WAP, Vol. 104
Weekly Asian Post, Vol. 104
Well, if my math is correct, it means that we have hit the two-year anniversary of the Weekly Asian Post! To me, this is quite the feat; perhaps I should have taken some of the responsibility and discipline I've given to the WAP and used it for something important, like school. Also, the beauty of the internet shines through here, as no matter how hard I tried back in grade school to maintain some sort of journal, it was never possible. Since I'm online for hours everyday, it alone reminds me that I need to write in this thing.
So what can I really say? I actually came here to write in this thing merely to discuss some recent news stories, and then realized that this was going to be the two-year anniversary. In some ways, I feel like I should do something special, just like I would if I was ever blessed enough to have a relationship last this long. But I'm at work, and I feel like I'll have some odd jobs coming to me here and there. So I'll just carry on as I was and if I come up with something special, I will express those special thoughts to you and you will feel good. Otherwise, just read on, like you always do.
Anyway, what I wanted to get to first involves my own personal arrogance and gloating, so bear with me. I knew, from the start, that in the battle for next-generation DVD supremacy, Blu-ray would win. Recently, Toshiba announced that they would be discontinuing the HD-DVD format, meaning that the so-called "battle" is now over. This is great news for Sony, who will now be able to use the Blu-ray playback ability on a PS3 as a big selling point. It will also save them from having to drop the price of the PS3 again, as the system will now be in higher demand. Why did I know that Blu-ray would beat HD-DVD from the very beginning? Well, we could get into the technical aspects of it all, but the average consumer doesn't care about that nonsense, so neither did I. The real reason I pegged Blu-ray from the start is quite simple: the name. Suppose that Blu-ray and HD-DVD were the exact same thing, with the exact same specifications and prices. I am willing to bet that every 19 out of 20 people (in other words, 95% of people) would pick Blu-ray, simply because it has a catchier, easier-to-say name. More people are starting to understand "jargon", and therefore the tag "HD-DVD" is not confusing to anyone. Even so, the idea of owning a Blu-ray sounds much more hip than the idea of owning an HD-DVD. It was a good battle, and I'm glad Toshiba backed out when they did, rather than continuing the charade and losing more money. Hopefully they can place more focus on their stronger products, such as televisions and laptops.
Baseball is currently dealing with it's steroid era, watching as some of the greatest players the game has ever seen are having their legacies tarnished by the media. One thing I want to mention though is this; now that seemingly the entire world is sure that Roger Clemens used steroids, will he be as hated as Barry Bonds? Let me go back a bit. I am not a fan of Barry Bonds, but I do not believe his accomplishments should be as undermined as they are now that everyone believes he used steroids. He is playing in an era where it is rumored that a substantial percentage of baseball players are using steroids. But the key is that he's still better. I view baseball as a steroid-infested league right now. In reality, Bonds did what he had to do to keep up with the rest of the league, even though it was cheating. Basically, I don't want everyone to forget about Bonds' amazing skills because of the steroid implications. Anyway, I feel that Bonds has been much more scrutinized than Roger Clemens, who is currently riding in the same boat as Bonds. I say that Clemens needs to be more heavily criticized.
I got my Xbox 360 back from my mother yesterday, which finally allows me to feel like I'm on my own. Yes, it's horrible that a game system is so much of a tie to me that even though it's the only possession that my parents had of mine, it still felt like they had control over me. But now, I feel more free to live on my own. That, and I'm happy that I finally get to play games like Rock Band whenever I want to. I was telling some of my friends that my mom taking away my Xbox was sort of having an adverse effect on me. Because I had the ability to borrow the system from my friends, I took more value in the moments where I had the system and I tended to play it more while I had it. Now that I know it's always there, I don't really feel the need to jump on it "while it's there". Anyway, these are all thoughts that I haven't really expressed to my mom, as I was just happy she caved in and didn't really want to test her. Nonetheless, I still don't feel like her taking my system was of any effect.
All of you females beware: a video game revolution is looming. On March 9th, Super Smash Brothers Brawl will be released for the Nintendo Wii. This means that just about every guy with access to a Wii will be playing this game for hours on end. Yes, I include myself with this discussion of guys, as Josh and I have a Wii sitting pretty in our room, waiting for Smash Bros to come. But let's be honest here: the guy who would rather spend a night playing Smash Bros instead of taking an offer to hang out with people.. bad life choice. I know I won't be making that choice. Apples to Apples could draw me out of any video game. Love that game.
My new LJ icon features Leo, one of a few beloved main characters from an online comic called VG Cats. The VG stands for video games, which is why you see Leo wearing Link's garb from Legend of Zelda. It's an entertaining comic with some outstanding moments, and I suggest you check it out: http://www.vgcats.com
I came to the realization that I really need to find my niche. Something that I can be outstandingly good at, to the point that no one I'll ever meet will be better than me. Guitar Hero/Rock Band seems to be that thing, but I already know that there are players out there who can beat me. I'm only pretty good at a bunch of things (tennis, basketball, video games in general, piano, guitar, saxophone), but it's time I figure out how to be the best at something. I'll keep you posted on that one.
Anyway, let's stop this two-year anniversary edition of the WAP right here. If you think I've been neglecting work all this time, don't be fooled; I did a few things while writing this. And I don't have work I need to do after I'm finished with this. This is why I love this job.
Have a great week! And thanks for tuning in these past two years! On to year three!
Well, if my math is correct, it means that we have hit the two-year anniversary of the Weekly Asian Post! To me, this is quite the feat; perhaps I should have taken some of the responsibility and discipline I've given to the WAP and used it for something important, like school. Also, the beauty of the internet shines through here, as no matter how hard I tried back in grade school to maintain some sort of journal, it was never possible. Since I'm online for hours everyday, it alone reminds me that I need to write in this thing.
So what can I really say? I actually came here to write in this thing merely to discuss some recent news stories, and then realized that this was going to be the two-year anniversary. In some ways, I feel like I should do something special, just like I would if I was ever blessed enough to have a relationship last this long. But I'm at work, and I feel like I'll have some odd jobs coming to me here and there. So I'll just carry on as I was and if I come up with something special, I will express those special thoughts to you and you will feel good. Otherwise, just read on, like you always do.
Anyway, what I wanted to get to first involves my own personal arrogance and gloating, so bear with me. I knew, from the start, that in the battle for next-generation DVD supremacy, Blu-ray would win. Recently, Toshiba announced that they would be discontinuing the HD-DVD format, meaning that the so-called "battle" is now over. This is great news for Sony, who will now be able to use the Blu-ray playback ability on a PS3 as a big selling point. It will also save them from having to drop the price of the PS3 again, as the system will now be in higher demand. Why did I know that Blu-ray would beat HD-DVD from the very beginning? Well, we could get into the technical aspects of it all, but the average consumer doesn't care about that nonsense, so neither did I. The real reason I pegged Blu-ray from the start is quite simple: the name. Suppose that Blu-ray and HD-DVD were the exact same thing, with the exact same specifications and prices. I am willing to bet that every 19 out of 20 people (in other words, 95% of people) would pick Blu-ray, simply because it has a catchier, easier-to-say name. More people are starting to understand "jargon", and therefore the tag "HD-DVD" is not confusing to anyone. Even so, the idea of owning a Blu-ray sounds much more hip than the idea of owning an HD-DVD. It was a good battle, and I'm glad Toshiba backed out when they did, rather than continuing the charade and losing more money. Hopefully they can place more focus on their stronger products, such as televisions and laptops.
Baseball is currently dealing with it's steroid era, watching as some of the greatest players the game has ever seen are having their legacies tarnished by the media. One thing I want to mention though is this; now that seemingly the entire world is sure that Roger Clemens used steroids, will he be as hated as Barry Bonds? Let me go back a bit. I am not a fan of Barry Bonds, but I do not believe his accomplishments should be as undermined as they are now that everyone believes he used steroids. He is playing in an era where it is rumored that a substantial percentage of baseball players are using steroids. But the key is that he's still better. I view baseball as a steroid-infested league right now. In reality, Bonds did what he had to do to keep up with the rest of the league, even though it was cheating. Basically, I don't want everyone to forget about Bonds' amazing skills because of the steroid implications. Anyway, I feel that Bonds has been much more scrutinized than Roger Clemens, who is currently riding in the same boat as Bonds. I say that Clemens needs to be more heavily criticized.
I got my Xbox 360 back from my mother yesterday, which finally allows me to feel like I'm on my own. Yes, it's horrible that a game system is so much of a tie to me that even though it's the only possession that my parents had of mine, it still felt like they had control over me. But now, I feel more free to live on my own. That, and I'm happy that I finally get to play games like Rock Band whenever I want to. I was telling some of my friends that my mom taking away my Xbox was sort of having an adverse effect on me. Because I had the ability to borrow the system from my friends, I took more value in the moments where I had the system and I tended to play it more while I had it. Now that I know it's always there, I don't really feel the need to jump on it "while it's there". Anyway, these are all thoughts that I haven't really expressed to my mom, as I was just happy she caved in and didn't really want to test her. Nonetheless, I still don't feel like her taking my system was of any effect.
All of you females beware: a video game revolution is looming. On March 9th, Super Smash Brothers Brawl will be released for the Nintendo Wii. This means that just about every guy with access to a Wii will be playing this game for hours on end. Yes, I include myself with this discussion of guys, as Josh and I have a Wii sitting pretty in our room, waiting for Smash Bros to come. But let's be honest here: the guy who would rather spend a night playing Smash Bros instead of taking an offer to hang out with people.. bad life choice. I know I won't be making that choice. Apples to Apples could draw me out of any video game. Love that game.
My new LJ icon features Leo, one of a few beloved main characters from an online comic called VG Cats. The VG stands for video games, which is why you see Leo wearing Link's garb from Legend of Zelda. It's an entertaining comic with some outstanding moments, and I suggest you check it out: http://www.vgcats.com
I came to the realization that I really need to find my niche. Something that I can be outstandingly good at, to the point that no one I'll ever meet will be better than me. Guitar Hero/Rock Band seems to be that thing, but I already know that there are players out there who can beat me. I'm only pretty good at a bunch of things (tennis, basketball, video games in general, piano, guitar, saxophone), but it's time I figure out how to be the best at something. I'll keep you posted on that one.
Anyway, let's stop this two-year anniversary edition of the WAP right here. If you think I've been neglecting work all this time, don't be fooled; I did a few things while writing this. And I don't have work I need to do after I'm finished with this. This is why I love this job.
Have a great week! And thanks for tuning in these past two years! On to year three!