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Twittering–Weekly Digest

November 29th, 2009 admin No comments

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 29th, 2009 admin No comments
  • @brigitjackson I am, cause it just got started! Hope all is well with you! #FollowFriday #FF in reply to brigitjackson #
  • @lauraeno @DavidBTwit #FridayFlash thank you both for the RT's! #
  • Home after a brief walk, watching Demolition Man, and beginning the weekend. #
  • Just spent about an hour brushing up on my Spanish. Sigue utilizando el traductor de un poco más lo que me gustaría, lo reconozco. #
  • Finally figured out what I want to study in school, the problem is, I have no idea where to go. #
  • @tammey hey, Tammey. Thanks, I'll be okay, though. This is something I wanna do on my own. But thank you. in reply to tammey #
  • Christ, I'll be close to thirty-four when I get into school… #
  • @cjwriter in the old days, I used to involve myself in those situations. Can I ask what he was saying? in reply to cjwriter #
  • @cjwriter oops, just read the follow-up tweet. Yeah, at one point, I definitely would've gotten involved. I feel for that kid. in reply to cjwriter #
  • I found the school I want to get into. Amazingly, they offer courses in game design. #
  • What I'd like to do is follow Hideo Kojima's path…but I don't think those options are available here. #
  • Although you are jazzed about turning a corner and moving into… More for Scorpio http://twittascope.com/twittascope/?sign=8 #

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the Advancement of the Interactive Narrative

November 28th, 2009 admin No comments

We’ve been reading about the war in the Middle East for nearly twenty years. When you read the words on paper (or on a screen, as technology progresses), your mind paints a picture based on the description. Stimulating, but not entirely suitable for the ADHD (Attention-Deficit-Hey!-Dog!) generation.

For years, people have been looking for a way to accurately depict what’s happening in the world. Thanks to intrepid journalism and some pretty daring filmmakers, we’ve been on the ground floor for some of the Armed Forces skirmishes. We hear and see snippets of what they go through…but unless you’re there, chances are the memories don’t last.

So how do we create unforgettable, brutally real, yet relatively harmless experiences that accurately show what soldiers—and people—around the world are going through? How do we take what some would rather ignore and make it impossible to turn away from?

Infinity Ward found a way.
I don’t traditionally play first person shooters (Red Faction: Guerilla Warfare, which I found enjoyable, was my first one since Halo 2), but I try to investigate anything that generates as much hype as Modern Warfare 2 did. The outset of the game warns that some levels might be deemed offensive and wisely gives you the option of opting out of these missions. Figuring that I’m about to experience a bunch of racial slurs against Muslims and death-to-America propaganda, I choose to play through the offensive missions.

And I promise you, I’ll never forget what I played through. Neither will you.
I don’t want to spoil it, but if this title is even a hint of what soldiers (and people) are going through around the world, then I have a newfound respect for our armed forces and a great swell of sympathy for those who live in fear of this kind of thing—which happens almost every day, it seems.

This game is so intense that I often found myself pausing just to walk around and catch my breath—because I wasn’t breathing, during the game’s more intense moments. But beyond its stellar gameplay, Modern Warfare 2 is a shining example of what video games can do for storytelling when properly executed. In fact, I firmly believe that just as books were eventually translated to film, video games represent the next arc of storytelling, and perhaps the most potent medium of this generation.

The scene in question succeeds not just for flawless execution, not because the game gives you the option to bow out (you will not want your kids anywhere near this, I promise), but because the scene is horrific without being tasteless or exploitative. And following this scene presents a very realistic possibility of what might happen should episodes like this be allowed to continue in the real world.

What we experience on foreign soil in this game is nothing compared to what happens when the war comes home. And best believe, in this game, it does come home.

Why do we expose ourselves to stories? Why do we flock to heroes, villains, and everything in between? What is it about Batman, Superman, Wolverine, Harry Potter, Edward/Jacob/Bella, Link, Leon Kennedy, or Kain/Raziel (pretty good summary, I think) that causes us to return to the medium of our choice over and over again?

Personal opinion; these people, with their powers, wits, guns, magic or all of the above, involve themselves in danger and intrigue that we can only dream of. They deal with the same moral decisions we face but at much higher levels, with much more devastating consequences (Batman broke a moral code to assassinate Darkseid in DC’s Final Crisis). Most importantly, they do what we can’t; even if the cost is great, they get closure. They beat the bad guy. Justice wins, and in the end, I think that’s what a lot of us wants. The good guy wins, the bad guy goes to jail or hell or whatever.

But in books and movies, we only get to see and passively follow along. In Batman: Arkham Asylum, we got to be the Dark Knight and experience life from his point of view. No book or picture can rival that, although if it weren’t for those, we wouldn’t have the video game.

Reading and watching these soldiers in action is nothing compared to what Modern Warfare 2 accomplishes.

If we really love drama so much that we will sink millions of dollars into franchises just to keep them going, maybe video games can do what few other titles in other mediums have; as they immerse us in their stories and force to experience things we probably couldn’t handle in real life, maybe we can begin to prevent our own self-destruction. Instead of condemning video game violence, we should realize that a lot of this is inspired by real life. Maybe we could use the multi-million dollar video game business to learn from our mistakes, as well as tell better stories.

Cause zombies could rise up, and Skynet could take over the world. You just never know.

But in the meantime, I applaud Infinity Ward for their courage and execution and hope to see others follow suit. Titles like this not only justify the sixty dollar price tag but advance the interactive medium.

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 27th, 2009 admin No comments
  • You may be inspired to try doing everything in a new and diffe… More for Scorpio http://twittascope.com/twittascope/?sign=8 #
  • @3083joe morning and same to you! (Sorry for the late response) in reply to 3083joe #
  • #FridayFlash Universal Warrior Uprising Chapter 37: The Seraphim Advance is now LIVE!! http://bit.ly/4zOrBV PLEASE RT!! #
  • #FridayFlash Universal Warrior Uprising Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Traitor Revealed is now LIVE!! http://bit.ly/4zOrBV Please RT!! #
  • @luge thanks for sharing! Haven't seen you around in a long time! in reply to luge #
  • I've enjoyed writing Uprising, but to be honest, I'll be glad for the break. The story concludes next week. #
  • Plus I just started following a host of people from #FridayFlash. #
  • After next week, I'll get back into the #FollowFriday routine, too. GOD, I can't wait to take a month off… #
  • RT @lauraeno: A bit of alternate history "Demons and Acid Don't Mix, #fridayflash by Laura Eno http://bit.ly/8SMFI6 #

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 26th, 2009 admin No comments

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 26th, 2009 admin No comments

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 24th, 2009 admin No comments

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Why I’d Rather Be Fighting

November 24th, 2009 admin No comments

I’ve been studying martial arts for more than twenty years, and yet, I can’t find the words to articulate everything it’s done for me.  I’ve used it in every aspect of my life, and continue to do so. It’s the purest and most complete system I’ve ever encountered.

I’m not someone who bullshits or plays games with people, something that often gets me into trouble. Martial arts is the same way. You have no excuses. You’re either skilled or you’re not, and if you’re not, then it’s plainly your fault, and you know it. In the end, you’re the practitioner, and you decide how far you go.

I think the world works better when there are no excuses.

I also find martial arts incredibly addictive. You never stop learning or improving. At the same time, the more you learn, the deadlier you become. Knowing that you have the ability to take a life with your bare hands is both intoxicating and humbling. And yet, knowing this, you ask yourself every time you raise your hands, and you bring that deadly power to bear; is this worth it?

To me, this is why the emotional impact of martial arts is far greater than the physical one; we do not train to fight, we train to reign in our emotions and diffuse situations in which we might become violent. We do this because violence is a last resort; if we must become violent, someone could quickly be crippled or worse.

In one fluent motion, you exhale. You thrust your right arm forward. At the last second, you tighten your hand into a fist, shifting your right hip into the blow for extra power. You crash your fist upwards into someone’s ribs. The ribs give beneath your blow, splintering upwards. The lungs and heart are shredded. The person dies painfully, slowly, at your feet.

Or you can just walk away.

And yet, the only way to test ourselves is by challenging each other. This is what I’ve always enjoyed the most of.

I have a couple of good friends in the area that I can do this with. Every so often, we get together, and we fight.

There’s a huge amount of trust involved, yet another reason why I gravitate towards the martial arts; I do not trust easy. Sparring requires a tremendous amount of control and trust, knowing that your ‘opponent’ is as skilled as you are, but will not lose their temper and elevate it to bloodlust if you get a lucky strike in. Sparring requires more trust than almost anything else I’ve ever done.

Getting tagged (hit) means that your defense is not good enough, and it gives you something to work on. If you are taken down easily, then your center of balance is off. If blocking his/her moves begins to wear you down, you should shift to dodging rather than blocking until you can condition your arms (kickboxing is good for that). Always something new to learn, and I enjoy that too.

There is a style for every occasion. If you want to learn how to defend yourself non-violently, there’s judo and aikido, which specialize in throwing your opponent off balance without doing too much damage. If you want to learn flexibility, grace, and offense, tae kwon do is for you. If you want to learn all of these, plus rhythm and dance, look into Capoeira. If you want to learn to regulate your breathing and gain better control over your body, Tai Chi and Kung Fu are for you. I have found that Chinese styles are better for mental and spiritual development (although styles like Tai Chi Chuan are both beautiful and offensive) while Japanese and Thai styles are more suited for people who want to learn straight out fighting.

What I take form the martial arts is a way to keep my type two in check. It gives me a constructive way to deal with rage. It allows me to feed my creative side (anyone read Universal Warrior yet? Shameless plug inserted). It allows me to see people a little differently (body language is everything) and it gives me something I can never stop learning.

Every time I thought I learned all there was to know about a style, I found a new level. I’ll never keep getting stronger, and there is no limit to how far I can take my skills.

This excites me. This is why I’d rather be fighting.

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A Victorious Type 2 Tuesday

November 24th, 2009 admin 1 comment

The middle of last week was a low point. So low, in fact, that I wound up going to the hospital. I learned that I was under a lot of stress; it was raising my blood pressure. I’m fine now, though…

The clinic I get examined at is student-run, and adjacent to the hospital; I had never gotten the results of my recent blood work, and I figured that I might as well kill two birds with one stone. After filling the doctor in, he stepped out for a few minutes.

He returned with my open chart in his hands, studying it carefully. “Mr. Tingle,” he begins, “What’re you doing to yourself?”
My heart bottoms into my stomach. “Nothing out of the ordinary, why?” Just what the hell are you about to tell me?!
“Whatever you’re doing,” he looks up, smiling, “Keep it up.”

My A1C is down; my blood sugar stays pretty even. Although he couldn’t authorize it himself, he was going to recommend that medication no longer be necessary in the management of my type two diabetes.

I have been off medication for about five days; it’s been an adjustment. I won’t say it’s been easy. My energy level has dropped off a bit, and my blood sugar peaked out a few days ago at 138. It consistently remains at around 98-112.

I still get up and work out every morning. I still eat a lot of fruit, I still remain very active, and I still take the necessary steps to keep my body going.

But you can officially take it from me.

You can beat this thing back.

Thanks for reading.

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Avery’s Daily Tweets

November 23rd, 2009 admin No comments

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