A Little Absurd

So since John McCain came out of left field with his VP choice, Sarah Palin, the media has been abuzz with speculation. A pregnant teenage daughter. An internal investigation. Some say a sketchy voting record (personally seems pretty clear to me).

Now a lot of people in the McCain camp is firing back saying the media is being sexist.
I must make this point very clear (as to avoid the same accusation): Sexism has got to stop being used as a crutch to ward off criticism. The second Palin came under fire, the sexism charge started flying around. "The media's being sexist." "They just don't want to see a woman in the vice president spot."

I don't deny that there is sexism still in America, especially in the workplace and in politics. And certain quotes against Hilary Clinton were pretty clearly sexist in tone (even though she may have over milked that cow). But this negative press Palin has been getting has nothing to do with her being a woman.

I'm sure there are some very hardline feminists who will instantly get behind the McCain camp if they hear the media is being "sexist". After all, the PUMA group uses sexism as one of its key pieces of evidence why Clinton lost.

But I would hope that the vast majority of Hilary voters will see this for what it is: a very feeble attempt to sway them to the Republican ticket. I say Hilary supporters because that's the entire reasoning behind Palin's spot on the ticket. With so many disaffected Hilary supporters who are already fed up with Democrats, and the race so close, you can't possibly tell me that McCain picking a woman is a coincidence. This was a very clear political move, to capitalize on a PUMA movement and also the attitude of "change". Palin is an outsider for sure, and I can't help but think that McCain is using her to prove he is willing to change the way Washington works.

Back to the subject, I don't agree with Palin's stances. I'm not a sexist, not by a long shot. I just so happen to dissagree with her. She's very conservative, while I consider myself to be moderate, and if anything, more liberal. And I don't dissagree with her because she's a woman. If she were a man, I would still dissagree.

It's really getting to be a bit much, don't you think?

If someone can find me a concrete example of sexism in the Palin coverage, I will gladly eat my words.

UPDATE: Huckabee's talking now and the RNC, and he's skirting the line. If he says "sexist media", I may explode.
UPDATE TO UPDATE: Well he didn't, thankfully. Called her coverage "tacky" and criticized it's negative nature. That's a perfectly fair assessment and I'm glad he didn't go down the sexism path.

A Few Technical Difficulties

And I'm being serious. I don't joke about technical difficulties. Not since my laptop has broken almost 10 times in less than a year. Not surprisingly, my computer didn't take moving up to the Syracuse University wireless network well.
But after a few days of troubleshooting (internet-less, no less), I think I've finally got the two to sit down and sort out their problems.
Posting will resume tomorrow, at the regularly scheduled time.

Team Fortress 2: Meet the...

...Sandvich! To couple with the upcoming Heavy update, the latest "Meet the..." video has been released. Aaah...smells like victory!



For those unfamiliar with Valve's series of animated shorts should become familiar. The humorous introductions to Team Fortress 2's various classes are required reading for any fan of Team Fortress, machinima, or just plain comedy. And at a few minutes a pop, you really have no excuse but to give them a look.

College Prez's Demand Drinking Age Debate...But Are They Just Dropping the Ball?

The AP recently put out a news story about a group of college administrators who beleive lawmakers should consider lowering the drinking age to 18. This group, called the Amethyst Initiative, is saying that the current legal age creates "a culture of dangerous, clandestine binge-drinking." In their written statement, the group argues "Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer." They also state that "by choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law."

This story genuinely surprised me. Of all people, I would have thought that college administrators would know how rampant underage drinking is, and how dangerous it can be. Imagine my surprise when my school's chancellor, Syracuse's Nancy Cantor, added her support to the list.

With all due respect to Syracuse University, this declaration that the drinking age should be lowered is nothing more than a way to dodge the responsibility of sobering up unruly students.

While it is true that the maturity levels of a 21-year-old and an 18-year-old are not huge, the current group of underage students have done absolutely nothing to prove they are mature enough to be entrusted with alcohol. I can recall hearing ambulances outside my dorm practically every weekend last year. Not to mention the times I've seen fellow freshmen, sophomores, and juniors slumped against walls, passed out from too much beer. Or worse.

To suggest that these student drink because it's a way to stick it to "the man" is looking too far into what is a simple explanation:

Students like to get drunk. Buzzed. Whatever you want to call it.

The group's claim that fake ID's are a detriment to society may be true. But how about instead of eliminating the need for fake ID's, they prosecute those who use and abide by them. The bar raids carried out by campus police this last year was a great way of deterring that kind of behavior.

If the drinking age were lowered, the amount of drinking wouldn't follow suit. If anything, a lowering drinking age would absolve colleges from having to prevent drinking, and put extra pressure on high schools across the nation. Because, by the group's own argument, 16-year-olds would now be upset that they're being excluded, and would drink in protest! The "clandestine" drinking society wouldn't dissolve, it would just shift down to younger, more impressionable students.

Not to mention the potential impact of a lower drinking age on drunk-driving, which under the current drinking age has decreased.

I understand that tackling underage drinking is a monumental task. But to lower the drinking age wouldn't be solving the problem, it would merely solve the college's problem of having to take responsibility for their student's poor decisions. Setting the age at 18 would just be rewarding students for breaking the law.

How about instead of lowering the drinking age, we raise the punishments. I've seen far too many slaps on the wrist from a school whose policy is a "dry campus". Second, third, fourth, fifth chances are all too much. That these schools are attempting to shift the blame off of themselves is deplorable. These presidents and chancellors should be taking a stand and setting hard rules for stamping out underage drinking.

ASG! Reviews: Fantastic Contraption

Fantastic Contraption is a free online game where the objective is to move a pink shaped object all the way into a large pink goal box. At your disposal are wheels that rotate clockwise, counter-clockwise, and ones that rotate only when pushed, as well as two different types of supports to hold things together. Using these 5 parts, you must build a device that gets the shape into the goal, then press GO and watch it come to life.

This physics-based game is surprisingly addicting. The first few levels start off easy, but by the final group, you'll be racking your brain trying to build a contraption that will win. It's
quite ingenious how the relatively few functions of the parts can be expanded into new and innovative ways to beat the levels. In fact, that is entirely where the fun lies.

There is a real thrill when your extremely complex device rolls perfectly into place. This is one of those games that makes you feel smart, not by giving you a prize at the end, or any sort of medal. The victory screen is just a few options to move on to the next level. The real reward is watching your meticulously designed bulldozer/miner car drive under a cascade of falling hazards.

And these contraptions need to be designed well! While it may not take long to invent a solution, putting it into practicality takes a lot of effort, and the easily frustrated should avoid this game. But for those dedicated enough, the effort pays off in the end.

Fantastic Contraption is indie game design at its best. It's fast. It's fun. It's addicting, yet complex enough to leave you wanting more than the first 20 free levels. For an extra $10 you can
purchase the extra content. Even if you don't want to shell out the cash, Fantastic Contraption is a great way to kill a few hours.

Oh!
Did I mention that by setting up a free account, you can save your ingenious designs and share them with others? Feel free to post some of your creations in the comments.
Here are a few of the designs I'm most proud of:
(These designs all work, so if you don't want the puzzle spoiled, don't click)

The Wall: "Train"
Awash: "Digging Dozer"
Handling: "Puller"
Back and Forth: "Bridge Builder"
Down Under: "Double Suicide"
Full-up: "Crane Game"
Four Balls: "Conveyor"
Unpossible: "Catapult"

Website You Should Know! - APoD

The next installment in (what hopes to be) a continuing series, ASG! presents another "Website You Should Know!"

This time it's Astronomy Picture of the Day. This daily updated site hasn't missed a beat since it's opening post back in 1995! Run by NASA, APoD offers a new photo each day, each with a caption explaining a bit of our amazing universe. From nebulaes to galaxies, planets and comets, browsing the detailed archives of APoD brings a certain feeling of awe. The photos are (generally) of incredibly high quality. The images from the Hubble Telescope, especially, look so fantastic they almost look faked. Plus, they can make a pretty cool wallpaper for your desktop.

As a kid who grew up on books about space and astronauts, I had APoD bookmarked everyday to check in and see what the new picture is. Anyone who's interested in astronomy or just likes seeing cool pictures of space should definitely give it a look.

New Empire: Total War Gameplay Vid

As you may already know, I think pretty highly of the Total War Series. So imagine my excitement when Empire: Total War was announced. The game looks to be another solid addition to the series so far, but what really peaks my interest is the concepts show in this all-new gameplay video, the first in a bunch of 5 gameplay videos.

While Rome: Total War was an excellent game, it was by no means perfect. Of all it's flaws, naval battles were probably the top of my list. While land battles were epic, movie-quality battles-of-titans, the naval skirmishes had to be decided by the automatic button. Hence, when two fleets clashed, the whole encounter was summed up in a click of a mouse. This made developing a fleet the least immersive activity in the game. Admirals had no photos or traits, so naval fights amounted to just stacking a bunch of ships together to overpower anyone in your path.

That Empire: Total War is finally bringing the sea into play is a much-needed addition. Not to mention the fact that the gameplay looks as polished as always, and the graphics are probably the greatest I've ever seen of ships at sea. Yo-ho!

Empire: Total War is going to set sail on February 3rd, 2009 according to the splash site. You can find the embedded video here.

Sleeping on the Job...

It's been a long time since my last post...like a LONG time...
I've been slacking off of this blog recently (too busy enjoying the last of the summer!), so before it falls completely out of use, I'm going to try something new. I'll be updating the blog everyday, 7 days a week. The posts may not be long, or they could be novels...but there will be at least one new one per day. That way, this blog actually stays up to date.

See you tomorrow.