"Got myself worked up over nothing today. All the trash that's in my head, I gotta throw it away. It's alright."
- Tommy Lee, "Good Times"
"For all we ought to have thought, and have not thought; all we ought ought to have said, and have not said; all we ought to have done, and have not done; I pray Thee, God, for forgiveness."
- Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan (Antonio Banderas), 13th Warrior
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Mind of a Gamer: A Quest for Power
Had an interesting thought today (while I was in the shower). A little insight into the mind of the nerd; the mind of a gamer. Why do geeks/nerds like video games so much? It's a stereotype, really. The more of a nerd a guy (or girl, 'cause girl gamers exist too) is, the more he plays video games. In a way, it's the Nerd Richter Scale. I think I'm a size 7 or 8. But back to the question: why?
A psychologist or psychiatrist might have more insight into this than I do, but I think it's all about power. In high school, a nerd has little bargaining power. The powers that are respected are physical power (jocks), charisma or attractiveness (prom kings/queens), and popularity (cliques). The power a nerd has is intellectual. The power of the mind is not as well regarded in high school as the hotness factor of Katrina the Prom Queen. Especially if she's a bit of a tease (but not a slut).
So nerds turn to video games. In those, we rule the world. We can become powerful, acquire powerful artifacts and weapons, be attractive and popular, find attractive (and gravity-defying) mates/lovers. In those worlds, the power of the intellect translates into physical power, charisma, attractiveness, and popularity. We can, and do, have it all.
It's kind of sad, really. But we all crave power of a sort. It just comes in differing levels for different people. I grew up with intellect, but I wasn't physically powerful and didn't think I was very handsome. I also wasn't popular. Ever. It's probably part of why I'm a gamer. I based my above thoughts on my life. Since coming to college, my views have changed a little. I discovered that I'm somewhat good-looking. I made a lot of friends, so I guess you could say that I've become popular. I've developed some charisma (as three years of peer advising will show). Physically, I'm still not that powerful. Haven't bothered to work out. It's popular. I'm a nonconformist. Go figure.
But, I'm still power-hungry in my own way. What kind of power do you have? And what power do you crave?
A psychologist or psychiatrist might have more insight into this than I do, but I think it's all about power. In high school, a nerd has little bargaining power. The powers that are respected are physical power (jocks), charisma or attractiveness (prom kings/queens), and popularity (cliques). The power a nerd has is intellectual. The power of the mind is not as well regarded in high school as the hotness factor of Katrina the Prom Queen. Especially if she's a bit of a tease (but not a slut).
So nerds turn to video games. In those, we rule the world. We can become powerful, acquire powerful artifacts and weapons, be attractive and popular, find attractive (and gravity-defying) mates/lovers. In those worlds, the power of the intellect translates into physical power, charisma, attractiveness, and popularity. We can, and do, have it all.
It's kind of sad, really. But we all crave power of a sort. It just comes in differing levels for different people. I grew up with intellect, but I wasn't physically powerful and didn't think I was very handsome. I also wasn't popular. Ever. It's probably part of why I'm a gamer. I based my above thoughts on my life. Since coming to college, my views have changed a little. I discovered that I'm somewhat good-looking. I made a lot of friends, so I guess you could say that I've become popular. I've developed some charisma (as three years of peer advising will show). Physically, I'm still not that powerful. Haven't bothered to work out. It's popular. I'm a nonconformist. Go figure.
But, I'm still power-hungry in my own way. What kind of power do you have? And what power do you crave?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Stuff of Life
Ah... music. In some ways it seems my life revolves around music. Maybe I should have been a music teacher. Anyways. Thought I'd post some of my current favorites. No particular order, I'm just assigning them numbers to differentiate between them.
1. Waiting for the End - Linkin Park
2. C'mon (Catch 'em By Surprise) - Tiesto vs. Diplo ft. Busta Rhymes
(There is a version of C'mon that's just Tiesto vs. Diplo)
3. Eternity - Alibi (presented by Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto)
4. Your Love - Brandon Heath
5. My Own Little World - Mathew West
6. Light Up The Sky - The Afters
You can find all of these songs on Youtube. Some of the music videos are interesting. Enjoy.
1. Waiting for the End - Linkin Park
2. C'mon (Catch 'em By Surprise) - Tiesto vs. Diplo ft. Busta Rhymes
(There is a version of C'mon that's just Tiesto vs. Diplo)
3. Eternity - Alibi (presented by Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto)
4. Your Love - Brandon Heath
5. My Own Little World - Mathew West
6. Light Up The Sky - The Afters
You can find all of these songs on Youtube. Some of the music videos are interesting. Enjoy.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Shower Thoughts
I find I do some of my best thinking in the shower. Not sure why. There's probably a scientific reason for it, somehow related to water. Whatever the reason, my mind produces a plethora of platitudes and plankton-like thoughts (Sorry. I had an urge to alliterate). A few of the things I came up with, I will not write for your viewing pleasure.
I've had to revise my opinion of a Linkin Park song. It's on the radio right now - Waiting for the End. When I first heard it, I remember thinking that it was a little odd, but it strayed from the original sound. I felt a little betrayed. When I think of Linkin Park, I expect to hear rock music in my head; this latest effort is a bit more of a ballad. I even discussed this a little with Claudia. She was giving me a lift somewhere and the song came on the radio. I remember her asking me what I thought of it and I told her basically what I wrote above this sentence. Over the course of this last semester, though, the song started to grow on me. Maybe it's because I was at the end of my college career, or the end of my student teaching. Maybe it's just where I am in life right now. I feel like I've come to the end of something. But, like the song says, "this is not the end. This is just the beginning." Somewhere, somewhen, somehow, I've changed. And so, the song reverberates with me now. I find myself singing along (I need more practice. Still don't have the lyrics committed to memory).
Shifting topics. Watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last night. Definitely a weird movie. I saw names on the front-Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrel, Jude Law-and I thought that it would be worth watching. I was right-it was good. Also strange. The storyline was straightforward in setting up the problem. The solution left me puzzled, though. The resolution was also bizarre. I'm still trying to process and analyze all of the movie. Maybe that's my problem. In one of the special features, the director says that the movie was almost a whimsical move for him. It shows. It's a whimsical movie.
Shifting topics. Had a revelation the other day. Well, a revelation for me, maybe not for you. I thought about the basic nature of Sin. How would I define Sin in a sentence? Here's what I came up with. Sin (Satan's Way) is putting Me before You. God's Way (don't have a single word definition) is putting You before Me. I think that's all the explanation I'll put here. Think about it. It'll make sense.
Okay. I'm freshly showered, I exercised a little while ago. I'm starting to feel thirsty and hungry. Let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow is another day.
I've had to revise my opinion of a Linkin Park song. It's on the radio right now - Waiting for the End. When I first heard it, I remember thinking that it was a little odd, but it strayed from the original sound. I felt a little betrayed. When I think of Linkin Park, I expect to hear rock music in my head; this latest effort is a bit more of a ballad. I even discussed this a little with Claudia. She was giving me a lift somewhere and the song came on the radio. I remember her asking me what I thought of it and I told her basically what I wrote above this sentence. Over the course of this last semester, though, the song started to grow on me. Maybe it's because I was at the end of my college career, or the end of my student teaching. Maybe it's just where I am in life right now. I feel like I've come to the end of something. But, like the song says, "this is not the end. This is just the beginning." Somewhere, somewhen, somehow, I've changed. And so, the song reverberates with me now. I find myself singing along (I need more practice. Still don't have the lyrics committed to memory).
Shifting topics. Watched The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last night. Definitely a weird movie. I saw names on the front-Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrel, Jude Law-and I thought that it would be worth watching. I was right-it was good. Also strange. The storyline was straightforward in setting up the problem. The solution left me puzzled, though. The resolution was also bizarre. I'm still trying to process and analyze all of the movie. Maybe that's my problem. In one of the special features, the director says that the movie was almost a whimsical move for him. It shows. It's a whimsical movie.
Shifting topics. Had a revelation the other day. Well, a revelation for me, maybe not for you. I thought about the basic nature of Sin. How would I define Sin in a sentence? Here's what I came up with. Sin (Satan's Way) is putting Me before You. God's Way (don't have a single word definition) is putting You before Me. I think that's all the explanation I'll put here. Think about it. It'll make sense.
Okay. I'm freshly showered, I exercised a little while ago. I'm starting to feel thirsty and hungry. Let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow is another day.
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