Spent a few hours uptown this morning, learning the ropes on a job I'll be doing for a couple of days next week. Seems simple enough... very little work in the lines I've been working for the past decade or so, but a few additional bits and bobs I'd not really done before. Doesn't seem like a lot, but time will tell.
The very thought of being back in an office - let alone doing someone else's job - after such a long break has played havoc with my sleeping so far this week, so I'm hoping that the relief of learning my duties will put an end to that. Offices are never the nicest of places, but abject terror is not the natural state to be in while working therein.
Here's to having an income again... if only briefly.
Thursday 25 August 2011
Saturday 20 August 2011
Cold, For Summer
It's about this time that people start tutting and sighing and saying things like "Oh well, that's summer over for the year". This is not, strictly speaking, accurate.
Summer in this country is notoriously bad, but we do get some hot days later than this. I've known Septembers that were hotter than June or July. We do tend to get a few days of glorious sunshine followed by a few days of torrential rain, as seems to be the case right now, but the rain of the last few days has been broken by patches of sunshine. It's still quite warm out (not so much at home, though - my flat is freezing. I'm currently wearing a pullover and a fleece and still feeling the chill, but I'm determined to not put my heating on... my last gas bill was pretty astronomical), just tending to be wet.
The upshot of this, I guess, is that a repeat of the rioting and looting from earlier in the month is unlikely. The British, by and large, are up for civil unrest only if the weather's good. Why nick a brand new plasma screen TV or some expensive trainers if they're only going to get soaked on the way back?
That's what really bugged me about the riots: those interviewed were full of "blame the Government/Economy" rhetoric, without any understanding of the situations to which they referred. Their apologists were telling us about "the voice of the disaffected youth" and "people who feel they have no stake in society". People on the streets, shouting at reporters and politicians alike, carped on about listening to "the voice of Black Youth"... but it seems - so far - that the majority of looters arrested were middle class white kids who expect everything in life to be handed to them. What does the girl who has everything do when daddy won't buy her a new car? She goes out and trashes a few shops, it seems.
I can see part of the argument about kids who feel they have no stake in society but, let's face it, you forge your own stake in society by becoming part of it. Get involved in your community and you're not only building character, but you're building ties to the people around you. When I left school, after my A-Levels, and with big dreams, I tried to get the job I really wanted... failed... signed on at the job centre, and took the first job that sounded interesting. At no time did I contemplate property damage, stealing, or wanton violence. My wages weren't handed to me - I actually had to learn and work at a trade.
And to all these people who say "there's nothing for kids to do while the schools are out" I would point out that there has long been a tradition of kids finding things to do in their summer holidays. Sadly, some of these kids lack the brain power to consider taking a football to their local park for a kickabout with friends or - heavens forfend - picking up a fucking book and reading for pleasure.
Why do they need any (Government funded, inevitably) organisation to give them things to do? Sure, a youth club is a good thing... but, in the absence of any funding, the community could put something together themselves. Some do, you know.
But it's not even just kids that were involved. Some of the adults involved weren't even unemployed.
Depressing, really...
Yesterday, I popped over to Harrow to snap up the newly-released Wii game Xenoblade Chronicles. Roundly regarded by the press as "the best RPG to come out of Japan in the last 10 years", it's certainly easier to get into than some though, having got through some of the really easy fights, the slightly larger monsters are still proving quite deadly for me... that said, I'm never looking in the right place to see when my team need healing, and since the main player character is the only healer (so far), that's a bit of a problem...
Summer in this country is notoriously bad, but we do get some hot days later than this. I've known Septembers that were hotter than June or July. We do tend to get a few days of glorious sunshine followed by a few days of torrential rain, as seems to be the case right now, but the rain of the last few days has been broken by patches of sunshine. It's still quite warm out (not so much at home, though - my flat is freezing. I'm currently wearing a pullover and a fleece and still feeling the chill, but I'm determined to not put my heating on... my last gas bill was pretty astronomical), just tending to be wet.
The upshot of this, I guess, is that a repeat of the rioting and looting from earlier in the month is unlikely. The British, by and large, are up for civil unrest only if the weather's good. Why nick a brand new plasma screen TV or some expensive trainers if they're only going to get soaked on the way back?
That's what really bugged me about the riots: those interviewed were full of "blame the Government/Economy" rhetoric, without any understanding of the situations to which they referred. Their apologists were telling us about "the voice of the disaffected youth" and "people who feel they have no stake in society". People on the streets, shouting at reporters and politicians alike, carped on about listening to "the voice of Black Youth"... but it seems - so far - that the majority of looters arrested were middle class white kids who expect everything in life to be handed to them. What does the girl who has everything do when daddy won't buy her a new car? She goes out and trashes a few shops, it seems.
I can see part of the argument about kids who feel they have no stake in society but, let's face it, you forge your own stake in society by becoming part of it. Get involved in your community and you're not only building character, but you're building ties to the people around you. When I left school, after my A-Levels, and with big dreams, I tried to get the job I really wanted... failed... signed on at the job centre, and took the first job that sounded interesting. At no time did I contemplate property damage, stealing, or wanton violence. My wages weren't handed to me - I actually had to learn and work at a trade.
And to all these people who say "there's nothing for kids to do while the schools are out" I would point out that there has long been a tradition of kids finding things to do in their summer holidays. Sadly, some of these kids lack the brain power to consider taking a football to their local park for a kickabout with friends or - heavens forfend - picking up a fucking book and reading for pleasure.
Why do they need any (Government funded, inevitably) organisation to give them things to do? Sure, a youth club is a good thing... but, in the absence of any funding, the community could put something together themselves. Some do, you know.
But it's not even just kids that were involved. Some of the adults involved weren't even unemployed.
Depressing, really...
Yesterday, I popped over to Harrow to snap up the newly-released Wii game Xenoblade Chronicles. Roundly regarded by the press as "the best RPG to come out of Japan in the last 10 years", it's certainly easier to get into than some though, having got through some of the really easy fights, the slightly larger monsters are still proving quite deadly for me... that said, I'm never looking in the right place to see when my team need healing, and since the main player character is the only healer (so far), that's a bit of a problem...
Monday 8 August 2011
Unfinished
So, after more than a year of pretending to ignore it, I finally faced up to my terror and ventured back to Silent Hill to tackle Shattered Memories' "paparazzi" challenge in the high school. I knew it was going to be tricky, because I'd watched a Let's Play of the game, in which the player got hopelessly lost and overwhelmed by the rape monsters while trying to take photographs on the game's cellphone at three different locations.
One is easy - it's right near the starting point for the challenge. The other two are at almost opposite ends of the frozen school. The map is of next to no use because it only traces where you've been on any particular nightmare sequence and, even if you try to use it, you're limited to a v-e-r-y s-l-o-w a-m-b-l-e with a tiny on-screen map, or absolutely no movement (though the game effectively goes on pause) for the full-screen view. Either way, the map only shows the outlines of buildings, not the rooms within them, and those rooms are altered in nightmare sequences anyway...
When I went back to the game, I was slightly surprised to find that I hadn't saved my game where I thought I had - rather than being ready to start the challenge, I had to hack the Principle's PC (reminding myself of all the clues to the security questions) and find the starting point for the challenge all over again.
In preparation, I'd watched a playthrough of the sequence - done well - and noted down directions... but that was several weeks before I picked up the game again, so some of my own directions didn't make sense or, in fact, match the map. They were only minor glitches - where I hadn't differentiated between a change in direction within a room or at a door, so 'left' could mean turn left or take the left hand door.
Still, I got through eventually (only got overwhelmed once!) and managed to carry on till the very end of the game. I love how it lets you know - subtly, via costume changes in yourself and the other characters - how you're doing and which ending seems most likely for you. It's a game packed full of intriguing details and, as it tells you right at the beginning, it plays you as much as you play it.
Even though I knew how the game would end, it was strangely affecting to guide Harry to the inevitable conclusion at the lighthouse, to see Cheryl reuniting with her mother, packing away all the mementoes Harry picked up throughout the game (a very nice touch!) and then to see the final home movie - for which there are four possibilities - revealing my ending. Despite early indications that I was heading for the "Wicked and Weak" ending (where Harry is violently henpecked), I'm happy to report that I ended up with "Love Lost", though this may be because it's apparently the easiest ending to get - as long as you don't exhibit any extremes of behaviour.
Completing this game made me rather more keen to go back to some others and try to complete them... Leading me soon to the epiphany that there are some games that are just too much trouble, too much like a thankless task to complete. Case in point: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. It's actually a reasonably good attempt at a Spider-Man game - they all tend to be mission based, rather than the open-world swing-a-thons the Webhead deserves (come on RockStar, do a superhero game!) - and the presentation is excellent. The Wii version heads for a rather more cartoon-style presentation than the other versions, but it suits the game well... The downfall is in the gameplay.
Once you get down to it, each alternate version of Spidey plays through much the same sort of game... You meet the level's boss almost instantly, then chase them through several sublevels and preliminary battles until the final battle, in their tablet-fragment-empowered form. The exploratory parts are cool enough, the bosses are imaginative enough... but the bits where you're slogging through henchmen are just tedious. I've now beaten the first round in each dimension, leading me to Sandman (Amazing), The Vulture (Noire), Scorpion (2099) and Deadpool (Ultimate). I've only played Sandman and Vulture's levels so far, but they're pretty tedious... and the boss battles rely on identifying a pattern and repeating it, rather than really making use of the skills each Spider-Man has.
Noire, for example, is all about stealth, and subduing the hoods before they can shoot you... Except certain sequences, where you actually have to fight. Since this version of Spidey is physically weak, such battles are a complete slog. And, in these battles, the web takedowns do not function. Sure, they'd make it too easy... but they'd also make it a more sensible, realistic game.
Much the same is true of the Sandman level, though, where you have to keep throwing waterbarrels at the enemies, or leading them into jets of water from convenient pipes, because dry sand won't take damage... And, having watched a playthrough of the whole level, I'm not sure I can be bothered with it... it doesn't look fun.
In other news, I actually had a job interview recently... I shan't mention the name of the publication but, while the job title was "Advertising Production Controller", the role was as much Editorial as it was Production... and not just setting Editorial, but subbing copy and occasionally writing headlines. Half of that job is well within my skill set... the other half would be looking at someone with Editorial experience, and very probably qualifications in journalism. I can't see too many folks from that background being willing to set advertisements, however good they think they are with InDesign.
Naturally, I wasn't offered the job... but, if they figure out they're chasing something that doesn't exist, they may reconsider... Though it does worry me that they described the position as having "split", when it seems - from the outside - far more likely that they're attempting to replace two people with one.
Last weekend, I saw Captain America, and thoroughly enjoyed it... though, considering the character's history, it's going to become increasingly difficult to contemporise him. He ends this film in the present day, having been 'asleep' in the arctic ice for the best part of 70 years... far longer than intended when the character was first created. Back then, he could still have had something of a relationship with an older Peggy Carter... in this version, she'd almost certainly be dead. It was nice to see Chris Evans toning down the comedy and becoming a more substantial hero character, and Hugo Weaving is always good value for money (though, was it just me, or did it sound like he was doing an impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger?). The weirdest thing for me is that, having had Howard Stark (Tony's father) in three Marvel Superhero movies now, they've used a different actor each time.
Well, that and the 3D... Really couldn't see the point to it, other than the obvious 'Cap throws his shield at the camera' japes.
Roll on, The Avengers movie...
One is easy - it's right near the starting point for the challenge. The other two are at almost opposite ends of the frozen school. The map is of next to no use because it only traces where you've been on any particular nightmare sequence and, even if you try to use it, you're limited to a v-e-r-y s-l-o-w a-m-b-l-e with a tiny on-screen map, or absolutely no movement (though the game effectively goes on pause) for the full-screen view. Either way, the map only shows the outlines of buildings, not the rooms within them, and those rooms are altered in nightmare sequences anyway...
When I went back to the game, I was slightly surprised to find that I hadn't saved my game where I thought I had - rather than being ready to start the challenge, I had to hack the Principle's PC (reminding myself of all the clues to the security questions) and find the starting point for the challenge all over again.
In preparation, I'd watched a playthrough of the sequence - done well - and noted down directions... but that was several weeks before I picked up the game again, so some of my own directions didn't make sense or, in fact, match the map. They were only minor glitches - where I hadn't differentiated between a change in direction within a room or at a door, so 'left' could mean turn left or take the left hand door.
Still, I got through eventually (only got overwhelmed once!) and managed to carry on till the very end of the game. I love how it lets you know - subtly, via costume changes in yourself and the other characters - how you're doing and which ending seems most likely for you. It's a game packed full of intriguing details and, as it tells you right at the beginning, it plays you as much as you play it.
Even though I knew how the game would end, it was strangely affecting to guide Harry to the inevitable conclusion at the lighthouse, to see Cheryl reuniting with her mother, packing away all the mementoes Harry picked up throughout the game (a very nice touch!) and then to see the final home movie - for which there are four possibilities - revealing my ending. Despite early indications that I was heading for the "Wicked and Weak" ending (where Harry is violently henpecked), I'm happy to report that I ended up with "Love Lost", though this may be because it's apparently the easiest ending to get - as long as you don't exhibit any extremes of behaviour.
Completing this game made me rather more keen to go back to some others and try to complete them... Leading me soon to the epiphany that there are some games that are just too much trouble, too much like a thankless task to complete. Case in point: Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. It's actually a reasonably good attempt at a Spider-Man game - they all tend to be mission based, rather than the open-world swing-a-thons the Webhead deserves (come on RockStar, do a superhero game!) - and the presentation is excellent. The Wii version heads for a rather more cartoon-style presentation than the other versions, but it suits the game well... The downfall is in the gameplay.
Once you get down to it, each alternate version of Spidey plays through much the same sort of game... You meet the level's boss almost instantly, then chase them through several sublevels and preliminary battles until the final battle, in their tablet-fragment-empowered form. The exploratory parts are cool enough, the bosses are imaginative enough... but the bits where you're slogging through henchmen are just tedious. I've now beaten the first round in each dimension, leading me to Sandman (Amazing), The Vulture (Noire), Scorpion (2099) and Deadpool (Ultimate). I've only played Sandman and Vulture's levels so far, but they're pretty tedious... and the boss battles rely on identifying a pattern and repeating it, rather than really making use of the skills each Spider-Man has.
Noire, for example, is all about stealth, and subduing the hoods before they can shoot you... Except certain sequences, where you actually have to fight. Since this version of Spidey is physically weak, such battles are a complete slog. And, in these battles, the web takedowns do not function. Sure, they'd make it too easy... but they'd also make it a more sensible, realistic game.
Much the same is true of the Sandman level, though, where you have to keep throwing waterbarrels at the enemies, or leading them into jets of water from convenient pipes, because dry sand won't take damage... And, having watched a playthrough of the whole level, I'm not sure I can be bothered with it... it doesn't look fun.
In other news, I actually had a job interview recently... I shan't mention the name of the publication but, while the job title was "Advertising Production Controller", the role was as much Editorial as it was Production... and not just setting Editorial, but subbing copy and occasionally writing headlines. Half of that job is well within my skill set... the other half would be looking at someone with Editorial experience, and very probably qualifications in journalism. I can't see too many folks from that background being willing to set advertisements, however good they think they are with InDesign.
Naturally, I wasn't offered the job... but, if they figure out they're chasing something that doesn't exist, they may reconsider... Though it does worry me that they described the position as having "split", when it seems - from the outside - far more likely that they're attempting to replace two people with one.
Last weekend, I saw Captain America, and thoroughly enjoyed it... though, considering the character's history, it's going to become increasingly difficult to contemporise him. He ends this film in the present day, having been 'asleep' in the arctic ice for the best part of 70 years... far longer than intended when the character was first created. Back then, he could still have had something of a relationship with an older Peggy Carter... in this version, she'd almost certainly be dead. It was nice to see Chris Evans toning down the comedy and becoming a more substantial hero character, and Hugo Weaving is always good value for money (though, was it just me, or did it sound like he was doing an impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger?). The weirdest thing for me is that, having had Howard Stark (Tony's father) in three Marvel Superhero movies now, they've used a different actor each time.
Well, that and the 3D... Really couldn't see the point to it, other than the obvious 'Cap throws his shield at the camera' japes.
Roll on, The Avengers movie...
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