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Thanks, KMIZ…

So, KMIZ, the ABC affiliate out of Columbia, MO., made the national gaming news blogs with their coverage of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, specifically with their interview of Andy Anderson, who said: “There is no reason an adult should have [Animal Crossing: City Folk]” for the Wii. The whole thing makes Missouri look pretty dumb, as nearly all of the posts say either “Missouri Police” or “a Missouri Task Force”…

In the original report from KMIZ, they write “If your kids play interactive video games, like the Nintendo Wii, be on the lookout. The Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force is warning of predators using games like, ‘Animal Crossing- City Folk,’ to target kids.” This statement is only a little bit sensationalist, but more importantly is quite mis-leading…

The game is kinda like Sim City or The Sims, but a bit more complicated (you can run a shop, go fishing, do some gardening, etc.) with interactions that you have with other people over the internet (using an included peripheral microphone that sits above your TV). The thing that the Wii does, however, is use “Friend Codes,” which is a 12-digit randomized number that an individual must input into their system in order to contact someone else (i.e. I have to have your Friend Code plugged in, and you have to have my Friend Code plugged in), soooooooo…I’m very curious how any pedophiles could even contact someone through the game, as it’s impossible without a Friend Code exchange. The only way it could work is if a child exchanged their Friend Code with a stranger through the interwebs, or in person…which is the parent’s fault, not the Wii’s.

The idea that this game shouldn’t be played by adults is also rather absurd, as it’s a pretty popular series and has been bought by millions of adults, not just kids. It certainly isn’t a game I’m interested in, but to say that only pedophiles play it, or that only kids should be allowed to play it, is absurd.

The key here, as always, comes down to one thing: the parents are responsible for keeping an eye on their kids. Parents should know what games their kids are playing, the books they’re reading, the television they watch, the movies they watch, the kids they interact with at school, etc…especially when they’re at a young age (obviously, the ability to monitor them by middle school/high school gets reduced…). If parents are going to allow their kids to play games on the internet with a PC, or use a console system like a Wii, the parents should know about the capabilities of the system (such as Parental Controls) and the kinds of games that are available.

For more information on all that, though, check out What They Play, which is the “parent’s guide to video games”…great site for all kinds of information, not just for parents…

People should stop blaming things on the medium and learn to take some responsibility…

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Review: Watchmen

For the most part, when it comes to movies based on comics/graphic novels, I’m typically all over it. Certainly with Marvel or DC comics, I have a manageable grasp on the primary characters and a basis to follow when watching movies based on a given hero. Watchmen is something of an anomaly, however, as I’d heard of the graphic novel, published by DC Comics back in 1986-87, but certainly knew nothing about the story or what happened. So far as I understand, “Watchmen” actually adheres to the source material relatively well, but I couldn’t begin to tell you where the differences lie.

Essentially, here’s the idea… In an alternate past (mid-1980s), Nixon is a third-term President and we are under threat of nuclear annihilation from the U.S.S.R. Back in the 1920s/1930s, “masked vigilantes” took to the streets to help clean up crime, leading to a few generations of masked heroes that would go on to protect the citizens of the U.S. These people were a bit more grounded in “reality,” in that the kinds of people that were acting like heroes were generally benevolent, but sometimes sociopaths (i.e. just a bit crazy…). These heroes were inserted into historical events, including the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, and a variety of different protests and riots. Very few heroes, with the exception of Dr. Manhattan, actually had any powers, so they were more like a Batman than a Superman…

As a result of the Keene Act, all masked vigilantes had to quit what they were doing, or risk going to jail. Most of these heroes went underground, and/or retired to private life. In the 1980s, however, two events spark their return: the threat of nuclear holocaust, and to a greater extent, the fact that some of their brethren are being knocked off one by one.

The movie switches between the past and the present, making these events even more confusing than they read above. For the most part, the story is rather interesting and engaging, making you wonder what’s really going on until the very end. Again, I can’t say how well this story is outlined as compared with the source material, but it does eventually make some sense. One of the complaints lodged against the film, however, is that it isn’t quite as “elegant” in switching back and forth in time, but I think the movie did as well at it as it could.

For a bunch of “no name” actors (save Billy Crudup), they all did an outstanding job. They were very believable in their roles, and made you feel for them (there’s a lot to feel for them as the movie progresses…). The effects were decent, but not the best I’ve seen. Honestly, there weren’t all that many special effects so far as the fight scenes go (besides some slow motion action, etc), but some of the bigger scenes depicting nuclear holocaust and Mars (the planet…) were acceptable, but not the best available. Dr. Manhattan especially, while impressive, didn’t seem to get the “mouth movements” quite right when speaking, as he was a digital character with Crudup’s face motion-captured on to him. The movie’s been in production for a long time, so maybe it’s just a few years late on that front.

Overall, I think it’s worth seeing if you want an interesting story, or if you like comics at all. The ending was rather shocking, in my opinion, but still has a decent resolution. It comes in at 2 hrs and 40 minutes, so make sure you get a soda and popcorn before it starts. Considering that the special effects weren’t that impressive, you could wait for the DVD, as seeing it on the big screen didn’t seem to add much to the experience. Still, considering mostly nothing else is out right now in theaters, it isn’t a bad choice!

If anything, it makes me want to pick up the graphic novel and actually read something. I can’t think of many movies that make me want to do that!

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Battle Royale

The “media” has apparently been all over this supposed “battle” between Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” and Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show.” The whole thing started last week with Jon Stewart lambasting the financial news network for not seeing this crisis coming, while they were telling their viewers to “buy, buy, buy” a variety of stocks, including the companies that would fold in the coming weeks.

Well, the “media” made with it and ran, calling it a battle between Cramer (whom Stewart referred to, yes, but certainly didn’t focus on) and Stewart, culminating in Cramer coming on the “Daily Show” Thursday night for a looooooong interview…with Stewart, in the end, beating the crap out of Cramer.

Honestly, Jon Stewart is the best interviewer on television, as he can get away with asking almost anything and making his guests look like idiots. I really felt sorry for Jim Cramer. It’s an excellent interview and shines new light on the issue. You all should watch it!

Note: The video above is part 2 of 3 (the most interesting part, I think), but the whole interview is really good.

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A typical Monday night…

As we were watching “House” Monday night, we got to wondering:

If being “disinhibited” (or “uninhibited,” for that matter) is redundant…

…is “inhibited” dundant?

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A new day for science…

“Rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values,” Obama said. “In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering.”

As reported in an article from the Associated Press, President Obama recently reversed Bush policies that disallowed the use of embryonic stem cells in research paid for by NIH funding (except for a select few stem cell lines that were already available, but few of those were considered useful by the scientists using them).

For those that don’t know, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) comprise the vast majority of research dollars spent in America, not only funding public entities but also private, through your tax dollars. For the most part, in order to reach tenure at a research-driven university, you need what’s known as an “R01” NIH grant, usually giving $1 million in funding for a period of 5 years (with the possibility of renewal). That’s why Bush’s policy was such a big deal. By saying that “no NIH funding will pay for embryonic stem cell research,” he essentially limited the funding to select funding bodies (e.g. foundation grants), meaning that what could have been lots of research into stem cells over the last 8 years turned into very little.

So, on the one hand, it’s a big deal that stem cell research is back in the purview of the NIH. The more important part for me, and for the rest of the country, is the other part(s) of Obama’s speech today, outlined above: political ideology will no longer play a massive role in what’s funded and what isn’t by the NIH; science will again have a voice in government; and scientific thinking will have a friend in the White House.

If evidence shows that embryonic stem cells was a stupid thing to look at, then by all means its funding will be cut. However, if it shows promise, more money will go to it and it will provide all the cures that have been promised (that remains to be seen, in my opinion…). That’s how a lot of science works, through Natural Selection: the programs that are productive, find cures and discover new treatments to help people are the ones that are favored. Government policy shouldn’t try to limit these solutions before they’re even tried, especially when based on misguided ideology and/or lobbying groups. As Obama points out:

“But let’s be clear: promoting science isn’t just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda – and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.”

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Trip down to Hot Springs

That’s a picture from I-55 in northern Arkansas. Terrible place. Seriously. Their Department of Transportation has got to be the most inept in the nation. See the clear skies?! It snowed the DAY BEFORE and there was ice all over the place. It took us over an hour to go 15-20 miles toward Memphis.

There are more pics…feel free to check those out, of course…

Either way, that was on the way down to Hot Springs, AR. Brooke decided she wanted to go on a little trip, just to get away for a little bit. It’s a relatively easy drive (minus the aforementioned DOT from Arkansas), and a place neither of us had ever been to.

Anyway, it was a pretty good trip! Brooke made reservations at Hilltop Manor, a bed-and-breakfast right by the national park. The weather was pretty awesome, for the most part, so we spent Monday walking around the town, went up to the top of the mountain and went up in the observation tower, then walked along Bath House Row (and toured an old bath house maintained by the National Park Service), and otherwise chilled for the rest of the day in front of a fire place, reading and gaming (on the DS, of course :-)).

The trip back was less eventful than the one down, so that was a big plus. In any event, I’m glad to be back and catch up on all the TV shows we didn’t get to last week. And, maybe even get some science done tomorrow…

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Another Mardi Gras down…

Mardi Gras went off without a hitch, for the most part… I’ve put up some pictures on Picasa of the event, for those that are interested.

In summary, Kristen, Jake, Sarah, Ben and I went down to the parade and saw some pretty neat floats…and LOTS of people (shown above). The weather was in the 30s F, but since the sun was out, it actually felt pretty good out there! We ended up having a little less than 40 people come by our place after the parade was done…Brooke’s jambalaya didn’t last long! Most people were gone by 4:00, allowing me to fall asleep by 6:00, then wake up again to finish “Monk” and “Psych” with the wife later.

Overall, it was a good day! Lots of clean-up had to be done on Sunday after church, but oh well…it’s only once a year… 🙂

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Inside the Meltdown

The PBS news magazine, Frontline, ran this story, Inside the Meltdown, on Tuesday night. It’s an hour long (you can full-screen it at their website, or from here), but it’s well worth the time if you’ve got it.

Essentially, it goes through the events beginning with the Bear Stearns bailout (March 2008) and goes up through the end of 2008. It goes into a lot of depth, but makes it very understandable…arguably, the most “understandable” I’ve had all this craziness explained to me. For example, it explains by Bear Stearns was bailed out and why Lehman Brothers wasn’t, and it also goes into what was happening within the Treasury Department and on Wall Street while everything was going down. There were a lot of things inter-connected, but this explains it with relative simplicity.

The focus on Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is rather interesting, too, especially his deep aversion to government intervention in the economy. You can see the look on his face as he has to make all these announcements of how the government is buying up debt and taking stakes in banking companies. You have to wonder if he doubts his all-mighty “free market” after having to do all this.

Rather fascinating. Glad I don’t have much money in our mutual fund…

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It’s that time again…

Mardi Gras is this weekend, Saturday, February 21, in Soulard. More information can be found at the Soulard Mardi Gras website, with regards to parking and events. As we have for the past few years, we’re making our house available for warming and bathrooms (as the only other options are port-a-potties spread around the neighborhood), as well as Brooke’s jambalaya.

In years past, people will usually come by after the parade (so, after 12:30?) and leave by 2:30 or 3:00. You’re welcome to come by anytime, of course, but that’s when the largest group is there! If you want it to feel like a party…which it isn’t…just sayin’… A lot of people leave Soulard by 6:00, but there are events (concerts?) that go into the evening, if anyone’s interested…no big headliners this year though, it seems.

The weather is supposed to be a high of 34 F with a chance of snow in the early morning. That temperature will probably keep some folks away – last year (weather in the 50s F?) brought all kinds of people out, but two years ago, when it was in the upper 20s F, the numbers were down in the 60,000 range…last year, though, it was closer to 500,000 (so far as I can find…).

Should be a good time! Let me know (somehow) if you plan on being down here so we can watch for you!

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New Toy(s)

So, Brooke and I both got new toys today. My cell phone died (again), so thankfully, I was due for a replacement via AT&T and I grabbed an LG Vu from Wal-Mart, as their deal on the phone was significantly better than AT&T.com and the AT&T stores. It’s a touch phone, so it’s quite a bit different than I’m used to…and, I’m going to need to get some kind of case for the thing, as I guarantee I’m going to drop this phone (and, subsequently, it will die).

The other fun new toy is actually Brooke’s. Her Compaq Presario laptop (a Celeron-based system with 256 MB of RAM) has been slowly dying, mostly in the form of a slowed start-up (even after reformatting) and a battery that won’t hold its charge. She decided to give a netbook a try, an Acer Aspire One. These are a relatively new class of ultra-portable laptops that typically use an Intel Atom processor, has a 10″ or smaller screen (hers is an 8.9″ glossy LCD), and no DVD drive. The latter will take some getting used to, but the smaller screen is something she thinks she can handle. You can see the size comparison with my 15″ Dell XPS M1530 above (and below in another view). This thing is also 2.2 lbs, which is less than half of what my laptop weighs!

Obviously, the keyboard is a bit smaller, as well. The other thing that we realized is that it is near impossible to install Office 2003 without a disc drive, so she downloaded and installed OpenOffice 3.0, and that seems to work alright. Overall, the laptop is quite responsive, but we’re mostly curious about how battery life will be on such a small machine.

Anyway, after Brooke has gotten to use the thing a bit more, maybe I’ll write more about it. So far, she seems pretty pleased with it, but to be fair, she only got to use it for a few hours before bed, and that entailed installing software…especially Firefox… It’s great that she complained about having to use IE at all, even when she was using it to go straight to the Firefox download page… 🙂