For my first Cheddar Monk assignment, I went to a local aquarium to practice Summon Bigger Fish.  They were kind enough to agree to care for any fish I managed to summon.

Vader attacks!

Luke’s female duplicate comes to assist.

I begin by summoning a small fish.

I summon another small fish, to be sure.

I summon a bigger fish.

… and yet bigger.

… and even bigger.

Encouraged, I summon a group of small fish.

I proceed to summon a school of bigger fish.

… and bigger fish.

... and even bigger.

They were selling these. I'm not sure what to think.

The term “net neutrality” has been defined and redefined and undefined and double-defined so many times that it doesn’t mean anything anymore.  Half the people using it mean one thing, and half the people using it mean exactly the opposite.  As a result, politicians are doing more harm than good by calling something “pro-net-neutrality” or “anti-net-neutrality”, because no matter which label is chosen people will interpret it the wrong way.

So, let me define what I mean when I say “net neutrality”, so there’s no confusion for the rest of this post:  “net neutrality” is the idea that the internet should be treated as an impartial communication medium, just like a telephone network.  ISPs should not be able to prioritize one type of traffic over another for any reason other than traffic management (which I’ll get back to in a moment).

(more…)

I realize Jedi don’t wear glasses… I suppose my abilities in the Force are not yet advanced enough.

The Left 4 Dead 2 demo came out yesterday (for people who pre-ordered the game, anyway), and I played it for half an hour last night.   I noticed several things when compared to the first Left 4 Dead (if you want to find out for yourself, stop reading):

- The main menu is vastly improved
- The in-game HUD is improved
- The full version will have five campaigns and four five game modes at launch, better than L4D1′s four campaigns and two games modes (four and a half campaigns and three game modes, if you add in the post-launch DLC)
- New survivors (of course), and it’s actually a refreshing break from Bill, Louis, Francis, and Zoe
- There are new, improved models for the Tank, Boomer and Smoker (not just new textures)
- New textures for the Hunter and Witch
- New, improved sound effects for old special infected
- Three new special infected
- At least one new type of common infected (some are armored and therefore harder to kill), and I gather that there are more that aren’t in the demo (e.g. clowns)
- Melee weapons – TONS of melee weapons: batons, machetes, frying pans, axes, chainsaws, guitars… you have no idea how satisfying it is to bash a Smoker over the head with a guitar.
- New primary weapons: I must have used at least a dozen new primary weapons in my one play session
- New secondary weapons: Along with the default pistol, a higher-powered pistol was added
- New thrown weapons: Vials of boomer puke to attract infected somewhere (and I think one other I’m forgetting at the moment)
- New utilities: defibrillators to revive dead teammates, adrenaline shots to increase speed (there may have been one other I’m forgetting)

The last six items there should give you pause – there are whole new areas of strategy in L4D2 that simply don’t exist in L4D1.  You have to choose between carrying a health pack or carrying a defibrillator unit; adrenaline and pills; pistol or melee; pipe bomb or molotov or boomer vial… you get the idea… and you have to balance that against not just “hordes and a few special infected”, but groups of different types of common infected along with six types of special infected.

The graphics engine has been greatly improved, and anyone who tells you otherwise is playing at 640×480 with all the eye candy disabled.

The demo lets you play the first two levels of The Parish.  Daylight zombie-killing has a very different feel to it, and the two maps in the demo feel less cramped than (say) No Mercy while feeling less empty and less railroaded than Crash Course.

I didn’t spend time exploring the maps, or fiddling with every weapon I saw.  There are probably things I missed.

There can be no doubt about it.  L4D2 has more new content than L4D1 had at launch, and I for one welcome our new armored zombie overlords.

I’ve had this post brewing in the back of my mind for several weeks now.  It started when I was driving to work listening to Linkin Park, and I started trying to understand not just the words, but the meaning behind the words.  That’s when I started to realize what all their songs are about.  So, without further ado, I present you with a list of songs (in the order they appear in my playlist) and their meanings as interpreted by me:

- In The End:  Nothing you do matters, in the long run.

- Don’t Stay:  You betrayed me, so give me my life back and leave.

- Somewhere I Belong:  I can’t justify the way I’m being treated… I want to find somewhere I belong.

- Lying from You:  The very worst part of you is me; I have to pretend to be someone I’m not when I’m with you.

- Hit the Floor:  All I want is to feel like I’m not stepped on.

- Easier to Run: If I could change I would, but it’s easier to run.

- Faint:  This song is about staying with a girl who doesn’t care about him (and he knows it) because he’s all that she’s got.

- Figure.09:  By staying with you, I took what I hated and made it a part of me.

- Breaking the Habit:  This song is about committing suicide.

- From the Inside:  I swear for the last time I won’t trust myself with you.

- Nobody’s Listening (If the title weren’t indication enough):  I tried to give you warning but everyone ignores me.  (This song is especially sad taken in the context of Breaking the Habit.)

- Session:  This song shares a lot of lines with Somewhere I Belong, and it’s about the same thing.

- Numb:  Can’t you see that you’re smothering me, holding too tightly, afraid to lose control?

- Given Up:  Tell me what’s wrong with me… I’m my own worst enemy.

- Leave Out All the Rest:  When it’s my time to die, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed (and leave out all the rest).

- Bleed It Out:  “It” being “life”, of course.  “Rub myself out and noone cares.”  Another suicide song.

- Shadow of the Day:  Sometimes goodbye is the only way.

- What I’ve Done:  Let mercy come and wash away what I’ve done.

- Hands Held High:  (This song is something of a rant against Bush’s War in Iraq, and encourages people to stand for what they want to stand for.)

- No More Sorrow:  I’ve paid for your mistakes… your time has come to be replaced.

- Valentine’s Day:  Now you’re gone… I never knew what it was like to be alone on a Valentine’s Day.

- In Between:  I tried to be genuine, but it was harder than it seemed, and now I’m caught between my lies and the truth.  (Song seems to be about a relationship breaking up.)

- In Pieces:  I won’t be the one to leave this relationship in pieces (it’s your fault).  (Another breakup song.)

- The Little Things Give You Away:  I mean nothing to you… you just wanted someone to look up to you.

…

Ok.  Well.  Looking back on those, I see exactly two songs with a relatively positive message (What I’ve Done and Hands Held High).

Am I the only one wondering whether we should be trying to get psychiatric help for people who write songs like Somewhere I Belong or (worse) Breaking the Habit?

After figuring all this out, I’m not really sure I want to be listening to Linkin Park anymore.