Paranormal

This is my first blog but I thought I'd talk about some paranormal activity at my mom's apartment. It started about 2 to 3 months ago. I was siting on my mom's couch in the living room, which is facing the hall way. I was by myself when out of the corner of my eye I saw a black shadow cross from the laundray room to the bathroom. As soon as it was there, it was gone. The next week, mom was sitting on the couch, I was in the kitchen, and my sister was in her room when mom saw out of the corner of her eye a shadow of a cat. Just as I experienced, as soon as it was there it was gone. Then, mom had us search for a cat but there was nothing in the apartment. Mind you we did not have cats at this time. Two weeks later my sister was helping mom cook dinner when she saw the same thing I did. She told me it was about 5'9 to 6'0 feet tall, and wearing a western looking hat. I asked what did she feel when she saw it and I said "what did you feel, sad or scared?" She said she was scared and it made her cry because she was scared so much.

About 1 month ago we got 3 cats: there's Momma the mother cat, Leland, and Unique - Leland and Unique are the kittens. A few hours before we went to bed, Unique was staring at mom's closet and the bedroom doorway as if there was something there. That night when I was sleeping in the living room, mom was sleeping in her room and my sister was in her room. She wokeup and saw the shadowy fighure that she saw in the kitchen when she was helping mom cook. She told my mom and I the next morning I asked her again, "how did it make you feel?" She said the same thing: it made her cry and she was scared. I asked her "why didn't you come get me?" and she told me it was blocking her doorway. That's everything that has happened so far at my mom's apartment.

Political Fantasia

When the political establishment talks of the "political reality" or the "political climate", they stall progress for the narrow self-interest of their campaign contributors. As I always say, when political reality goes against actual reality, in the end, actual reality always wins. Always. When the two clash, we live in, as Michael Moore said, fictitious times. Fictitious times that elect fictitious presidents, start fictitious wars, and lower the standard living of all people save the very wealthy.

This is why we need satire. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are the jesters in the political court that have their facts (and humor) straight. The only people in the room that can, if killing political hypocrisy and lies is impossible, at least poke it with a stick and get away with it.

I initially wrote this last December, but chose not to publish it at the time, because I thought it needed more revision. It also is the reason for some of my segments, such as the "Devil's Word Mashups". Perhaps I should add something based on the difference between enforcing the letter of the law and its meaning. (Since, for example, the US Constitution doesn't define its own terms, and definitions naturally change over time, the original meaning may need more interpretation. For example, it does not say privacy in the Constitution, because at the time, it refers to using the privy, or the bathroom. Writing explicit the right to use the bathroom is pointless, since people only have so much control over their bodily functions.) Satire is the rapier that pierces between the links of the (figurative) chain mail of taking the law too literally.

Dragon Quest IX tricks--or why I like to earn my cheats.

Responding to a post by one of my fellow blog writers, I wanted to focus on ways to game the system without the words "Game Shark" or "Action Replay". For example, the convenience of quick saves makes the random number generators (RNGs) of many portable games (fairly) easily trickable.

The Hoimi Table

Named after the Japanese name of the most basic healing spell, this table is used to force rare item drops from grotto bosses and Alchemiracles. To use it, first get your party hurt. (You'll need it later.) Then, reach the grotto boss. (Or the Krak Pot for Alchemiracles.) Use the quick save feature in the game and turn the game OFF.

Still with me?

Next up, turn the DS on and load the quick save. Open the Hoimi Table and enter your healer's Magical Mending stat in the first blank value. Next, cast Heal six times and record the amount of HP healed each time. Be sure not to fully heal an ally. Change the seed type from JP (Japanese) to US (American). Next, hit the button to form the chart of your current RNG seed.

You are currently at position 6, since you cast Heal six times. Your object now is to cast Heal enough times to knock yourself one position before one of the pink squares, representing a 2% drop. The amount of healing, or even whether or not anyone needs it, does not matter. Next, fight and kill the grotto boss.

Finally, some things to consider. First, the grotto boss Shogum can summon King Cureslimes, which, when killed, shift the position of the square by one. Coup de Graces also move your position on the table. If you want the common drop of the grotto boss for some reason, place your position two away from the pink square. You can adjust the probability of the table to adjust for rare drops other than 2%; useful for Legacy Bosses.

Of Blue Oceans and Tomacco

On "Simpsons" episode AABF19 "E-I-E-I-(annoyed grunt)", Homer managed to produce Tomacco by growing tobacco and tomato seeds using plutonium for fertilizer. (The original plan was to make gigantic plants in true "sci-fi" style) The Laramie executives offered $150 million dollars for Homer's plant, because, while there are laws against selling cigarettes to children, there are no rules against selling them Tomacco. The example, though fictional, demonstrates my point. A corporation could create a variant of a product that could be dangerous, yet legal.

The Blue Ocean Strategy, the strategy of creating value by shifting the focus of your product (or service) to reach new audiences and increased profit margin. The downside for society is that these products have a span of time where they are not properly regulated by the government.