"... the main thing members of the movement want is ethics in gaming journalism—there aren’t enough ethics, and so, one way or another, there will have to be more ethics. They might want other things too, but we had a hard time figuring out what they were."
http://www.clickhole.com/article/summary-gamergate-movement-we-will-immediately-cha-1241
Wednesday 22 October 2014
Thursday 16 October 2014
"There's no such thing as rational numbers !", declares moron
I appear to have encountered someone who does not believe in rational numbers...
" You are following non-division able mathematics as 2 cannot be properly divided by 3 and answer will be got 0.6666666666666…………….. no ending solution. We need solution and accept the answer as 0.66. You should be practical. "
" You are following non-division able mathematics as 2 cannot be properly divided by 3 and answer will be got 0.6666666666666…………….. no ending solution. We need solution and accept the answer as 0.66. You should be practical. "
Tuesday 7 October 2014
What this country needs...
This is what plays in my head every single time I read an article about how scientists are not trusted. Enough of the bleak dystopian futures !
(okay, it's ironic that it's given by an arch-villain, but never mind)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CKP-00yaEg
(okay, it's ironic that it's given by an arch-villain, but never mind)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CKP-00yaEg
Monday 6 October 2014
Doctor Who season 8
The thing that's bugging me about season 8 of Dr Who... [spoilers]
Spoiler-free introduction
This season so far is absolutely solid stuff. Gone are the days of the weird jaunty camera angles and strange purple backlighting of the Russel T. Davies era. Gone too are the manically rushed, EVERYTHING'S EXPLODING, massively overly-complicated stories of the previous Moffat seasons. We also lose the "children are mysteriously disappearing" default plotline which was happening almost every other episode in previous seasons.
Instead, we have relatively grown-up plotlines (still mental as hell, otherwise it wouldn't be Dr Who) developed at a sensible place and shot with sensible cinemetography. Children are barely present; this is probably a good thing as the last time we saw a kids-oriented episode in the Moffat era it had child acting so bad it could induce dysentery in those of a nervous disposition. Many of the stories are now too adult and scary for children, which is a shame because generations of British kids have grown up hiding behind the sofa, but also a good thing because stories for kids are necessarily more limited.
Spoiler-prone assessment
But what's actually bothering me is Clara. Yes, Jenna Coleman's performance has improved by about twenty orders of magnitude, and this is a Very Good Thing. And Clara's character is also about nine thousand times more interesting than previously, and this is a Very Good Thing too. The problem is staggering, overpowering inconsistency with the established character. The prime example being the question, "Am I a good man ?", to which Clara's answer is, "I... don't know."
YOU WHAT ?????
This is coming from someone who has hopelessly idolized the Doctor probably more than any other recent companion, who scattered herself throughout the whole of time and space to save him. The answer just doesn't make any sense.
The latest episode "Kill the Moon" saw the Doctor magnificently doing nothing and letting Clara make a Big Decision. Big. And of course, she makes the correct decision. After which the Doctor gives an inspiring speech, and Clara attacks him for letting her make the decision. Makes. No. Sense. Now, there has always been an element of moral ambiguity surrounding the Doctor, but never expressed this directly by a companion. Much worse, though, is that Clara would never ever have said this to Matt Smith (with whom she faced down a planet-sized God with a leaf). Peter Capaldi's Doctor may be infinitely more acerbic and insulting, but his actions are absolutely consistent with the previous Doctors. It comes across as being grossly unfair and more than a little cruel ("go back to your lonely Tardis !" - WTF did he do to deserve that ?).
Revising Clara's character to be less unnaturally competent and more human (e.g. frightened every once in a while) was a massive improvement, but this is offset considerably by making her stroppy. The Doctor gave her a choice to make without him; instead of feeling gratified that he has that much faith in her (for once, rather than the other way around) she feels insulted he wouldn't help. And that's not something I can get my head around.
Conclusion
The latest Doctor is very much in the post-heroic phase. Still absolutely fundamentally good (whatever nonsense Clara might say, this is unequivocal), still doing whatever it takes to save the day, but now also taking a step back when appropriate. Clara, however, is not able to accept this. It seems that despite the excellent speeches of the first episode, she hasn't moved past the Doctor's regeneration. I much preferred the way Martha (an otherwise extremely uninteresting character) was written out of the show; a character enriched by the experience who goes on to improve her own life without the Doctor. I don't really see any value in having a character who suddenly stops being able to handle the lifestyle. A more gradual realization of the dangers might have been more convincing; Clara's occasional but massive doubts are very jarring.
The blatant next-companion looks more interesting, possibly someone who will stand up to the Doctor from the word go, rather than falling head over heels for the pretty man in the box. I also approve of taking a failing student instead of someone as hopelessly professional as Clara. But we shall see.
Spoiler-free introduction
This season so far is absolutely solid stuff. Gone are the days of the weird jaunty camera angles and strange purple backlighting of the Russel T. Davies era. Gone too are the manically rushed, EVERYTHING'S EXPLODING, massively overly-complicated stories of the previous Moffat seasons. We also lose the "children are mysteriously disappearing" default plotline which was happening almost every other episode in previous seasons.
Instead, we have relatively grown-up plotlines (still mental as hell, otherwise it wouldn't be Dr Who) developed at a sensible place and shot with sensible cinemetography. Children are barely present; this is probably a good thing as the last time we saw a kids-oriented episode in the Moffat era it had child acting so bad it could induce dysentery in those of a nervous disposition. Many of the stories are now too adult and scary for children, which is a shame because generations of British kids have grown up hiding behind the sofa, but also a good thing because stories for kids are necessarily more limited.
Spoiler-prone assessment
But what's actually bothering me is Clara. Yes, Jenna Coleman's performance has improved by about twenty orders of magnitude, and this is a Very Good Thing. And Clara's character is also about nine thousand times more interesting than previously, and this is a Very Good Thing too. The problem is staggering, overpowering inconsistency with the established character. The prime example being the question, "Am I a good man ?", to which Clara's answer is, "I... don't know."
YOU WHAT ?????
This is coming from someone who has hopelessly idolized the Doctor probably more than any other recent companion, who scattered herself throughout the whole of time and space to save him. The answer just doesn't make any sense.
The latest episode "Kill the Moon" saw the Doctor magnificently doing nothing and letting Clara make a Big Decision. Big. And of course, she makes the correct decision. After which the Doctor gives an inspiring speech, and Clara attacks him for letting her make the decision. Makes. No. Sense. Now, there has always been an element of moral ambiguity surrounding the Doctor, but never expressed this directly by a companion. Much worse, though, is that Clara would never ever have said this to Matt Smith (with whom she faced down a planet-sized God with a leaf). Peter Capaldi's Doctor may be infinitely more acerbic and insulting, but his actions are absolutely consistent with the previous Doctors. It comes across as being grossly unfair and more than a little cruel ("go back to your lonely Tardis !" - WTF did he do to deserve that ?).
Revising Clara's character to be less unnaturally competent and more human (e.g. frightened every once in a while) was a massive improvement, but this is offset considerably by making her stroppy. The Doctor gave her a choice to make without him; instead of feeling gratified that he has that much faith in her (for once, rather than the other way around) she feels insulted he wouldn't help. And that's not something I can get my head around.
Conclusion
The latest Doctor is very much in the post-heroic phase. Still absolutely fundamentally good (whatever nonsense Clara might say, this is unequivocal), still doing whatever it takes to save the day, but now also taking a step back when appropriate. Clara, however, is not able to accept this. It seems that despite the excellent speeches of the first episode, she hasn't moved past the Doctor's regeneration. I much preferred the way Martha (an otherwise extremely uninteresting character) was written out of the show; a character enriched by the experience who goes on to improve her own life without the Doctor. I don't really see any value in having a character who suddenly stops being able to handle the lifestyle. A more gradual realization of the dangers might have been more convincing; Clara's occasional but massive doubts are very jarring.
The blatant next-companion looks more interesting, possibly someone who will stand up to the Doctor from the word go, rather than falling head over heels for the pretty man in the box. I also approve of taking a failing student instead of someone as hopelessly professional as Clara. But we shall see.
Friday 3 October 2014
A message from the headmaster
"I’m not a complicated man. Yes, I may be much more sophisticated than you, but, believe me, I am still amused by your simple little ways.
And I care deeply about people who struggle to get by.
Those who can’t afford a third car, a holiday home in France, or that halfway-decent case of claret."
Genuinely good satire from the absurdly right-wing Daily Mail. MIND. BLOWN.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2777244/Little-people-I-proud-leader-That-Cameron-Speech-Full-First-Draft-told-CRAIG-BROWN.html
And I care deeply about people who struggle to get by.
Those who can’t afford a third car, a holiday home in France, or that halfway-decent case of claret."
Genuinely good satire from the absurdly right-wing Daily Mail. MIND. BLOWN.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2777244/Little-people-I-proud-leader-That-Cameron-Speech-Full-First-Draft-told-CRAIG-BROWN.html
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