What are some signs that the person you are dealing with is arguing in bad faith? That is, he is not interested in the truth of the matter, only trying to assert his own position for other reasons. For background: for the past year or two, YouTuber Ross Scott has been spearheading a campaign called … Continue reading How to Identify Bad Faith Arguments
Video Games
Bowser vs. Dr. Eggman
Death Battle is a web-show pitting fictional characters against each other in death matches. It's generally pretty entertaining, though it's sometimes a little uncomfortable seeing beloved characters getting eliminated (even if it's all meant to be hypothetical). The funny part is how much effort is put into the analysis, with extensive engineering calculations trying to … Continue reading Bowser vs. Dr. Eggman
Saturday Flotsam: Fairy Tales, ‘Heavy Rain’, Diplomacy
1. My first semester of full-time teaching is rapidly approaching its end. I'll be making exams this weekend. It's been an extremely educational experience for me, whether or not my students can say the same. 2. Is there anyone left in the world who doesn't know that the Brother's Grimm's fairy tales are generally more … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Fairy Tales, ‘Heavy Rain’, Diplomacy
“You’ll Never Guess Who Shows Up to Save the Day”
I generally have very little interest in contemporary AAA games, especially not involving post-Lucas Star Wars. But by all accounts, and from the playthroughs I've seen, Star Wars: Outlaws is embarrassingly awful: not only horribly written (the main character has a gratingly annoying voice of constant pauses, hesitations, and a tone of "I am trying … Continue reading “You’ll Never Guess Who Shows Up to Save the Day”
Passing on an Appeal: Help Stop Game Destruction and Preserve Ownership
I almost never do things like this, but I think this is an exception. No, not the most important issue in the world (by a long shot), but it's one that actually has some meat. I'm not much of a gamer myself (just don't have the time right now), though I respect video games as … Continue reading Passing on an Appeal: Help Stop Game Destruction and Preserve Ownership
Friday Flotsam: US History, Nintendo Games, and Dialogue
1. My US History classes this week have been entirely consumed by summarizing the course of the Civil War, and we've only gotten to the end of 1863. That's after about two weeks of going over the lead-up to the war. There is just so much to go over, even from my relatively superficial knowledge … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: US History, Nintendo Games, and Dialogue
Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
1. I meant to get to bed early last night, but the Fruits Basket post had been hanging over my head for weeks and I reached the point last night where I simply wanted to get it done! So, now it's up and I can move on. Hence also why this is a Saturday Flotsam … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
Second Mario Trailer – Yep, Looks Bad
I was pleasantly surprised by the first trailer for the new, animated Super Mario Brothers movie: the aesthetics looked just right, Bowser was portrayed as a genuine threat rather than a joke, and so on. Now the second one's landed and...egh. Good feeling's gone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMYg69DfFLs As I said last time, the crucial factor is Peach, … Continue reading Second Mario Trailer – Yep, Looks Bad
Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
1. Spent most of the week in Minneapolis getting training for my new job. It went fine for the most part, but travel is always tiring, especially travel for work. Looking forward to the weekend. 2. I always hate air travel; crammed alongside strangers for an hour or more while the pressurized air grinds against … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
Friday Flotsam: Ember Days, RPGs, and ‘Bofuri’ Season 2
1. Last full week at work. One of my assignments was to make a particular alteration in the code. It was a matter of changing a single parameter in Javascript. It then took over a day to get it approved and pushed through for testing. Probably this is something that happens all the time in … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Ember Days, RPGs, and ‘Bofuri’ Season 2
Serpent's Den 