Summary of Rytiko

  • Heya! My name is Damien. I'm really into literature and all forms of psychology, so I hope for my future to be in one, or both, of those fields. I'm always working on my writing, and a short term passing interest type of goal is to publish something in the next two years (before I get out of high school), although it's not worth it if I'm not completely satisfied in my ability. Besides that, my main interests aren't much different from most people's - music, movies, girls, gaming, and learning anything interesting. I like to expand my horizons with learning, so it's not too rare to find me watching the discovery channel or something of the like.

Weblog

Monday, 25 June 2007

  • Why can't they make it interesting?

    It's a question I've long wondered about the school system - Why can't they just make it interesting? Relate it to current events, give us something that we can actually think about and compare it to while learning, make the work less focused on work for work's sake and more focused on teaching us the material in a non-tedious manner? Clearly, some people would still be uninterested in a great deal, however how could it be seen as a bad thing for people to actually learn rather than memorize?

    School anymore isn't so much a learning experience as it is a social gathering with a bunch of tedious and generally useless work on the side. I've been in advanced classes most of my life and I still find myself bored with the work, finding it to be rehashing things that I already know over and over and over and over again. Busy work, some call it. Generally, if I didn't learn how to do whatever it is we were supposed to learn in the lesson, it doesn't take much more to get me to know the material inside and out. 10-30 practice problems would be fitting for math and science. No, no, no though - We're doing 60. Fun. Yeah, as if that would actually have a positive effect. In fact, it's things like that that lead me to no longer care about the subject. It's things like that that lead me to question what it is I'm doing there. What's the point? I could gather all this information faster on my own. So why am I being slaughtered with tedious assignments day after day?

    And more importantly, why is homework such a large part of the grade? I see no problem with the more capable student succeeding over the harder working student. After all, isn't that what the world is about? The most capable people? Yeah, work is necessary, however why should our final grade be so dependent on work ethic? For example, doing the amount of work I need to do to learn the material and acing every test thrown at me, I might manage a C. Why? I did everything I needed to do to get the full grasp of the material. I did all that needed to be done. There's an old phrase "Work smart, not hard." I see no reason to view it as anything else. I have the work ethic to do what I need to to succeed. However, with school, it expects me to go above and beyond understanding the information and applying it. It wants me to do it over and over again until I hate the class, and thus progress starts slipping from that point on because I stop caring.

    How many more people like me will emerge from school hating it, finding themselves to have lost focus by the end of every year because they stopped caring? How many people with more capability than the people who got all A's will emerge with B's and C's simply because the work was so tedious that they stopped caring? I hate to see futures ruined because of the ineptitude of the school system.

    But... you know, what the hell is a high school diploma anymore anyway? All you need is some extra cash and you can get the high school diploma and the benefits the scholarships offered anyway. I'm just beginning to ponder the point of working so hard for nothing. What's the point in over achieving? In the state of Florida, all I need is a 3.5 GPA for a free 4-year ride to any state university. I'm seeing no point in doing anything more than that other than self-gratification... And that would get me a 4.0 no problem, if the school hadn't bored me into submission and caused me to stop caring.

Sunday, 24 June 2007

  • Currently Listening
    Everything Goes Numb
    By Streetlight Manifesto
    Everything Went Numb
    see related

    Change is a Beautiful Thing

    It's been awhile since I've directly addressed my change adversity in my introspective endeavors that have led me to this point in life. And now that I really look at it, I'm wondering what it is I was ever so afraid of? For once, I'm starting to like being along for the ride with something else in the driver's seat. And as I stop looking backward and at the map to see where I have been and should be going, my eyes are open to the world of where I am, with nowhere to look but forward. It's amusing, I think, to just sit back and let things work out on their own. Things have been going great for me lately... I can't wait to see what is around the next curve in my life.

    And in that regard, now that the cat's out of the bag to pretty much everyone that I was worried about knowing, I figured I'd spill exactly why it is I've been so busy and why I've been aiming to go to MI. The reason is, probably unsurprisingly, a girl. Amazing, stunning, and the most curiosity-provoking person I've ever met, she draws me in even though I never wanted to stay. I just wanted a one-time thing, you know? Just a quick hookup, then I was gone. That was all it was supposed to be. I guess driving without much course of direction also has its faults, as that didn't quite go according to plan.

    Everything seems to be working out though. It'll all be fine. The next couple of months will be great, I know - It's after that I'm worried about. But even that doesn't bother me too much now, as all that happens then depends on what happens now. The wheels are in motion, and I'm along for what promises to be the ride of my life. I find it odd that, for once, I don't feel like I need to know what will happen. I'm tired of planning, tired of always thinking out my moves 5 turns ahead. Sometimes, it just seems better to wing it. Or maybe it's just the easy way out. Who knows? All I know is that I like it better this way.

    In other news, it seems that scientists have developed an "Invisibility Cloak" of sorts... It won't be long before things like airplanes and submarines will appear invisible at close range. It seems Einstein's quote is becoming more and more true every day - "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World war IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Saturday, 23 June 2007

  • Regarding my Lack of Activity

    Lately I’ve been a bit preoccupied and haven’t had much to talk about. Well, nothing of incredible interest, anyway. For awhile now I’ve been incredibly bored, as the switch to Florida Virtual School has proved to be worse than I thought. The classes, though outrageously and almost sickeningly easy, are tedious. And most of them just started yesterday, postponing my Michigan trip for awhile. However, because of this, I’ve been able to arrange an agreement with my mother -

    If I’m able to complete all of my core classes and Spanish in a month, then I can go to MI for the rest of the summer, and work on my elective class there. The elective being web design, I’m not even going to bother trying to complete it in a month’s time. It’s not worth the trouble. And in MI I’ll most likely be staying at a friend’s house who knows a bit about it for a month anyway, so it’ll be made at least somewhat easier in that regard. Talking with people online for minor assistance when needed is nice, but having someone right there is nicer.

    Aside from the boredom and the somewhat exciting prospect of getting to spend a very long time in my hometown, things have been alright. I’ve had my ups and downs, as everyone does, but  things are definitely going pretty well. Because of a few decisions/changes in thought I feel a bit more freedom than before, and now I’ve got plenty to keep me occupied with my almost-all-day school thing (simply because I explore the internet between assignments) and my new Xbox 360.

    Oh yeah. I finally got my hands on one, for an amazing price. It’s a serviced system, however I got the premium console with all accessories, minus the mic but with the addition of a wired controller, for an unbelievable $280, and that’s after shipping and handling and shipping insurance. So, when I get the time, my game reviews will probably be coming in at least somewhat more often.

    Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say for now. My activity on wordpress will hopefully increase, though I’ll be taking a leave of absence for nearly a month after I finish my classes, because the first month in MI I’ll probably have very limited internet access. The final month, when I’m at my friends’ house, is when I’ll begin activity again. And, of course, when I return home.

  • Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

    I may sound like a bit of a Hideo Kojima fanboy after saying this, but it would seem that everything he touches turns to gold – Everything with the exception of the first Zone of the Enders game, which will forever be known as “The game with the MGS2 demo.” Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, however, is EVERYTHING a sequel should be. The 2nd Runner is improved in every way imaginable – Characters, graphics, controls, combat, story, and you finally get the chance to pound that annoyingly impossible final boss of the first game.

     

    Both Zone of the Enders games take place in the 2170’s, placed 3 years apart if I remember correctly. This is an age of war (Whoa! Shocker!), and what no futuristic anime-styled game would be without, Martians and space colonies. In this world we have a bunch of crazy discriminatory people (Earthlings) who see the people of Mars and beyond as weaker and less significant, eventually dubbing them “Enders.” This area is shockingly dubbed the “Zone of the Enders.”

     

    Also bringing in what no anime-styled mech game would be caught dead without, there is a mysterious ore first discovered upon Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter. The ore is known as Metatron, and has seemingly magical properties. And, as with any new discovery made by humans, everyone was itching to use its new toy right away. Thus, the Orbital Frame was born in the Zone of the Enders to free Mars from Earth and the Space Force. A gun-ho group of militant extremists known as BAHRAM rose as well, taking a more attack-based view than the others, who simply wished to defend Mars. Naturally, two big shot frames are developed, and BAHRAM wants both of them, and shall go to any lengths to get them…

     

    You may remember a particularly whiney anti-combat frame runner named Leo Stenbuck from the first ZOE game. Unfortunately he still hasn’t committed suicide; however the title implies that he is NOT the main character. His position is taken by an ex-BAHRAM pilot, and a masterful one at that. So it makes sense that he is able to manipulate Jehuty, one of the big shot frames and the “good guy’s mech”. Dingo Egret is out for revenge for his fallen comrades, and charges headlong into BAHRAM forces. And so The 2nd Runner begins his disappointingly short, but not at all boring, journey.

     

    The game only has you going for 7-8 hours, maybe less. Every second of it is fantastic, though. The new and improved game play perfectly fits the anime-style mech combat that the first game was obviously influenced by but failed to provide. The combat is amazing, pitting you against a minimum of 3-6 enemies at a time, ranging up to a massive battle of possibly a thousand or more. In fact, the challenge can be more than overwhelming at times, and you’re sure to screw up somewhere and get totally pwned by the countless number of AI frames or fleet of battleships. After all, the AI is more than respectable, adapting to your fighting style and getting slightly more challenging each and every time you fight them. However, this challenge is made much easier by the amazingly smooth controls fitting to the stature and speed-orientation of the Orbital Frames. You’ll be carrying out an action so gracefully sometimes you’ll wonder if you even pressed the button to do that.

     

    Also improved are the graphics. Rather than the attempt to make computerized anime style cut scenes, they actually did it anime style. The in-game graphics are also more than respectable, mixing in that anime style with the sleek beauty of the robots. You feel exactly as you should – like you’re fighting in a giant robot anime. And despite the constant action, countless explosions, and hundreds of laser beams, missiles, and beam swords flying by and flailing around, it maintains a consistent and smooth frame rate.

     

    Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner truly is everything a sequal should be. The game is an improvement of the original in every way imaginable, and if it weren’t so short I would recommend that you buy it. There is a versus mode and extra missions to be unlocked, so you’ll still be playing long after you clear the single player campaign if you have friends to play the game with or if you just get a kick out of blowing some more stuff up. You can also replay the game with all your sub weapons or with different versions of Jehuty to tack on some more extra game play. Rent it for sure, and buy it if you really want to.

     

    Grade: 86% B
    Plot: 8; Visuals: 9; Gameplay: 9; Music/Sounds: 9; Replay: 8

  • Pokemon: Why is it Still Popular?

    Pokemon has been around since the mid 1990’s, celebrating it’s tenth aniversary nearly a year ago today (February 17, 2006). The franchise, immensly popular in Japan as well as many other countries throughout the world, has always targeted both sexes - The cute, sometimes cuddly looking creatures called Pokemon for the girls, and the intense battles for the boys. It has captured the interest of seemingly every youth group since its first appearance in society, maintaining a strong fan base even as other fans get older and view it as childish.

    But what makes this franchise so great? How is it able to repeatedly capture the interest of the youth? Truly, such popularity even after almost eleven years is a notable contribution to pop-culture. Pokemon is more than that, however - it is not only a pop-culture icon, but a great kid’s show that preaches morality, friendship, and in many cases non-violent solutions to problems. It is a massive video game franchise that continues to amuse even the most hardcore gamers. It is even a card game that is fun and stresses organization and strategy.

    Even as we get older, many people often get the feeling of anticipation and nostalgia when a new game or season is about to arise, which is why I’m posting this today. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl versions are scheduled for release in April, I believe, and the feeling is rushing through me once more. I look forward to visiting the newly styled, psuedo-3D, DS capable Pokemon games. You can expect a review sometime near the end of spring.

    In my post, I was never able to give you a real answer as to why it is so popular. Hopefully, after revisiting the Pokemon world this spring, I’ll be able to clarify as to why I believe it continues to captivate us so many years later.

Pulse

  • Talking to old friends brings back old memories. Just a month ago, I think some would have bothered me. Now, I'll just reminisce in peace.
  • Man, it seems I won't have my 360 back before I leave for MI. That kind of sucks. Matt has a Wii, but I really wanted to play Lost Planet...
  • So, it seems it was time for a change. Actually, lots of things in my world are about ready to change at this point. It'll be interesting.

Memories (2)

  • GiRL_ON_FiRE_114
    remember that time at band camp??? yeah, neither do i.
  • Geo_Holyhart
    Remember that time we were skipping through a field of sunflowers as far as the eye can see? We skipped and skipped all through the day and even into the night. Ah... those were the days.

My Tunes