Get "In God We Trust" off the money.

To say "In God We Trust" is to say that there is a "we" of unified belief in a deity. This is not true.

If I were to put a poster of a swimsuit model up in my office, this would be deemed harassment. I would have created a hostile work environment for my coworkers without saying a word.

Perhaps not the best metaphor, but the same goes for putting "In God We Trust" on our money, having our schoolchildren declare their allegiance daily to a nation under God, and having prayer open Senate sessions. By doing these things, we are saying "not welcome" to people who do not believe in the monotheist's god. It is exclusive, divisive, and contrary to the spirit of our nation.

My opinion that "In God We Trust" should not be on our money is not founded in ungodliness, atheism, or any anti-religious sentiment. All people most certainly have the right to relate to the divine in any way they choose. It is for precisely that reason that our government's actions should not put one belief before another. You don't have to believe in the Judeo-Christian god to be an American. Thus the "We" is a misnomer, and makes people feel as if this country does not want or respect them.

The issue of what the founding fathers wanted is one of fervent debate. I posit that it doesn't really matter one way or the other. These are people who decided to keep slavery legal and that women shouldn't vote -- their opinions on social matters don't carry as much weight as they used to. If the whole lot of them had signed a document that clearly said "we're a Christian nation", I would say that we should throw that doctrine away.

Alex

A relative of Her Worshipfulness's says I look like Ben. I took me several iterations of this to realize she meant not some relative or friend, but rather Ben Affleck. Now, the veracity of this observation aside, it brings to light a social development which I simply do not understand: reference to celebrities by first names only.

How do you know which Jen is "Jen"? How does one receive this Kane-like honorific-free honor? Who decides? Does it change? Was it Jennifer Garner at one point? I was just at Dash's and the latest rag declared the nuptials of two people I've never even seen before, but who are listed by first names only.

Hedge Your Bets

He casually scratched at his beer gut, eyes surveying the green plane of lawn he had just finished mowing. His pre-faded baseball cap basked where he had tossed it, and the sight of it warmed his heart a little for a reason he could not -- or perhaps did not want to -- quite grasp.

It was then that he knew his journey down the path towards utter domesticity was farther along than he had realized.

Steampowered World

I've started a new blog project: Steampowered World. A frequently-updated compendium of notes on my travels through steampunk and Victorianism. if that's your kind of thing, stop on by.

An Open Letter to Nintendo

Dear Nintendo -

It's me, Alex. Congratulations on the release of the Nintendo DSi. I have been enjoying the product thoroughly, and am excited about the future of DSiWare, the downloadable applications.

If I may, please allow me to suggest an application -- DSNotes. A simple DSiWare app which allows the user to write text documents and save them to the SD card. These could then be transferred to the user's main computer for use in other applications.

I carry the DSi with me most places, and I also carry a pocket-sized notebook. DSNotes would allow me to ditch the paper and move another need to the DSi.

Yours, as always,
Alex

My Imram Continues

Still nomadic at work, borrowing offices where and when I can. The varying decor of people's workspaces continues to intrigue me. Take, for example, this high-tech piece of equipment.


Classic. My favorite part is this:
Was this really an issue at some point?

Blub blub

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Bubbles -- my first foray into custom vinyl toys.

Isn't he a handsome devil?

On The Enduring Relevance of Wizards

Oh, don't roll your eyes. You saw Harry Potter.

Greg sent me the story he submitted to Blizzard's creative writing contest. It A) was awesome and B) got me to thinking. What is it about wizards? Why do the children of the Geek Nation love them so? I have a theory, and it starts with a little boy named Alex.

Everyone is stimulated by intellectual activity. Everyone is stimulated by physical activity. But, when one falls to atrophy, the other increases.

As a kid, I never got into sports. I assume this is a learned trait, as I am the progeny of geeks. I spent my time doing geeky things. Video games. Computers. Reading. All this time spent in abstractions naturally led to me being pretty decent at my classes (with the glaring exceptions of phys ed and penmanship), which in turn made me the target of your standard schoolyard bullying.

Thus, physical people are bad, intellectual people are good, and there's no such thing as being both -- so said young Alex's mind. Anyone who played a sport was separate from my kind, and they certainly didn't want me around.

It took me a very long time to get past this mental division. "People can be smart AND jocks? Nonsense. One camp or the other."

So, when narrative comes into play, who is an incurable young geek going to tend towards? Rough-and-tumble heroes who punch they're way through problems (which are inevitably caused by evil geniuses)? Uh, no. Have you seen the way those guys treat the bookworms (who are only brought along to crack some code, anyway)?

Enter the wizards. People who possess the ability to interact with the physical world directly through their minds. A few mumbled phonemes from a dusty tome and BOOM -- problem solved. Ancient languages. Books. Knitted brows. These are the things I could get behind.

All of a sudden mental skills outweigh physical ones. Abused kid kept under the stairs? No longer. Now he's a wizard so powerful no one makes fun of his glasses.

But then there's the problem of Hermione Granger. So much of an egghead that other wizards make fun of her. You don't want to be like that, do you? Best get yourself on the quidditch green. Some air would do you good.

A bit much?

I'm temporarily nomadic at work. A new office is being cobbled together for me, so I'm camping out at a retiree's former workspace.

She likes cats. A lot. How much, you ask?

Enough to tape a picture of a cat to the paperclip holder.

Who uses sonic?

Garv and Lisa bought a house. Jess and I trundled over there to see what we could do to help during this, the first weekend of their ownership. In order to be prepared, I stuck a bunch of tools in my man-purse. Can you tell which one is mine?

Let me make it easy for you -- mine's the one with the sonic screwdriver.

P.S. Took this picture with the DSi, and I'm pretty satisfied with it.

The New Hotness

I'm posting this from the Opera browser in the Nintendo DSi. My experience with the device so far has been a positive one.

And yet, still no internal document storage. Alls I'm looking for is to be able to jot a note down and to email it later. Come on Nintendo -- hear my plea.

California Pipe Dreaming

Would I move to Irvine, CA for the perfect job?

Thing A) Blizzard -- the company that brought you Warcraft etc. -- is holding a fan fiction contest. Well, they're calling it a 'creative writing contest', which it is, but it's a fan fiction contest.

Thing B) Blizzard also posted a writer job for an upcoming game.

It doesn't seem like much of a reach to think that the contest is a recruitment tool, especially considering that the entry form asks for your published writing experience and if you would like to become a professional writer. Oh, and the prize is a trip out to Irvine to meet the Blizzard writers. In the HR biz, that's what we call an "interview".

Now, does this or does it not sound like THE job for your old buddy Alex? Everything I have ever had published has had to do with video games, including two VG writing-related contests.

But would I move to Irvine? Sell the house, say goodbye to casual porch nights and nearby family? Have to take a plane every time I wanted to see someone?

And what the hell would I do with the other grand prize: Frostmourne?

The march abates not.

I really just can't bear it anymore. I see and hear that damned word everywhere. Iconic is not a synonym for "good" or "popular", amigos.

Today's link is possibly the worst use of the hated word to date. "Which music do you find most iconic from LucasArts' games?". Criminy. Music is iconic now?

Alex and the Calling Cards: In Which A Customer Finds Satisfaction

At many points over the last year I have found myself in several situations in which having a calling card would make things easier. And not just because I'm a Victorian at heart. The magazine, the play, overtures from an art board, newfound family etc. etc. -- carrying around a slice of study paper with my contact info on it would have come in handy.

A few weeks ago, moo.com re-caught my attention. Here's a site that makes nice full-bleed cards for a reasonable price. There are a few places out there which say they make cards for free, but they look spurious at best. And Moo is in Britain. I mean, come on.

So I get to the process of making a design for myself. It should come as no surprise that I end up with a space invader. A few minutes in gimp and I've got the pattern set.

But what about color? Fortunately, colourlovers.com provides lots and lots of excellent palettes. And, based on the spelling, again with the Britishness.

And there you have it -- tiny little calling cards, perfect for most occasions. Don't be shy now -- give it a shot.

Bananana split!

Has Twitter replaced blogging?

I'm seeing a lot fewer "I'm so annoyed by that guy who cut me off"-type posts recently. Facebook stati and Twitter updates (which I just refuse to call Tweets) are almost exclusively made up of this kind of content. So, why blog?

I encourage all to keep their blogs, even if you only post once week, a fortnight, a month. From time to time, you're going to have an idea which can't be easily communicated in 180 characters, and when that time comes, you'll be glad to click that rusty blogger.com link.

The good news is that when I get an RSS notification that a new post is up, it's likely going to be something more than a one-liner. Maybe constant communication will actually force us to become better writers.

That being stated, here's a funny video.

Sunny NE

New Hampshire really is a beautiful place, but only if you like the deep forest. In my hometown, any livable area has been hacked from the wilderness, and is still bordered by an impassable thicket of trees. Great if the Normans invade or something,

WBER

I do so love the 90. Nashua NH to Buffalo in 6:45. Also, for a decent swath of it you can listen to the only station that matters.

Here's a peep at the Clifton Springs rest area, enjoying the bleak view while I call work.

No Meaning Except That Which The Viewer Places

It had to end.

Went bald as a fundraiser for Roswell. Also got the beard trimmed down to a goatee.



Looked a bit too much like a neo-nazi for my tastes. Way too much for Jess's.

Could see why badasses wore the look -- felt like a mask. A mask of badassedness. Didn't match my physique, of course. Even less my demeanor. Did people treat me differently? Or did I act differently towards people?

Either way, back to myself.
Note: I blame my lack of subjects in the above post on the fact that I read The Watchmen over the weekend. Too much Rorschach, I guess.

At long last

Long-time B A Starters will remember the Great Debate over whether or not videogames are art. After much discussion and refining of definitions, my statement was "not yet". Maybe they can be, but no one's come up with anything so far that makes me say "yes".

I'm pissed at myself for not knowing anything about Jason Rohrer until Alanna lent me December's Esquire. I read the article and played Passage, and now can quite firmly state that there's at least one person out there making art in this format. (The person who made The Majesty of Colors counts too -- a post for a later date)

Before you go any further, I recommend giving Passage a play. I read the summary in the Esquire article before I played it and wish I hadn't. Still, despite knowing the point before going into it, I still had an emotional reaction to the game.

Passage provides you with choices. Do I hunt for treasure chests, or do I explore the world? Should I marry? If I do, it becomes harder to get the treasure but more rewarding to explore. But no matter what you choose, you will subtly age and die. Unceremoniously, suddenly, irrevocably.

For the first time in a lifetime of videogaming, I found myself reflecting. I have had a lot of reason to consider my choices recently -- career, personal, spiritual -- and this 5-minute game resonated with my meditations. It's an interactive Beethoven's fifth; go ahead and make your silly little choices -- fate will win and they will have done nothing to change that. All you can influence is your own experience, and try to do as much with your 5 as possible.

I'll be keeping an eye on what this gent produces. If you find anyone else out there working to communicate emotion through the interactivity of videogames, do please throw a comment my way.

VI-NAAAAAYYY!!!

A heartfelt congratulations to the Benzins on the birth of their first child, Vincent.

But where, pray tell, did the name come from?

Perhaps it was Vincent O'Neill. You know, theater stuff.








Or maybe Vincent Van Gogh? They're creative types. (Apparently its pronounced Van Gokh. Who knew?)












My hope is that the littlest Benzin was named after mysterious bad-ass Vincent Valentine. I have my doubts, though.










Either way, I look forward to meeting the little guy.