The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

Thomas Friedman and Energy Independence
National Public Radio, Science Friday, June 24, 2005
"According to writer Thomas Friedman, America needs a national science project. The goal? To make America energy independent in 10 years. Friedman talks about his new book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century."

Live 8

"These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison.
This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.
The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough.
By doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children." Bob Geldolf

Time Magazine - Pooh-bah's of Poverty June 19, 2005

Crossroads

Some say the devil be a mystical thing
I say the devil he a walking man
He a fool he a liar conjurer and a thief
He try to tell you what you want
Try to tell you what you need

Standing at the point
The road it cross you down
What is at your back
Which way do you turn
Who will come to find you first
Your devils or your gods

Tracy Chapman
Crossroads

John Brown: Abolitionist

Biography Explores John Brown's Legacy
Weekend Edition - Saturday, May 7, 2005



NPR.org
John Brown's violent campaign against slavery -- punctuated by the dramatic 1859 raid at Harper's Ferry, Va. -- made him a divisive figure, then and now. He's been portrayed as an insane fanatic and as a noble martyr. His actions unquestionably helped set in motion events that led to the Civil War.
A new biography by David Reynolds examines the abolitionist's life and his far-reaching cultural impact. Linda Wertheimer talks with Reynolds.

Farwell My Concubine (1993)

Director Chen Kaige

Starring Leslie Cheung, Gong Li

Time All Time 100 Movies In 1977, two old veterans of the classic Beijing Opera are reunited after long inactivity and estrangement. The story ranges over their entire careers, going back to the 1924 warlord era when they were both child apprentices under a brutal, abusive teacher.... By 1937 when war with Japan is imminent, Douzi (now going by the professional name of Chieng Dieyi) has a wealthy patron, while Shitou (aka Xiaolou Duan) marries a beautiful and headstrong prostitute (Li). These outside relationships put a severe strain on their professional team, and further large developments -- the Japanese occupation, the Nationalist uprising in 1945, the Communist revolution in 1949, and the devastating Cultural Revolution of 1966-- lead the characters into lies, betrayals, trials, and deaths. This gorgeous, crushing, magnificently written (based on the novel by Lillian Lee) and acted epic was released in 157 minutes in the U.S. but its original Chinese print is 171 minutes long. For once the astonishing Gong Li is out-acted by a man: Leslie Cheung in the title role. David Loftus, Resident Farewell My Concubine Scholar www.allwatchers.com

Raise The Red Lantern (1991)

Director Zhang Yimou
Starring Gong Li

Raise the Red Lantern, a magnificent film that confirms Zhang as a world-class director, may cause him more grief. The setting is northern China in the Twenties. The teenage Songlian (Gong Li) marries the fiftyish Chen (Ma Jingwu), a rich and ruthless man who already has three wives. Each night, servants raise a red lantern in front of the door of the wife whom the master decides to reward with his sexual favors. The struggle among the wives for power, or at least the appearance of it, allows Zhang to suggest disturbing links between past and present. Gong Li delivers a performance of exquisite expressiveness that, like the film itself, is unnerving in its emotional nakedness.

Rolling Stone

Essay: Beyond Children of the Atom: Black Politics, White Minds and the X-men.

Not having much to do, I decided to say something about the X-men and the interpretation of it all. The franchise has done very well; the movies, comics, animation... but why? So, I decided to start by searching google for keywords 'xmen' and 'racism'. The top hit is the essay above.

Essay: Beyond Children of the Atom: Black Politics, White Minds and the X-men.
May 8, 2003

Enemy Territory Fortress

Enemy Territory Fortres has been released. It is a port of Q3F to Enemy Territory with a ton of bug fixes, changes, and tweaks and is completly FREE.

You do not need to buy anything to play ETF. The only thing you will need to do is download Enemy Territory which is FREE and you can find the download links here (you will also need the Enemy Territory 1.02 patch which is also in our files section), make sure you install 1.0 and patch 1.02.

www.etfgame.com
www.planetetf.com

Splash Damage

Splash Damage

Splash Damage is a London-based independent game studio dedicated to online gaming, and has rapidly established itself as one of the leading First Person Shooter developers in Europe.
Splash Damage was formed in June 2001 from key members of the non-commercial online mod-making community. Splash Damage built on the experience gained by its staff in projects such as Q3F to work in partnership with established developers and publishers, and ultimately create stand-alone original games titles.

Splash Damage built bespoke Counter-Strike and Quake III maps for Games Domain. Splash Damage then worked with Network Of the World and Gamer.TV, providing both custom maps and an in-game television production solution. Splash Damage staff worked to produce and present over 150 TV shows based on Quake III Arena.

In 2002, Splash Damage began a partnership with id Software and Activision to work on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (free game) which has won several Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice and remains one of the most popular online FPS titles.

Quake 3 Fortress

Quake 3 Fortress

Q3F 2.0 has been developed by the Q3F Development Team, and is a Total Conversion (TC) for the game Quake 3 Arena, deceloped by id Software and published by Activision. The goal with the ongoing development of Q3F has been to modify the multiplayer aspects of Quake 3 to create a much more in-depth and team oriented experience while playing on the Internet, on gaming networks or on a LAN.

The Classes
The Maps
The HUD

The Team

Asian Quake is Most Powerful in 40 Years (NPR audio)

Asian Quake is Most Powerful in 40 Years



Examining the International Effort to Aid Tsunami Victims

January 3, 2005
The world still is aghast after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. We consider how the world is organizing to help, a week after the tragedy.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Half Life 2

Half Life 2

Looking forward to Half Life 2, and the hardware fantasies that go with it. Every article includes mentions of Steam required to play. So I checked it out. Simply looks like a gamespy client for Valve Software games. The client updated game (Half Life Team Fortress Classic and Counter Strike) to the latest build. Several server connection time outs made it appear bit buggy and there was no feedback during progress. And Steam appeared when hitting escape for game options, but not providing any. I hope this is not required for multiplayer, too difficult to use that it discourages it, or a subscription cost behind it.

Half Life 2 Reviews: (a bit biased)

Funny: Half-Life 2 to be arcade release in Japan

True: "The Japanese gaming community doesn’t like first-person shooting games."

Steam

Steam - Counter Strike Source


Checked out Steam. Reminds me of Gamespy. 375 Counter Strike Source servers 

Plane Ticket $350...

Plane Ticket: $350.
Game Ticket: $750.
The Yankees Watching the Sox in the World Series: PRICELESS.

10 of Rods

Position: Challenges/ Opportunities
General Meaning:
This suit, most often called "Wands" and sometimes called "Rods" or "Staves," represents initiative, ambition, drive and desire. This is the suit of enterprise and risk-taking.

The Ten of this suit represents an all-out effort, an obsessive commitment to a task which demands everything you've got. The person shown in decks with pictures is in no position to rest until he makes it inside the stout walls of the well-defended castle in the distance. If he fails, he will become prey for the highway robbers after dark.

It doesn't matter that he's overloaded and underfed. With this card, you have to do whatever it takes to get to completion -- nothing can be allowed to interfere.

Railbait

www.railbait.com

Map rotation. That is what you expect at the end of a game. Often announcements for new maps, which means another 'download'. Not see a banner "In memory of... Zapped Again" and know the guy. Well, we've never actually really met. But I remember his stance, and the challenge. Amazing what an avatar can do, when bundled with real life. Two years later, not much is left of that bunch, but the portal has lived on. Non-other than Railbait is destined for the leading edge. Gamers are people too... so are their avatars.

These games are always different, but Zapped was very consistent... Always - fragged again, by zapped again.
09-14-2002
Jin
Railbait n00b
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 30

Another Jin

Worst ping. Best game.

Was going through my game directories and found an earlier version saved the final scores of my games. Well, there is one I found that I remember well. The only game I ever won. The first (and last) my team won and I had the highest frags. (my player name is Jin) The map was 2mach and I was an engineer. I made gun placement at the edge of the flag base, and just guarded the gun. Almost a shutout indeed. My team capped over and over again.



My first and last winning game.

Les Seules (The Outsiders)

The Outsiders

I saw a group of news articles last week about Les Seules (The Outsiders):

"In French, their name means The Outsiders. But in the world of competitive "Counterstrike," a first-person shooter PC game, Les Seules have moved to the forefront, thanks to their virtual machine gun and grenade wielding techniques and, well, their good looks."

ABC News


Les Seules

Relevant "Foreign Affairs"

A Global Power Shift in the Making

Global power shifts happen rarely and are even less often peaceful. Washington must take heed: Asia is rising fast, with its growing economic power translating into political and military strength. The West must adapt -- or be left behind.



Is America Losing its Edge?

For 50 years, the United States has maintained its economic edge by being better and faster than any other country at inventing and exploiting new technologies. Today, however, its dominance is starting to slip

The good life

The good life

Inushiki aka Dogggystyle

This is the local village of Kitijioji (an overpopulated town outside of the big cities of Shinjuku and Shibuya within the Megalopolis Tokyo). Music is everything here. None of the sensationalism of Roppongi, the unbridled youth of Shibuya, nor the sheer density of Shinjuku. In fact, not many here are salarymen, and those who are care not to admit. Instead a local music entertainment scene where music is the language spoken. Friends of mine DJ at Mandala, Yellow, and Star Pines Cafe. Dogggystyle is king here, and are the linch pins, friends of ours and we are fans too.

Defender

Trivia

Defender was one of the "Highest Grossing Video Game of All Time" along with Pac-Man.

According to Midway, the geneology of the games is as follows: Defender, Stargate, Robotron:2084, Joust, and Sinistar.

Lost in Translation

I saw the film Lost in Translation in Tokyo's Shibuya where a lot of the scenes were set. No subtitles for the Japanese dialog since the theater was in Japan. Why did it take so long to get released here (4/17/2004)? And why only one theater here? The lines were too long. Typical of Tokyo, theaters here sell more tickets than seats available, then allow everyone else to stand or sit in the aisles. The first show was sold out (standing room only) and I arrived an hour earlier for the next just to get a seat. This underscores the film that many don't get... TOKYO: a megalopolis of 30 million people, and foreigners on the fringe. I appreciate that Sophia Coppola spent a lot of time here, and it is very evident in the film. The best part is after leaving the theater to continue the great experience we're having here. We must admit, we've appreciated this film on many occassions over the past few months challenged with the never ending need to fit in and time spent with people we can communicate easily with.

For you, one that I dream of

Come inside and share my love. I have never shared it before. I have never been in love. I do not open up to many. When I do, I just get hurt. I wear a shell around my heart made of stone. I discard it when I am alone with you. Where did this hardness come from and appear so cold on the outside. "It is because I have not had a dream in a long time. See this life I have had can make a good man turn bad. So please, please, please let me get what I want this time. Lord knows it would be the first time." There is a warm man on the inside.


When you said you cared, it touched my soul. No one has ever cared enough to say so. I hope there will never be another. I've met many people. As I get to know them they begin to believe they know me better than I know myself. I end up not wanting to know them at all. But you're different.


Let's not put faith in marriage and simply believe in us. It is not a piece of paper or a ring that are the bonds of love, it is you and I. Believe in the future and do not look back; the past is no friend of ours. I believe in children because they are the future. Marriage is for children. Until then I will be your hopeless romantic. (billbill, 1992)

My life in dreams, traffic, haste, and doubt

"My life, in dreams, traffic, haste and doubt."

Tokyo, a megalopolis of the polite and impersonal.
My home and family, more often than not, are my office building and coworkers.
Such is the life of a "salary man".

End of a holiday weekend. Always the fantasy that I am visiting home again, if only for a short while. Now I don't know what to say. Yes, I have what I wished for; so surprised it came true. That old saying, "seek and you shall find" is no joke. Now if I could only find the exit. We need something new to imagine where we can go from here. Sweep the hollow victories aside and all the sacrifices that went with it. Time for a new plan...

Reminiscent of the gospel song grandmummy enjoyed on Sundays:

"Lord, don't move this mountain
But give me strength to climb it!
Please don't move this stumbling block,
But lead me, Lord, around it!
...
I'm climbing up the rough side of the mountain
I'm doing my best to make it in!"

Although I am not a very religious man, I know what it means.

Dream Refuge

Dream Refuge

William Wilson
August 25, 1997

When can I sit down?
Why can't I stop running?
To the car, like its my exercise
Always late yet always moving
Seven to Five, work keeps me busy
My peers insist on lunch
Although I should be at the bank paying bills
Need to use the bathroom, but that can wait
"Be right there, sir!"
Evenings are long, my time is short
Part-time job, school, home a second job
My time, just the moment between the pillow and sleep
Vacations spent working elsewhere
When I could be sleeping
Sitting is a luxury, only dreams are my refuge
Family in the morning, calling from afar
Wanting to know me like they used to
I'm lost to them, I'm lost to me
Canceled cable, and never have seen "Friends"
"Did you see that show?", I haven't seen any in years
Maybe in syndication when I'm older saying
"...now that was a good show!"
Watching life pass me by on the covers of magazines
News, just rumors heard in conversations
"Did you hear what happened?"
If it's that important, I'll see it on a cover at the supermarket
Social life, love life, club life, all someone else's life
Not my life, in dreams, in traffic, in haste, in doubt
It isn't over till it's over
Nobody, and anybody, wishing I was somebody
and everybody on my schedule but me
Why such a high price for my life,
that is owned by so many, but not by me?