over to the parking garage on the outskirts of town then drive away, go to another city, park the car outside that city then walk to the destination?  Makes a whole lotta sense.  Go ahead and ban all cars while you're at it.  Ok, now that is sick.  Please God don't let 'em do that.

I wonder what luxury auto makers like Ferrari, Porsche, and so forth will respond. I love cars, I want to drive cars around, cut this government intervention crap. I hope this is one of those phony baloney stories that is being blown out of proportion.  EDIT: No more cruis'n around OutRun/PGR style.  Whatever happened to letting the private sector determine supply and demand?

I know some of my long-time friends are from the UK.  Stand up for liberty and freedom, people!  If they take away cars, then what else can they take away too?  Maybe fast food, video games, flushable toilets, etc.  For the greater good I guess?  Wow!  We may have bigger problems on our hands than all these stupid depressing video games and Sega's ineptitude after all.

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Oh yeah, two more things.  Afterburner Climax and Crazy Taxi are just 400 MSP on Xbox Live for one week only.  So go go buy it, go go go go go go go go.

Also, WHY ARE THEY MAKING CUSTOM XBOX LIVE AVATAR FIGURES NOW...first Fatheads, now this.  I hate these avatar things now with all the expensive accessories, make em stop...  What a crappy day.