What I've Been Reading: 3/7/13
--SimCity 5's Multiplayer Blues (I ended up having a lot more feelings about the new SimCity than I expected. I loved playing SimCity 3000 back when it was a thing, and part of the appeal was that I DIDN'T have to work and cooperate with others to play the game; I could build a city on my own, with whatever vision I liked. I'd be interested in playing this new version, but the offline DIY ethos of the previous games was what made it interesting, so it'll take a while getting used to.
Plus, part of the reason why I've spent most of my life NOT playing video game [or Second Life, for that matter] is because of the interacting with complete strangers that tends to happen. I'm extremely shy and self-conscious, and it's hard enough for me to talk to new people in other contexts as it is -- and people can be REALLY immature when playing video games, which makes me uncomfortable. IDK, I'd much rather start playing with people I already know if I have to.
And then there's the fact that you have to be online in order to play it, which I don't like at all. Considering we've lost Internet access for days on end before, I'd like to be able to play games to pass the time in a situation like that, and with something like SimCity 5 it wouldn't be possible. That is, if I could play it in the first place without EA fucking it up. Seriously, I think we all know by now how disastrous the rollout this week has been. :PPP)
--Neither Pro-Life Nor Pro-Choice Can Solve the Selective Abortion Crisis
--8 things the U.S. election system could learn from Mexico's
--Mars mission poses greater risk to human life than NASA would allow
--Soon they'll be able to 3D-print you a hybrid car
--Our brains, and how they're not as simple as we think
--No, Our Solar System Is NOT a "Vortex" (debunking myths made by a popular viral video)
--A Supermassive Ice Age May Have Led to Complex Life on Earth
--Why U.S. Politicians Think Americans Are So Conservative When They're Not (and yet I still see way too many Tea Partiers on Facebook :/)
--Are popular scientists becoming modern day preachers?
--Astronauts Traveling to Mars Could Be Protected By a Poop Shield
--The Mixed Results of Male Authors Writing Female Characters
--The Benefits of Optimism Are Real
--One of the best places to search for alien life is the last that you'd expect
--"South African Violence" Only Explains the Pistorius Case If He's Not Guilty
--Invasive species? This sushi chef rolls with it (this is a profile of the sushi restaurant K. and I went to last summer)
--The Birth of a Planet, Observed From Earth
--We Aren't the World (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- on how culture shapes our fundamental beliefs, perception, and ways of thinking more than anyone could have expected, and how dangerous it is that science ignores this fact)
--Why Do People Stay in Abusive Relationships?
And because I haven't done one of these in a while, a meme:
Your result for The Remarkably Thorough Harry Potter Character Test...
Remus Lupin
"Well - let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher..."
You are Remus Lupin, werewolf and previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Remus is intellectual, introspective, and humble. Being a werewolf for most of his life, he is prone to shying away from social situations and keeping his emotions hidden. He is usually considerate of others’ feelings, but there are times when he is a little too blunt, which makes for uncomfortable situations. Because of his dark secret, he is pessimistic and tends to bring a depressing atmosphere with him. You and Remus are similar in the sense that both of you are much more realistic than idealistic. Focusing on the present is more important to you than fantasizing about the future, especially since your outlook on the future isn't very bright in the first place. Sure, you may hope for a better world, but you know that hoping and wishing only brings disappointment. In fact, your sober nature often makes others wary of your company, which is why you don't have too many close friends. The friends you do have, however, have your utmost loyalty and respect, and they know that they can always turn to you if they need guidance. You’re much more likely to tell someone their faults than their achievements, and you are more concerned with the big picture than you are with details. You are always looking to find a balance, and although you struggle with your inner demons on a daily basis, you yearn to grow more as a person in any way possible.
In short, you are more:
Cautious than impulsive
Mature than immature
Modest than arrogant
Normal than weird
Introverted than extroverted
Your polar opposite is Bellatrix Lestrange.
Take The Remarkably Thorough Harry Potter Character Test at HelloQuizzy
Originally posted at http://quadruplify.dreamwidth.org/136544.html || Comments on original post:
Plus, part of the reason why I've spent most of my life NOT playing video game [or Second Life, for that matter] is because of the interacting with complete strangers that tends to happen. I'm extremely shy and self-conscious, and it's hard enough for me to talk to new people in other contexts as it is -- and people can be REALLY immature when playing video games, which makes me uncomfortable. IDK, I'd much rather start playing with people I already know if I have to.
And then there's the fact that you have to be online in order to play it, which I don't like at all. Considering we've lost Internet access for days on end before, I'd like to be able to play games to pass the time in a situation like that, and with something like SimCity 5 it wouldn't be possible. That is, if I could play it in the first place without EA fucking it up. Seriously, I think we all know by now how disastrous the rollout this week has been. :PPP)
--Neither Pro-Life Nor Pro-Choice Can Solve the Selective Abortion Crisis
--8 things the U.S. election system could learn from Mexico's
--Mars mission poses greater risk to human life than NASA would allow
--Soon they'll be able to 3D-print you a hybrid car
--Our brains, and how they're not as simple as we think
--No, Our Solar System Is NOT a "Vortex" (debunking myths made by a popular viral video)
--A Supermassive Ice Age May Have Led to Complex Life on Earth
--Why U.S. Politicians Think Americans Are So Conservative When They're Not (and yet I still see way too many Tea Partiers on Facebook :/)
--Are popular scientists becoming modern day preachers?
--Astronauts Traveling to Mars Could Be Protected By a Poop Shield
--The Mixed Results of Male Authors Writing Female Characters
--The Benefits of Optimism Are Real
--One of the best places to search for alien life is the last that you'd expect
--"South African Violence" Only Explains the Pistorius Case If He's Not Guilty
--Invasive species? This sushi chef rolls with it (this is a profile of the sushi restaurant K. and I went to last summer)
--The Birth of a Planet, Observed From Earth
--We Aren't the World (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- on how culture shapes our fundamental beliefs, perception, and ways of thinking more than anyone could have expected, and how dangerous it is that science ignores this fact)
--Why Do People Stay in Abusive Relationships?
And because I haven't done one of these in a while, a meme:
Your result for The Remarkably Thorough Harry Potter Character Test...
Remus Lupin
"Well - let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher..."
You are Remus Lupin, werewolf and previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Remus is intellectual, introspective, and humble. Being a werewolf for most of his life, he is prone to shying away from social situations and keeping his emotions hidden. He is usually considerate of others’ feelings, but there are times when he is a little too blunt, which makes for uncomfortable situations. Because of his dark secret, he is pessimistic and tends to bring a depressing atmosphere with him. You and Remus are similar in the sense that both of you are much more realistic than idealistic. Focusing on the present is more important to you than fantasizing about the future, especially since your outlook on the future isn't very bright in the first place. Sure, you may hope for a better world, but you know that hoping and wishing only brings disappointment. In fact, your sober nature often makes others wary of your company, which is why you don't have too many close friends. The friends you do have, however, have your utmost loyalty and respect, and they know that they can always turn to you if they need guidance. You’re much more likely to tell someone their faults than their achievements, and you are more concerned with the big picture than you are with details. You are always looking to find a balance, and although you struggle with your inner demons on a daily basis, you yearn to grow more as a person in any way possible.
In short, you are more:
Cautious than impulsive
Mature than immature
Modest than arrogant
Normal than weird
Introverted than extroverted
Your polar opposite is Bellatrix Lestrange.
Take The Remarkably Thorough Harry Potter Character Test at HelloQuizzy
Originally posted at http://quadruplify.dreamwidth.org/136544.html || Comments on original post: