Soundwave's blog: "Blogitty Blog Blog Blog!"

The other day I was lucky enough to witness an honest-to-goodness mini-hurricane whilst driving back to the office. Since it was on a dusty plain, the loose soil getting sucked in made the shape really well-defined, and it was big enough that I could've fit the SUV I was in completely inside. For a moment I considered doing so, to see if such a big foreign object would disrupt it, but I figured that with my luck, some expensive exterior part would get torn off & flung out to parts unknown, and I'm a cheapskate like that.

Maybe I'm asking too much, but it sure would be nice if VIPs didn't have to deal with the "you've prequalified for X surveys!" alerts. I've never done one, and have no desire to.

As you might've noticed, my birthday is in a week. Mainly as a service to my mom, who never knows what to get me even after 23 years, I've been maintaining an Amazon.com Wishlist, set it up to hide purchases, and items get mailed out here to Iraq. In the spirit of greedy camgirls preying upon the generosity of horny rich men, here's my Wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/NTD9A6ZJN2ST/ Or to seem less greedy, you can see what currently tickles my pickle. Geekin' ain't cheap.

I've just realized, I -am- Sparks. I'm intelligent, sarcastic, dislike many of the people I work with, likes money & lots of it, and am never seen in the office without my headset & rolling chair.

"Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres, and ratings," a representative told GameSpot. "These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television, and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems." So... Nintendo supports the ESRB, but they take it a step further and enforce their morality on me, a legal adult who will buy the PC version of Manhunt 2. I can understand their intentions, wanting to maintain the image of wholesome family fun, but Nintendo is hypocritical. Years ago I remember reading about an early Japanese SNES fighting game, Killer Instinct, being renamed to Power Instinct in the U.S., because Nintendo of America didn't want the word "killer" in a game's title. A few years later, Nintendo releases a new Killer Instinct to the arcades, SNES, Gameboy, and N64. Also, the SNES version of Mortal Kombat had no blood code (unlike the Sega Genesis), but the SNES version of Mortal Kombat II had the blood intact. Nintendo may claim moral superiority, but they're willing to flip-flop for whatever is most profitable. Although I can understand Nintendo's point of view, even though I'm not fooled by it, I don't understand Sony nor Microsoft. Both permitted the first Manhunt game, and Microsoft allows me to see a geyser of blood splash my TV screen when I take a chainsaw-bayonet to an opponent. Microsoft also permitted The Chronicles of Riddick, which allowed me to see the effect of a screwdriver on an incarcerated felon. Does Nintendo truly respect the ESRB if they feel the need to be a higher authority? Conservatives wail "won't somebody think of the children!"; I say it's time to think of the mature-adult demographic... and then the immature parents that buy mature games for their kids, without doing actual parenting. No decent parent would buy porn for their kids, but apparently it's impossible for parents to make responsible decisions regarding violence in games. When I have kids, they're playing nothing but Candyland until they leave for college.

Lately I've been seeing an occasional scarab beetle outside the front door of my workplace, fried in the heat while trying to get inside. Sometimes I'll encounter them before they expire. After the initial flashbacks of "The Mummy Returns", I find it kind of cool, just 'cause I've never seen them in the wild, before. Also, in my current fav computer game, Age of Mythology, their giant cousins kick gluteous maximus.

As much of a shock it is to be rated a 1, I've decided to actively keep my usage of CT in perspective. Rather than return fire & rate a downrater's pics all 1s, I go to their page and rate them a 10. Already I've had a user (Green420Smoke http://www.cherrytap.com/user/952589 , if you're curious) swear at me after my olive-branch gesture, so rather than getting riled up about it, I've simply blocked him, and will do so to anyone else who takes CT too seriously and feels the need to harass me. I've already forgotten his exact wording, and it feels pretty good. I noticed that he's new to the site, and didn't have any fans yet. With habits like that, it doesn't surprise me. Remember, folks, CT is supposed to be fun.

After seeing some of the high school levels of drama, I try not to take CT too seriously. It always strikes me as funny when users have photo albums of "downraters", like they're trying to shame someone who may have been completely honest in their assessment. What's the point of having a rating system if you're pressured into always rating 10s? At this rate, it might as well just be a thumbs-up/down system like in Stashes. I've been thinking about how this problem might be fixed, and after a few flawed ideas, the only thing I can come up with is if the ratings are all anonymous, and there's no Tab message saying that someone "just checked you out". I guess it just boils down to which is the higher priority: getting honest ratings, or meeting new people. I believe that CT is more about the social aspect, so my vote is to do away with the ratings, and have a single thumbs-up or "I like it" button, similar to collegehumor.com

WARNING: RANT Whilst browsing profiles, I came across one (which will remain nameless) with the following info. I weep for a society that can produce such a person: "i love to multi-task (example my drive to work consists of chain smoking, putting on my make up, steering the car, and shifting at the same time)" [You're a danger to yourself and everyone around you; that's not something to be proud of.] "i love to do the driving (on dates or whatever) cause i cant stand it if the person im with is a slow ass" [see above comment] "i hate to shop. 10 minutes at 1 store and 1 hour total at the mall is just about the most I can handle....keep me there longer and the beast in me will come out" [You hate to shop, but can spend an hour in a mall, going to 6+ different stores? A person can live a full, happy life and spend 0 hours in a mall.] "i dont like purses therefore i dont have one...i either use backpacks or if im out and about i stuff some cash and my ID into my cigarette pack, which goes into my bra...lol" [I just use pockets.] "yes i smoke and if that makes me a bad person then so be it. I need a good reason to quit and you wanting me to definitely aint it...." [Lung cancer? Birth defects if you're ever pregnant, got forbid?] "i am not a prude...but very far from a whore...i may act like one but it doesnt mean i am one. Please get to know me before you judge me." [You may act like a whore, but you aren't one? What else does it take, a diploma from Whore University?] "i will do onto you, as you do onto me..maybe even worse..." ["Unto". What's the point of elaborate, archaic language if you can't use it correctly?] "yes even tho i have a half naked pic up i still have morals...so if you think otherwise then you can just STFU..and GTFO..." [You act like a whore, abbreviate your swearing in an attempt to conceal it, risk yours and other peoples' lives whenever you drive... but you have morals. Gotcha.] The other stuff is just annoying, but I hope she gets caught and arrested for wreckless driving. Do whatever you want with your life, just don't threaten mine.