Archive for the 'Ruminations' Category
Science Fiction vs. Fantasy
There has always been a large difference between these two genres in my opinion, yet most people lump them into the same category. Everyone from large distributors such as Barnes & Noble down to my favorite local stores in Raleigh all lump them into the same boat.
Now, like most true nerds, I have a fondness for both genres. My childhood shaped my preference, and I never realized, or thought about, how much until I started listening to the Critical Hit podcast by Major Spoilers. This podcast takes several people through encounters in Dungeons & Dragons and tells the whole story based on the chance inherent in the dice.
When I was a just a nerdy little kid back in 5th grade, my friends and I started playing Dungeons & Dragons for fun. No consistency since we were quite young to really follow all of the rules and regulations, but the creation of our characters and playing on the school grounds while everyone was running around and playing was quite enjoyable! Now, take into account that this was in the 80s when the Dungeons & Dragons suicide story had hit the mainstream. My parents jumped in on the fear bandwagon and forbade me to have anything to do with the game. And as with all kids, that drove me to want to play more. So even though all my books and materials had been confiscated, I had to find a way to learn more. Now, I think this is where my preference in genres started showing up. I had a large C3PO case that held quite a few Star Wars figures (including the ones that I had sharpened the hands on with a pencil sharpener). I remember riding my bike for almost 2 miles to meet up with my friend who had Dungeons & Dragons manuals that he didn’t want. I made the trade and rode home on my bike with the biggest grin on my face. I hid those books really well, and my parents never found out. I would stay in my room and read every word in those books. So my parent’s fear in the unknown drove me to being a fantasy freak. I sacrificed my science fiction based Star Wars figures and delved deeply into fantasy.
That has now lasted far into my adulthood. I will not read nonfiction, general fiction or even science fiction. I can honestly say I have never read a science fiction novel. But any fantasy novel, and I mean ANY fantasy novel, I will pick it up and read it.
Now, just pondering, is there really that much difference between science fiction and fantasy? Both are imaginative fiction, both take place in a time other than now, both require acceptance in the unknown to enjoy…yet I can’t force myself to read science fiction. When I analyze myself, I feel that I should like science fiction more. I’m an engineer…a scientist at my core. Wouldn’t that lead me to preferring science fiction which is probably now based on things in the near future based on the rapidity of innovation nowadays? Yet I prefer the more liberal arts version of fiction and go with fantasy.
What is everyone else’s preference between the two and why?
And as a parting note, I would like to post again the YouTube video parody of “Like a G6″ called “Roll a D6″ (in reference to the 6 sided die used in Dungeons & Dragons).
1 comment
Atheism, Liberals, Monogamists…oh my!
So, it appears that a study has been performed by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics and Political Science, that states that “statistically significantly more likely to exhibit social values and religious and political preferences that are novel to the human species in evolutionary history”. Basically, people who veer away from evolutionary/social norms is more likely to be a more intelligent person.
People who always fall back on God as an answer to everything will not seek out an answer to the problem. Kanazawa stated that “humans are evolutionarily designed to be paranoid, and they believe in God because they are paranoid.” Teenagers ratioed 103/97 in IQ scores for no God/God believers.
Past social norms was to worry about one’s self and family first, but a lot more people now have been leaning towards helping others. The latter has shown to have a higher ratio of IQ scores as well…106/95 to be exact.
And men used to have multiple mates, although women generally kept the same mate. So, men who now keep just one mate have shown higher intellect.
So, according to this report, if you are a monogamous, liberal, atheist male, you should be brilliant! Well, I guess I’m getting there…
Retrieved from -Science Daily-
No commentsMore fun with tilt-shift photography
…this time in timelapse photography at a Monster Truck rally. I haven’t been to one of those in a long time, and this really makes me want to go!
Metal Heart from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.
Retrieved from -OhGizmo!-
No commentsAn incredible invention made under such duress
…could normally only mean failure, but for Curt Herzstark, it was an engineering masterpiece.
The story goes that Curt had begun designing his portable calculator before World War II started. He was captured and then placed in a concentration camp where to keep his mind occupied, he started back working on his invention. The Nazis found out what he was creating and decided to keep him alive so that he could complete his work. His calculator would be a gift to Hitler when the war was over. Well, we all know how that went, so instead, when Curt was released, he finished developing the calculator and manufactured it until the 1970s.
If you are bored, someone has even created a simulator of this engineering marvel.
No commentsWe’ve all heard of man-bags, now introducing the ultimate man-purse
…straight from e-Volve to the gunless wannabe cops.
How often have you as a guy found yourself wanting to not have that phone in your pocket or hanging on your belt clip because it’s in your way? Or needed to have that pen and paper waiting right beside you so you could jot down the phone number of that girl you just met at the bar. That’s right, she couldn’t take her eyes off of you because of that huge, discreetly hidden holster by your side. She thought you were possibly an undercover cop, you know, since women can’t resist a man in uniform. But wait, then she realized that holster actually held a pen and paper….and your phone. Crap, too late to take back the number she just read off to you. Now she’ll just spend the next week trying to avoid any unknown phone calls…but at least you with your phone holster will be able to pick up the next girl in the meantime!
Product Info -eVolve-
Retrieved from -Engadget-
Do you remember all the fuss made over pencils used on ScanTron tests
…well, maybe the true reason isn’t that the machine won’t recognize the pencil lead, but that it could cause a catastrophic explosion as seen in XKCD‘s comic.
Everytime I took a ScanTron test, the teachers harped incessantly about using a #2 pencil. I mean, what would happen if you didn’t? You would fail if you didn’t have one because the reader couldn’t see the graphite? The paper would disintegrate due to the sheer amounts of pressure applied under a harder lead? The tectonic plates would shift causing the big earthquake that’s due any day in Charleston? The world economy would collapse? Oh wait, that last one is in the process…Anyway, quite a funny take on the subject in the comic.
Retrieved from -XKCD-
No commentsThe best food utensil for small kids
…at least for construction professionals.
Over at “I Want One of Those“, they have an eating untensil set for chidren 3+ years old. And being that I deal with construction workers (I am a designer people, not a constructer), these have to be some of the most awesome ones around. The set has three pieces…a crane fork, a front end loader spoon and then my absolute favorite, a bulldozer utensil to push food around (like getting that last bit off the plate).
Not the easiest price to digest at about $25, but still cool.
Product Info -I Want One of Those-
Retrieved from -Coolest Gadgets-
Hardcore baby workout
…or hardcore video editing?
I have the toughest time believing this can really not be fake. But if it is, it is the best ragdoll physics I have ever seen on a video. If it isn’t fake, dang, how did that not rip the arms out of that baby’s sockets? Holy crap. Like I said, I have a tough time believing it, and it’s hard to dupe me.
1 commentNow this truly is a world record gutbuster if you ask me
…because if I didn’t win tons o’ cash eating 20.2lbs of hamburger, I had better have a heart attack before the embarrassment hits.
Brad Sciullo, 21, of Pennsylvania conquered the “Beer Bareel Belly Bruiser” at Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub. This massive hamburger included 15 pounds of meat, and about 7.2 pounds of toppings and bug, and was devoured in only 4 hours and 39 minutes. All in all, he won $400, a certificate of accomplishment and commemorative T-shirts. Personally, I think he deserved more, but hey, it was his call. I wonder how fast the great Takeru Kobayashi could have done it in?
What I really would have liked to see is how his stomach looked AFTER he finished. Man, you had to be able to see that.
Retrieved from -G4 TV-
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