Mac's Madcap Motorcycle Madness

Mac makes such a trip every summer and his commentary is worth reading. You can check out the rest of his site by clicking on the Dead End sign on the first page.

"I don't normally corrupt minors.  They are already corrupted by the time I meet
them." - Amberly

That quote just makes me think of the younger video game and anime/manga fanatics I run into online (and offline). The idea of media 'corrupting' the youth of society is certainly not new. Socrates and Plato were mostly of the camp that displays of violence and of other negative emotions in drama caused people to act on those baser feelings at some point. They logic and reason, not emotions, should rule when came to questions of morality.

Aristotle was on our side (somewhat) because he believed that drama could allow for a catharsis of those negative emotions. Meaning that it cleansed out all the bad, replacing it with something good and opposite of what we just heard/saw/experienced. He probably would think we have too much of a good thing.

I won't argue that we aren't on overload, but I think the idea that children seeing animated violence leads to violence in real life is ridiculous. But I'm not sure what to think of people being in front of a screen the majority of the waking hours every single day. Everyone needs a break at some point. I don't think a teenager or preadolescent kid who plays Resident Evil is going to turn into a mass murderer. They understand the fantasy better than some adult gamers. But why aren't people questioning the parents who ignore the M rating on games and simply leave their children to the media as a babysitter without questioning why there's a guy with a shotgun on the front of the video game case?

But if you're asking why such violent and sexual video games are even made - they, like R, NC-17, and X-rated movies are intended for a mature audience that is of an age to decide for themselves what content they want to watch. If I find it amusing to unlock an easter egg and see two characters bonking each other or I'm playing as some feudal warrior I run around ripping avatar's heads off (while I have given each one the name of someone who was irritated me throughout the day just for fun), that's my right as an adult. Do I think it's safe for kids? No, but I think it should be discretionary for the parents as what is or isn't appropriate.

The best way to determine this? Sit down and watch your kids play. Or better yet, get a controller and play with them. I think this applies to anime, or anything else that's become 'objectionable' so the news can make a killing upsetting people... My thought is simply that parents should be more a part of what their kids are into if nothing else but to understand why they are interested in it. It may not be quite as nefarious a reason as you think.

I find it hard to believe that nine year olds want to have sex unless they've been raped. And I don't believe thirteen-year-old brothers want to literally kill their little sisters (or brothers) unless there's something wrong with them mentally. In such cases... what exactly have the parents been paying attention to in regards to their offspring?
I think overall, there's a tendency of ageism to those in their early twenties and younger. That because we are young, we can't handle ourselves in a mature fashion. That when faced with violence, we will automatically become violent. Respect that the younger members of society are more than a mirror of our surroundings. We are only corrupted by the biases that seem to permeate all societies around the globe, but we are trying to fight those.

*steps off podium* Okay, that's enough of my ranting and preaching. If anyone's on AOL, check out my AIM profile. I really did work hard on it. My computer rebooted three times while I was in the middle of building it.

Constant Comment

I can't say whether this is a new site or not, but it seems to be a fairly interesting concept. If you like writing for the web, ebooks, etc. you can write articles that are either tailored by a request or something you find interesting to write about and you can set your usage fees.

The only 'catch' I've found thus far is that they do have a minimum payout of $50 so don't count on just writing a single article and being done. I'm still playing around with it and I'll let you know if I think it's really worth it in a month or so. It does look like people are making sales and doing fairly well, but I wouldn't count on quitting the day job with it. Still, if you're bored, have no work, want to try selling some of your stuff, you can do it.

Just be careful to read the instructions so you don't make something free you'd rather not.

I went shopping today and got myself a game *points down* and some, umm, wax.

(Waits while you think over the second item mentioned...)

Yeah, that kind of wax. X_X. You do not need psychic abilities to know that I will experience great pain in my near future. It sucks being female sometimes, but it's better than being "hairy chick"! Imagine that superheroine tagline. @_@. I wonder if something like that showed up in the tryouts for the Stan Lee Superhero show...

In any case, happy weekend everyone.

How many of us who blog actually keep a physical journal? I've always been largely unsuccessful with maintaining one for any time period, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of it somewhat. It was sorta scary, my last entry was from about two and a half years ago.

I'm going to try recording my calorie consumption to see if maybe that helps me out some with my weight loss efforts. I know with the start of college, I've pigged out more than I probably should. But I think even normal days I'm eating higher calories than I probably should. I'm trying to keep it around 1,800 calories per day as a start. I should be able to see if it's helping in a month.

Also, I know some of the psychology courses I will be taking assign journaling as an assignment. They are thematic journaling, such as times you get stressed out during the day or stuff like that, but we all theme our journals or blogs anyway.

But really, is journaling by hand such a good thing or should it be ditched completely for blogging? Blogging is digital, after all, and there's no paper waste. And yet, I've not gone into a bookstore that lacked blank books for journals. They're probably among the most popular gifts if you don't know what to get someone. Rates up there with the coffee and tea sets.

Anyway, I'm going to workout this morning since I got my homework done last night. Later!

Sci-Fi as some fans probably already know gave the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel a C rating mostly because it was too confusing with the plot twists. Did children in the theater get the innuendoes? Probably not as evidenced by the kids behind me that kept asking their parents what was happening, but most adults are going to understand how the story is progressing without any mental gymnastics required... I don't think there was enough explanation of why Davy Jones was captain of the Flying Dutchman as the two myths really didn't coincide but they did hint at Davy Jones being the captain who cursed God, they just didn't come out and say it. I got the appearance-thing that they were supposed to be representations of the sea... but the Cthulu-look just sorta threw me off a bit. Still, I'm ready for the next one, but we've got to wait a year. It is a good movie to watch this summer, the special effects are great and the story is interesting - the two and a half hours fly by.

My boss wanted me to go make a run today for him, but I said I couldn't do it. Which I really can't, I've got stuff to catch up on for class since I went to the movies yesterday. I need to meet with the manager at Pizza Hut to see if I can hire on. Wish me luck, ok? It wouldn't hurt my feelings a single iota if I started a new job tomorrow. In fact, that's really what I'm hoping for. heh. Hopefully that doesn't sound as devious as I think it might, it's just that I need to look out for myself for once.

Night at the Museum looks hilarious, I'd like to see it. I normally don't go for Ben Stiller's movies, but I'll make an exception this time, I think. I was disappointed - they didn't show the Transformers trailer at our theater like they did when my sister went to see it.

Gotta close, my cat's being a twit and messing with my textbook.

So, she's back to writing again, which is good for her sanity. ^_~! Or lack thereof, depending on your point of view. I'm working on a sci-fi story that I'm tentatively calling the Robot Mother. Whether or not I send it out, depends on whether I think it sounds like every other robot story regurgitated or not. Right now, I'm not worried about that.

I forgot yesterday was Friday... well I forgot that it was a payday Friday, so I've got to pickup my check on Monday before I leave to go see POTC 2. I also hope to chat up Barb for a bit to see if there's any hint at new hours coming in that I might start back up.

My brother was going to be here at the butt crack of dawn but thankfully he changed his mind. He'll be here in an hour. So I'm going to write a bit before I start going through my e-mails and such.

I started reading a book called Death by Chocolate. It might be slow trying to get into it, but once you do, it's a pretty good mystery. I've not read anything else in the series, but I haven't been too keen on serieses lately anyway.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I don't know why I bother making plans. It always seems like familial or other obligations get in the way. So anyway, I guess I'm going to be sitting around waiting for the plumber to get done tomorrow, buying groceries and cooking for Saturday and Sunday when my brother and sister (and her family) come, respectively. I love having a close family... but other times, I wonder if we're not just too close for comfort. I guess Monday I'll go. Maybe I should not make plans and just start doing things on the spur of the moment.

It seems like I have to constantly worry about not pissing someone else off and nobody cares what I think/feel/etc.
I hate being the youngest for that alone. I'm the mediator, but I'm also the yellow blanket.

I don't think I need to explain the yellow blanket theory. heh. I don't know, I'm just tired and that's not helping either.

Anyway, I think I aced the exam. There's only one question that I'm wondering about, but I think I've got an 'A' out of it at least. It's all good either way, because I feel like I did my best. I'm feeling a lot more confident about things.

I guess I'd better get something to eat that's not junk food. lol. Later everyone - have a good evening / night.