Category: Random


On Tron:Legacy

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 1 Comment
December 21, 2010

Note: This post will be full of spoilers.  This is your only warning.

I feel kinda funny writing this blog post.  For one thing, it’s been a couple of months since I’ve written anything at all, so the very act of organizing my thoughts into coherent sentences feels rather unfamiliar.  But my discomfort stems more from the fact that I disliked Tron, and hope that no one else has paid $16 to endure two hours of mediocrity.  This, of course, conflicts with my desire that people have watched Tron, and will hence read this post to read my oh-so-insightful thoughts on the movie.  Ideally, all of you will not have watched Tron, will read a synopsis on Wikipedia, then come back here.  But then again, my taste is definitely different from other people’s, so…maybe you should just watch the movie for yourself.  This post will still be here after you watch it.

…

Fine, I lied.  Here’s your final warning.

…

The main reason why I believe Tron:Legacy is a bad movie is because it brings absolutely nothing new to the table.  Everything in the movie has been done before: the story is cliche and full of plot-holes, the dialogue is unmemorable, and the action is mediocre.  Yes, the action is mediocre.  The only action scene that stands out in the movie is the motorcycle fight, which suffered from the monochromatic-ness of the computer world.  At one point, it seemed like they put the background on a loop.

I suppose my main criteria for good action are 1) novelty (think Matrix/Inception zero-grav), 2) memorable-ness (wow, I need to work on my vocabulary, also, this is kind of broad), 3) difficulty, 4) execution, and 5) humor (think Jackie Chan).  Bonus points for swords.  Tron nailed #2 (purely from nostalgia), and that’s about it.

The only thing that the movie seemed to get right in my mind was the soundtrack.  But if the soundtrack’s the best part of your movie…well…something’s gone wrong.

I suppose I could go on and on about whether the movie was “good” or “bad”, but I find that it’s difficult to change people’s minds about that sort of thing.  So let’s just move on to various thoughts I had about the movie.

  • 3D technology might be the worst “new” technology ever.  It brings absolutely nothing to the table.  Perhaps I’d feel differently if the entire movie was in 3D.  Right now, I feel cheated every time the movie switches back from 3D to 2D.  Which is stupid, since I don’t think 3D adds much to each individual scene anyway.  So it’s the worst of both worlds: I don’t get any additional enjoyment out of the film, only a sense of loss every couple minutes or so.
  • 3 more thoughts on 3D:
    • The company that made our 3D glasses was called “Real D 3D”.  Couldn’t they change that to “Real 3D”?  Rolls off the tongue so much better.  By the way, if that name change does happen, I expect my “Sean-Parker-20%-of-the-company-cut”.
    • One of my most enjoyable moments of the afternoon was looking around the theater at all the people wearing the same thick-rimmed glasses.  Once again, not a great endorsement for Tron.  Or me, I suppose.
    • Note to all people making 3D movies: STOP SENDING STUFF FLYING TOWARDS OUR FACES.  I understand if you’re creating a scary movie or something, but otherwise, it’s just obnoxious.  One of the previews was for this wildlife awareness film, and this elephant kicked a virtual soccer ball toward our collective heads.  This does not make me like elephants.
  • This might have something to do with why I didn’t like Tron, but I hate sequels that completely ruin the original characters’ happy ending.  I never watched the original Tron, and I still got annoyed at the prospect of the original main character’s being stuck in a prison for 20 years.  I mean, what the heck?  That’s crap.  I want my main characters to live happily ever after.  Is that so much to ask?  They completely owned Kevin Flynn and Tron’s futures, and that’s messed up.  Just saying.
  • I remember Terrence commenting to me on the correctness of the Unix commands that were being displayed on the screen.  In general, the movie seemed to get the technical things right, which is nice.  (We’ve come a long way since Swordfish.)  I guess Sam’s cell phone/computer thingy was kinda technomagical, and I’m still wondering why isomorphic programs are so crazy, but the biggest question I had was the time dilation.  Twenty years is…RIDICULOUSLY long in cycles.  Shouldn’t Kevin be dead?  Assuming we had a 1989 processor that ran at about 25 MHz…and each millicycle seems like 8 hours in the computer…Kevin’s lived 22 million years.  (Yeah, nerdy, but…I’m a nerd.)
  • And now, my favorite part: plot holes!  So the movie is driven by the fact that CLU wants Kevin’s identity disc.  This disc will help CLU reach the outside world.  This doesn’t seem to make sense, since Kevin can’t reach the outside world with his own disc, but I digress.  Kevin wants to protect Cora (the last isomorphic program) and the outside world from CLU, so he continues to hide from CLU.  Why, then, would he not destroy his identity disc and commit suicide?  It seems the safest way to protect his own information.  The only way this makes sense is if Kevin were waiting for the portal to open somehow.  Yet he doesn’t seem to want to escape when the portal opens.  So that can’t be it.  Honestly, it really doesn’t make much sense.
  • Did anybody else get the feeling that Kevin just really wanted to die throughout the movie?  Throughout the movie, it’s obvious that he doesn’t think he’s going ot make it back to the real world.  Even in the last scene, it seemed like he could TOTALLY have made it to the portal without sacrificing himself to kill CLU.  Maybe it’s because he’s lived 22 million years; he’s had enough.

Alright, I’m done.  1000 words on a bad movie, woo.

-Tim

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On Criticizing Everything

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 3 Comments
September 7, 2010

A few years back, I was talking to my sister (or trying to, anyway)…it went something like this:

Tim: So what are you listening to these days?

Rachel: Don’t want to tell you.

Tim: What?  Why not?

Rachel: You’ll just tell me that it sucks.

Tim: What?  No, I won’t.

Tim’s internal voice: Oh man, I do that, don’t I?  I really have to stop being so critical.

Rachel: Fine.  I’m listening to Linkin Park’s Reanimation.

Tim: Really?  I didn’t really like…(voice dying out)

Tim’s internal voice: Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap

I remember this conversation because it’s the first time I actively tried to stop being so critical.  I’ve made efforts on and off since then, but in general, it’s been a losing battle.

Here’s my defense of being a critic: we need gradations in life to appreciate that which is truly elite.  It’d be great if we lived in a world where everyone deserved A’s, but we don’t.  Some work is just better than other work.  Some food is simply better than other food.  Examples: Kim Yuna’s figure skating performance > everyone else’s.  Ruth’s Chris > McDonald’s.  Warriors > …Timberwolves.  (Knew there was SOMEone).

I’m not saying that we need to start making lists and comparing everything to everything else (outside of predetermined competitions, anyway).  I’m just saying that sometimes, there is a clear difference in quality between objects.  And I think it’s fair to make those assessments.  But at the same time, I know that I am but one man, and thus I make qualifications to my comparisons.  For example, you might say that Kobe is better than LeBron, (I still don’t think so) but no matter who you are, you have to admit the difference is slight at best.  On the other hand, if you even start comparing Kobe to Michael Jordan, you’re crazy.

The-Greatest-of-All-Time

Case closed.

So that’s why I believe that it’s OK to be a critic.  The problem is when we become critical, or at least overly so.  We start nitpicking at tiny flaws instead of appreciating the overall picture.

Now my problem is twofold.  The first, I find, is common to many of us critics.  Namely, we talk over our heads.  We criticize before we actually know what’s what.  We do so because by being critical, we make the implicit statement: Oh, this bunk might be good enough for you, but not for one of my superior knowledge and delicacy.  If only you had my experience, then you would see. I’m trying to curb this attitude as soon as I detect it starting to surface…so if you think I’m starting to get all big-headed, please tell me so.

The second problem I have is that the field in which I am most often critical (music) is one where 1) I really am not an expert and 2) there really often is no right answer.  For example, some time ago, I wrote that I intensely dislike Colbie Caillat’s song Bubbly.  Then this exchange happened in Mike Chung’s car:

Mike: So why don’t you like that song?  That’s kind of harsh; she prides herself on her songwriting.

Tim: It’s a lazy song.  The rhymes are lazy, the melody’s lazy, the idea’s lazy…there’s nothing new or original about the song.  She might as well have not written anything and saved us some time.

(Aside: I still believe this is all true…OK, the last sentence is sorta harsh.  But I think I’ve finally got a hold on why I dislike the song so much: it’s because the gap between the song’s quality and popularity was so immense.  I said this once about Hey There, Delilah…and I think the same principle applies: if my friend had written Bubbly, I think I’d be proud of her.  But I feel that the song is not good enough to justify how many times it got played on the radio.)

[Paramore's The Only Exception comes on the radio.]

Tim: Oh, I like this song.

Mike: Really? I don’t even know what it’s about.  What do you like about this song?

Tim: Well, it’s about a girl, and how she never believed in love, but then this guy is the only exception…*breaks off*

Mike: *starts laughing* You just realized how stupid you sounded, huh?

Tim: *trying to decide if I hate myself or Mike more*

Yes, I realize, at the end of the day, music is music.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  (For example, I like Paramore, otherwise known as the band that did the Twilight song.  DON’T JUDGE ME.)  There really are no right answers.  Most people will agree that steak is better than McDonald’s.  But bring up a song like Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling, and you can’t get a consensus on whether it’s a good or bad song.  (It’s atrocious, by the way.)

So why do I insist on making snarky comments on others’ tastes, when there really are no right answers?  Well…I’m trying not to.  But it’s not easy.  But I think that if everyone has their right to opinion, allow me to have my opinion on what constitutes bad music.  And I will try not to rag too much on your tastes.  Unless you like Bubbly or I Gotta Feeling.  Or Paper Planes.  Or…

-Tim

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On the Attractiveness of Significant Others

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 4 Comments
August 2, 2010

I just read this on Google Buzz:

Nathanael Chang – Buzz – Public

My coworker saw a picture of Janet on my blackberry, grabbed it to take a closer look, and was like “Damn! She cute!”

(Nate’s with Janet.)

This recalled to mind a brief moment I had with Will back when he was still unmarried.  I can’t remember exactly WHO he asked was attractive, but the lady in question was with someone.  (Yes, he was trying to make me awkward and uncomfortable.)

For once, I had a quick reply on hand: “Dude, you can’t ask me that.  How would you feel if I started talking about Kathy?”

Sadly, Will is never caught off-guard.  After a millisecond, he was like, “I’d be happy.  Of course I want people thinking that Kathy’s attractive.”

Thinking about it right now, I suppose I would want people to think my girlfriend was attractive.  Maybe.  But I’m pretty sure I don’t want Joe Smith to be talking about her to my face about her either.  Unless Joe was short for Josephine.  Or really old/young.

After all, what do you gain if people think he/she is attractive?  Not much.  I guess you can flip the question around and say what do you lose by other people saying she’s cute…but…I dunno, I get the feeling I’d be slightly annoyed.

Of course, what do I know? =)  I thought I had more to say, but I think I’d know more if I actually, you know, had a girlfriend.  And then I’d never talk about it. =)

-Tim

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On Humor

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 4 Comments
August 1, 2010

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve had a couple of blogs before this one.  My first one was the eponymously named “xanga.com/timpaik”.  I have a pretty good way to describe it, but it’s not fit for polite conversation.  Let’s just say it was really emo for lack of better terms.

Like any good emo boy, I used a black background and white text to symbolize the bitter pain of a comfortable middle-class existence.  Boy, am I glad that I outgrew that phase.

*looks around*

…hm.

Well…after that I got saved…so I started the EXTREMELY shortlived “White As Snow” blog (terrible URL), then the Cheese’N'Stuff blog, and then my fortyeightminutes blog.  This one makes five.

The last one was different from the rest in that more than two people actually read it.  (Thank you, GMail status space.)  And with the audience came a realization: people are busy.  They don’t want to read about your innermost thoughts unless you’re a cute girl.  Like Pastor Pat said today in Sonlight (Children’s Ministry) training: if you’re not interesting, it doesn’t matter WHAT you have to say.

So the flavor of my blog changed.  And since I’m not especially interesting by myself, I started trying my hand at this thing called humor.

Now, at a certain level, humor is kind of like attractiveness or rhythm: you either have it or you don’t.  There are certain people who can say ANYTHING, and you’ll bust out laughing.  I envy them.

On the other hand, there are certain things you can do to look more attractive or become funnier.  And I believe that you have a better chance at learning to be funny than you do at becoming more physically attractive.

I hope you don’t have the impression that I think I’m funny (after all, no one is less unfunny than the person who thinks he/she is funny).  I also hope that you don’t get the impression that I’m trying to be funny.  I’m just trying to segway into the next paragraph, since I’ve been trying for the last thirty minutes to write an intro to my pre-written post which starts there explain when I started valuing humor and share certain thoughts about humor.  (Did I make it?)

Here’s why it’s so great to be funny: you can get away with anything.  Let’s say you’re out with your co-workers, and you forgot to bring your wallet.  (Totally cribbing this from The Screwtape Letters.  Did you know that I really like that book?)

Now this is a crucial moment.  If you just let them pay for you, you’re a freeloader.  If you possess some tact, you might be able to get away without tarnishing your reputation.  But if you can manage to turn it into a joke (“boast in a jocular manner and twit your fellows” in C.S. Lewis’ words)…people will completely forget that you’re actually costing them money…and like you MORE.

This works for any social faux pas.  Let’s say you tend to say mean things to people.  If you just say them, people will consider you a jerk.  But if you can get people to think that you’re being funny when you say them…well, you can get away with saying anything.

It’s a whole different world for funny people.  It’s like what I imagine being good-looking would be like.

(Not that being funny and being good-looking are exclusive.  In fact, being good-looking increases the chance that other people will consider you funny.)

The only problem I can see with being funny is that it’s even more fleeting than attractiveness.  The funniest person in the world can be a has-been in the blink of an eye.  We see this all the time with funny celebrities.  All it takes is one person to think, “hey, XXX isn’t really that funny.”  One becomes two, which becomes ten, and then boom, you’re not funny anymore.  Worse, you’re annoying.

As you know, I’m both a guy and a nerd.  As a guy, I saw the aforementioned problem with humor, so I felt a need to fix it.  As a nerd, I actually started analyzing humor to see if I could try to figure out how one could become or stay funny.  (There’s no joke here…I really am this weird.)

The way I see it, the key to being funny is getting the opposite gender to think you’re funny.  If you’re a girl, I think this is more of an end than a means.  As far as I can tell, if a girl can make a guy laugh, she can probably make girls laugh too.  (Please correct me if I’m wrong. I am not an expert on this and would be thrilled by new input.)

For guys, it’s more a means than an end.  The way I see it, guys aren’t considered funny unless they can get girls to laugh.  It’s the whole herd mentality: if you can get a girl to think you’re funny, other guys will see it and think you’re funny too.  Or think you’re a jerk if they like the girl in question, but that’s a different story.

Well, I guess I’m done.  850 words, woo.

-Tim

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On iPhones and ESPN

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 2 Comments
July 14, 2010

One of the joys of owning an iPhone is that you can never truly get bored.  If my life ceases to amuse me for even a single moment, I can reach into my pockets and an entire universe is open to me.  I can check my e-mail, Facebook, read Les Miserables, whatever.  You don’t realize how much deadtime exists in a day until you get an iPhone.  Walking down the corridor at work, for example.  That’s a good twenty seconds.  Red lights.  That’s like four e-mails right there.

I’m joking.  Kind of.

Seriously though, one of the times I do use my iPhone is when I’m waiting in the grocery store line.  When I was a kid, I used to read the Reader’s Digest magazines while waiting, but nowadays, those things seem to have disappeared to make room for the ever-expanding menagerie of fashion and celebrity magazines.

Anyway, I was thinking about those magazines today and wondering why they appeal to ANYONE at all.  The fashion magazines kind of made sense.  After all, sometimes I look into Men’s Health and see things that I am interested in: the newest workout fad, the newest diet, interviews with athletes…  (I don’t know why I’m interested…it’s not like I ever get off my keister and start exercising…I really need to though.)

What didn’t make sense were the celebrity tabloids.  Who CARES if this person hooks up with that person, or that person had a baby, or what she wore to this function.  I’ve got enough to worry about.  They’re lying 99% of the time anyway (someone has to explain to me how this is legal).

And then an uncomfortable truth dawned on me…well…I do.  If the celebrities are athletes.  ESPN is the male equivalent of Us Weekly. (I used to think this was US weekly, like “YOU-ESS” weekly.  People made fun of me for this, but I claim that US Weekly makes just as much sense, if not more, than Us Weekly.)

Did you know Kobe had to buy his wife a seven carat ring?  He ratted out Shaq!  Oh, LeBron got booed at Carmelo’s wedding reception!  Dwight Howard’s got an illegitimate kid!  One of the reasons Ron Artest was traded was his penchant for running around Houston’s practice arena in his underwear!  Gilbert Arenas defecated in his teammate’s shoe!

Who cares?  Well, I do.  Well, the last story was gross.  But you get the point.

So yeah.  I guess I do understand.  And I am ashamed.

-Tim

(415 words!)

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On Soda, The Finals, and Worship

Filed Under: God, Random by timpaik — 1 Comment
June 14, 2010

Been kinda MIA for a while, but I think I’ll be here more often than not now.

…

Forgot to add this to the list of statements, but: Manzanita Sol >> every other soda on the planet.  I have no idea why that soda is so hard to find: it’s incredible.  The first time I ever drank it was in Mexico during high school.  The next time I found it was in the Little Caesar’s next to my house when I moved down to San Diego.  I was working on a project due the next day, so I decided that I needed some chemical assistance in the form of a 2-liter of Diet Coke.  Then I figured that I might as well order a pizza while I was at it, since I needed to eat dinner anyway.  Yes, this is how my brain works.  Don’t judge.

Anyway, I go over to the pizza place, and lo and behold, there, sitting in the refrigerator is the soda that I have been seeking for the last eight or so years.  I didn’t even flinch for a second: I grabbed the pizza and the Manzanita Sol and drove back home.

So for those of you counting score at home…I wanted caffeine and ended up with a pizza and Manzanita Sol.  And even when it was all gone and I was food coma-ing…all I could think was: “So worth it.”

…

Four thoughts from the basketball game today:

  1. I honestly think I’m starting to dislike the Celtics more than the Lakers.  That technical that Nate Robinson got by yapping at Odom really got me thinking.  If I were to use one word to describe the Celtics, I think it would be “belligerent.”  They’re a hyper-intense team, and have been ever since trading for the legendarily intense Kevin Garnett.

    Now, I’m on record for saying that you need to be hyper-intense to reach the highest level of play.  So I don’t begrudge them their attitude.  But I don’t have to like it either.

  2. I guess what got me thinking about all this is the fact that I hate Kobe for the same reason: he’s a hyper-competitive jerk.  But if I were to compare Kobe and the Celtics: I think the Celtics have a “hot” intensity, while Kobe has a “cold” intensity.  The type of intensity the Celtics has boils over in everything they do, often to strange effect.  KG gets on the floor like a dog.  Big Baby drools on his face.  Sheed, Perkins, and Robinson yap.

    Kobe’s too image-conscious (and perhaps sane) to do any of that.  But you know the killer mentality’s there when you see him glare at whoever’s irking him at the moment: the refs, the other team, his own team.

    If you were to ask me which hyper-intensity is worse, I’d probably go with Kobe’s.  You can’t trust the quiet ones.

    But MAN, the Celtics are annoying.  So much so that it’s getting hard to root for them.

  3. When Kobe shot that technical shot and missed it, I said that he choked.  Everyone in our living room totally dismissed me, since they’re all Laker fans.And then Kobe went on that 23-point run.  I will never say anything ever again.
  4. Pastor Pat was over, and he was saying that Kobe’s play was proving that basketball could just become a one-man sport.  It’s true, one basketball player can have a much larger effect on his team than one football player or one baseball player can.

    But then, the Lakers lost.  So doesn’t that prove him wrong?

…

I really like music.

=D

There’s one slight problem with liking music so much, and it comes in times of musical worship.  Basically, sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m truly worshiping God or getting wrapped up in the music.  It’s really worrisome when I sing random secular songs with the same passion that I have when I am praising God.  Heck, some of my favorite songs to sing have the craziest lyrics.  It makes me wonder if I’m paying attention to what I’m saying, or if I just enjoy the noise escaping my sound-hole.

I’m reminded of this one story that’s in Bob Kauflin’s book, Worship Matters.  In it, he tells of a missionary who goes to some random African tribe and hears the most beautiful, haunting melody.  Deeply moved, she asks a local lady if she can translate what the people are singing.

“Of course.  ‘If you boil the water, you won’t get dysentery.’”

Even so, I am convinced that music is a gift from God through which we can worship and adore Him.  I could go on forever on this topic, but to be succinct, I believe that music has the ability to affect and communicate emotions in a way that no other medium can.  And thus, I ought to praise God through music, rather be afraid of my own misuse of it.

What brought these thoughts up?  Well, today we sang “I Will Glory In My Redeemer” in our service.  I don’t know how it was for everyone else, but…while singing this song, I realized that regardless of all the idiotic rebellion in my life, I need to cling to God rather than run away from Him.  The combination of that truth and the music resulted in a near euphoric experience.  (I don’t think I’m using that term lightly.)

Anyway, here’s the lyrics.  It’s an amazing song.

I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the Holy Judge
The Lamb Who is my righteousness
The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone
I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagle’s wings
He crowns my life with lovingkindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold

-Tim

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Statements

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 5 Comments
June 5, 2010

Wanted to finish the Mafia post, but…1)  Don’t have much time right now, and 2) Mike Chung has brought up new and interesting points for me to consider about Mafia.  So we’ll put the Mafia post on hold for another day or so.

Instead, I present to you the arbitrary decisions that dictate my life.

Pie > Chessecake > Cake.  I’m told that girls prefer cake to pie in general though…wonder if that’s true.

Basketball >>> Football > Ultimate Frisbee > Soccer > Hockey > Baseball >>> Golf

Settlers > Bang > Puerto Rico > Taboo > Cranium > Risk >>>> Monopoly

Ring Finger > Index Finger.  By the way, Daniel Choi, turns out that guys tend to have longer ring fingers than girls.  Also, there is no relation to sexual orientation to digit ratio.  Just saying.

Chuck Norris > Jack Bauer > Mr. T.  I’m sorry, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Naruto >>>> Bleach  This is not a statement on how good Naruto is.

Cotixan > Sergio’s.  Or at least they were a few months ago.  I’m not sure anymore.  They’ve been stiffing me lately at Cotixan’s.  Get your head in the game, guys.

Carl’s Jr. > Jack in the Box > McDonald’s > Burger King.  I could write a whole post on this…actually, I’m not going to elaborate, since I want to be able to write another post on this.

Boxing > UFC.  Not that I really like watching either…and while I feel that winning in the UFC means more about your status as a true fighter, there’s just too much grappling for me to really enjoy watching.

Verizon >>>>>>>> AT & T.  I cannot put enough “>” characters in between the two.

Les Miserables > Phantom > Rent = Wicked >>> Kiss Me, Kate.  All really good though.

Any other song >>>> “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat.  Easily my least favorite song on the radio, and that’s saying a lot.  I even like “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt more than I like that song.

Gelato > Frozen Yogurt > Ice Cream >> Boba.  Don’t get me wrong, I like boba…I just don’t like the price.  In Taiwan, boba was a dollar, and I think that’s a fair price.

These playoffs are KILLING me, but still: LeBron > Kobe.  By a hair.

VeggieTales > Animaniacs + spinoffs > any other cartoon I ever watched as a kid.

Vanilla > Chocolate.  Unless it’s REALLY good chocolate.

Dogs > Cats.  I’m allergic to both though.  Also, this is not a knock on cats.  I can identify with aloof creatures who think that the world revolves around them.

Non-brand name > Brand name.  Except for “Vita-Rain”, the Costco equivalent of Vitamin Water.  Do NOT buy that stuff.

Spiderman > Batman >>> Superman.  Not who would win in a fight, just who I like the best.  Also, didn’t watch Iron Man, so I can’t add him to the list yet.

Repeat from my old blog: Korean food > Japanese food > Steak > Italian food > Thai food > Mexican food > American food > Chinese food.

Wow, took longer on this post than I should have.

-Tim

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On Mafia/Games in General

Filed Under: Games, Random by timpaik — 3 Comments
June 4, 2010

I was looking at my blog “to-do list”, and I see a topic called “Mafia” written on September 1st of last year.  I can’t remember if I was considering writing about Italian mobsters or the party/card game.  The odds lie highly in favor of the latter, so I’ll go ahead and do that.

If you know me and/or read this blog, you know that I enjoy playing games.  Once you play a certain number of games, you start to get a sense of what makes a good game or not.  The ideal game has three qualities: novelty, balance, and challenge.

First, novelty.  I wanted to put “interestingness”, but it doesn’t feel like a word.  A game has to capture the interest of the players.  By and large, this is done by presenting the players with something new: humans in general are drawn to novelty.  To illustrate this, say I invent a game called “Lizardopoly”, where players roll dice to move small dinosaur figurines around a square board in order to buy other reptiles.  I imagine that it would be difficult for me to get people to play this game because they would have already exhausted their interest in such a game.

In order to increase the novelty of a game, you can create different roles in a game, thus increasing the number of times a player can play the same game without getting bored.  We’ll call this the diversity principle: as the diversity of roles increases, the novelty/interestingness of a game increases.  For example, Axis and Allies has five different starting countries, allowing players to have five different gaming experiences.  Many games use the diversity principle to increase the replayability of a game: Street Fighter has multiple fighters that players can learn to use and fight against, Bang! has multiple role/ability cards, Starcraft has different races, etc.

The problem with increasing diversity is that games can easily become unbalanced.  Let’s take Puzzle Fighter for example.  Puzzle Fighter tried to increase the diversity of the game by allowing players to choose from one of ten characters.  Without going into details, (they’re here if you want them), only two of the players are actually used in competitive play.  The rest are simply far worse than those two.  I’m not saying that the other players are unplayable, but playing as anybody else does leave you at a disadvantage.  The end result is that only the best options end up getting chosen, and the benefit of having the diversity in the first place has disappeared.

The easiest way to make things balanced is to remove diversity in the game, but this reduces the replayability.  If you have a sufficiently interesting game, that’s fine.  Take chess, or Go.  Both sides are almost perfectly balanced (each player has exactly the same moves available), and yet those games have withstood the test of time.  (Note, of course, that in those games, there still is unbalance in deciding who goes first.)

The final quality is challenge.  The ideal game is quick to learn, impossible to master.  The first part, ease of learning, is somewhat important, since no one will learn to play your game if it is too difficult.  I think Puerto Rico is a fun game, but people’s eyes start to glaze over when you teach them how to play.  Settlers of Catan is pretty difficult as well, but I think it’s getting popular enough where people are willing to put in the time.

The second part is more important.  If the game is too simple, people will stop playing it after they become as good as they can possibly be at the game.  Take Tic-Tac-Toe.  After playing the game a few times, you should always be able to get a cat’s game.  There’s other games like Nim where if the 1st player  (or 2nd, depending on the rules you’re using) should always be able to win no matter what the other player does.  You might not think it, but checkers and Connect Four also fall into this category.

(On a side note: one guy’s Master’s Thesis was to prove that the first player can always win in Connect Four.  I’m simultaneously jealous and disgusted.)

So why am I writing about all of this?  Well…I was going to analyze the game of Mafia, but I felt like I needed to establish some groundwork before I started.  But now my word count is pushing 700, and I don’t think anybody has made it this far.  So in conclusion, I am a nerd.

-Tim

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Google Analytics Fun (Who You Are)

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 7 Comments
May 17, 2010

I’m not going to lie: half the fun of writing a blog is seeing who shows up.  My old xanga used to have “footprints” so you could see who showed up by name.  Unfortunately, this site doesn’t have an active login, so there’s no easy way for me to get you guys to identify yourselves.

However, this site is using WordPress, so I do have WordPress stats telling me how many hits I get a day.  Furthermore, I have Google Analytics activated on this site, so I can get just about all the information I could ever want about you guys…except your names.

So…here’s some interesting facts.  I turned on Google Analytics on April 5th, so since that day…

  • Only 13.8% of you guys use Internet Explorer, which is surprising, seeing as IE accounts for 53% of the market by the latest counts.  34% of you use Firefox, which is just about right.  But 30ish% of you use Safari (nice), another 20ish% use Chrome, and one of you accessed my site from a Playstation 3.  Dude, if you’re using your PS3, I think you have better things to do than access my site.
  • Only 8 of you guys accessed my site using dialup.  I’m sorry, you guys.
  • The split between Apple users and Windows users is actually pretty close to 50/50, which accounts for the Safari demographic.  But 4 of you guys actually use Linux!  Sweet!
  • I can get a map overlay of where all my hits in the last month have come from…they come from 8 different countries!  Sure, maybe it’s one hit each from five of them, but still.  Also, 23 of the 50 states, but only 1 or 2 visits from 16 of them.  I see Kevin Li represented, and I guess Texas makes sense, but I have no idea who my Virginia visitors are.  If you’re from Virginia, welcome!  Glad you could make it.

OK, that stuff probably only interests me.  But then I took a look at how people get here…and well…it’s kind of hilarious.  At least I think so.  Most of you guys know of my site through knowing me, or being my friend on Facebook, or maybe clicking through my gmail account status.  But some people seem to find my site through searching (I have no idea how; I don’t see why my site would be near the top of any Google search), and I can see what search terms they use to get here.

  • By far, the most common way people find my site is through some variation of the words “God is bigger than the air I breathe lyrics.”   Which amuses me, because that just brings you to my post that completely rips the song.
  • I have the obligatory people who search “soft reboot”, then find my site.  I guess they must be persistent, since my site is like the 25th site that comes up when you search “soft reboot”.  Sorry guys.  I know it’s misleading.  I guess you are the guys who spend like 10 seconds on my site.
  • A couple people find this site trying to find a way to kill the vampire in Scribblenauts.  Well, you’ve come to the right place for that.  Specifically, here.  Glad my site can serve some educational purpose.  One guy wanted to find out how to kill the angel in Scribblenauts.  You’re messed up, man.
  • More than one person has come here (actually a handful) with some variation of the words “how do you spell calluses”.  Except “calluses” is spelled “callouses”, “caluses”, and “calouses”.   Apparently, it’s a hard word to spell.
  • Two people came here with the search terms “25 years old over the hill” and “reboot my life.”  I’m sorry guys.  Hopefully my site cheered you up.
  • I actually do get people who find this site with search terms like “high view of God”, “i need God more than the air”, “not what i think thou art, but what thou..”, and “sermon thoughts.”  Aww, thanks, Google!
  • I also get people who find this site through words like “scribblenauts nerd talk” and “nerdy analogies”.  Thanks, Google.
  • Finally, there’s the totally random search terms that just boggle my mind.  ”spiderman reboot” got my site.  Someone found my site through “never trust guys”, which makes me slightly sad.   “coke for killing mice” found my site.  Really, really sad.

Anyway, that’s a look at you guys.  And once again, I say to you, welcome!  This is the right place for you…even if you don’t know it yet.

-Tim

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I’m back: On Self-Reflection and LeBron James

Filed Under: Random by timpaik — 3 Comments
May 16, 2010

Wow…it’s been a while since I wrote here…just over a month by the looks of it.  I’m sorry for anybody who has been checking this site for updates…and according to Google Analytics, there’s at least four of you who’ve checked this site 50 times in the last two months.  That accounts for me (maybe), my mom, Tim Kim, and an unknown stranger.  Unknown stranger, if you’re single, Christian, and female, you know where to find me.

Seriously though, it HAS been a long time…Time to get back into it.

…

I used to be a big reader when I was a kid.  I used to read EVERYTHING that entered my parents’ home: newspapers, magazines, paperbacks, textbooks…It didn’t matter what the book was about: I remember reading a ton about real estate when my parents were looking to buy a house way back when.  Anyway, one of those books was called “The Seven Kinds of Smart.”  In the book, the author separated intelligence into seven different categories: linguistic, mathematical, kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.  He claimed that schools tend to focus too much on the linguistic and mathematical aspects of intelligence, while ignoring the talents of children who might be gifted in the other five areas of intelligence.

I remember reading this and thinking…well, I think I understand what the first six types of intelligence are, but what the heck is intrapersonal intelligence?  I think the author defined it as the ability to self-reflect: to know exactly what one is feeling or going through at a given time.  And I was like…yeah, that’s dumb.  Anyone can do that.

Well, as I grow older, I am coming to realize that I am intrapersonally really stupid.  I can’t put words to the feelings that I have most of the time.  Well, I can, but it takes a bit of analysis to figure out what I’m feeling.  I think this is why I’m not very picky: it takes me too long to figure out what I want.

I’ve been thinking about this for two reasons. The first is that I’m trying to start writing more about how I feel, and it’s proving to be more difficult than I first imagined.  The second is the final game between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.

For those of you who don’t know, the Cavaliers lost to the Celtics in six games.  I wasn’t able to watch the last game, but I heard the result from David Ahn over the phone.  When he told me that the Cavs had lost, I remember feeling this curious wave of sadness fall over me, then being immediately surprised at my own sadness.  Kind of like a baby being surprised by its own fart.  Let me explain:

I don’t really care about any of these teams.  My favorite NBA team is the Golden State Warriors, and it’s going to be a few years until they even make the playoffs, let alone win a championship.  My second favorite team (a distant second) is the Phoenix Suns, thanks to Steve Nash.  My least favorite team is the Lakers.  (Sorry, had to throw that in there).

Since I didn’t have a rooting interest in this series (or an anti-interest), you’d think that I wouldn’t care if one side won.  And yet, I found myself sad that the Cavs had lost.  Strange.

Furthermore, the Celtics were the underdogs in this series.  I like cheering for underdogs; it usually makes for a better viewing experience.  And yet, I root for the favorites.  Strange.

It’s been two days since then, and I think I’ve finally got a handle on why I feel the way I did about the Cavs…well, to be clear, LeBron James, since no one else on that team really matters.

I explain by way of analogy: if you were to ask me for a list of my favorite golfers before December of last year, it would go something like this:

  1. Tiger Woods
  2. (empty)
  3. Michelle Wie
  4. (empty)
  5. (empty)
  6. That other Korean golfer
  7. (empty)

The point is, before the whole scandal thing, I wanted Tiger Woods to crush that majors record.  Not because I liked him, or anything.  I just wanted to witness greatness.

I think that’s what this is like with LeBron.  In the current NBA, LeBron has the best chance to become an all-time great.  If anyone in the NBA has a chance to become the new answer to the question “Who was the best NBA player of all time?”, it’s him.  And I want to witness his ascension into that role.  That’s it. It certainly helps that LeBron seems to be a nice guy…but I think the main thing I want to see is LeBron break all the records.  Just so I can say that I was a witness.

Kinda sad, huh?  But that’s how I feel.  At least, I think I do.

-Tim

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