Month In Review - July

Well what's happened this month?

2nd
I start work at McDonalds. World mourns.

5th
My comp refuses to switch on, am without entertainment for 2 weeks. World mourns.

6th
London is awarded the 2012 Olympic Games. World rejoices.

7th
Terrorist blow up 3 tube trains and a London bus. World mourns.

20th
Comp is fixed. World rejoices.

21st
Terrorists attempt but fail to blow up another 3 trains and another bus. World rejoices.

29th
Bombers are caught. World rejoices.

29th
Scott Jarkoff, co-founder of deviantART is fired. Site falls into chaos. World mourns.

So that's the month's news. Now for this month's playlist which doesn't follow a theme. This has been a very complicated month.

Playlist - Changing Moods
Sum 41 - Pieces
Foo Fighters - Walking After You
Weezer - Haunt You Every Day
The Strokes - Reptilia
The Offspring - She's Got Issues
Hard-Fi - Tied Up Too Tight
The Subways - Oh Yeah
The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba
A - Better Off With Him
Yellowcard - Way Away

Video of the Month
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
The redone version of this awesome single shows far more style than the original.

Rediscovery of the Month
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
With my comp down I listened to every CD I had. Such an awesome album.

Person of the Month
JamesP
Faithful/brave/stupid moderator of the Challenge forums. Now leaving Challenge to work at Bravo. Good luck to him.

Album of the Month
The Offspring - Greatest Hits

Quote of the Month
"4 of the doubliest doubles you can manage"
McDonalds employee Kris shows his gay side.

Picture of the Month

NJ and Naomi by ZephX

I think that's everything. I'll be back later.

Chaos

deviantART has been thrown into chaos this week by the dismissal yesterday of Community Relations Officer, beloved administrator and site co-founder Scott Jarkoff aka jark or Yellow Alien. In response to the announcement Scott was quick to confirm that he had not stepped down but had been forced out. This prompted an angry outcry from nearly every active member on the site. Scott had constantly been proved to be the most popular of all 3 founders and as Matt Stephens aka matteo has resigned since the announcement it seems that the person responsible is Angelo Sotira aka Spyed or Black Ninja and CEO of deviantART Inc. It is thought by the vast majority of deviants (including me) that Angelo has always wanted to claim the site as his own. The question now is what does this mean for the future? There is no neutrality in this situation. If you're a deviant then you will eventually have to choose. Are you a yellow alien or a black ninja? I highly expect Scott and Matt to start their own dA together. Should that happen will you move? Or will you remain part of a community ruled over by someone who is willing to do anything to get his way?

http://www.t52.org/
Read Matt's thoughts on Angelo.

FACT
Angelo was not a deviantART founder.

A Tough Decision

It is a decision that most of will have to make at some point. A decision that can change our entire future or in my case cause me to write stupid, over-exaggerating blog posts like this one. I have made the decision to get a PSP. 2 reasons for me making this decision.

a) Lumines
b) Live-evilL's PSP Fansubs

Sorry but now it can surf the net (yet still not offer online play) the concept of downloading and watching new Tsubasa episodes on the bus is too tempting. I will say this though. There shall be no PSP without the DS. Did you seriously think I'd pass on the chance of playing Metroid Prime: Hunters online?

Oh, new playlist later. I know its a bit early but I always get itchy about the playlist around this time.

The Hot Coffee Saga - Part 5

If an American christian was asked about the Hot Coffee issue.

Ticket to Hell

1 Down, 3 To Go

Yasin Hassan Omar who was caught on CCTV before boarding the underground at Warren Street Station and suspected of planning on setting off a suicide bomb on that train was caught this morning in a Birmingham flat. Police now have 48 hours to interrogate him before they must charge him. It is expected that should Omar talk the UK Al-Qaida network will be hunted down with great speed.

Ctrl+Alt+Del - The Zeke Saga - The Story So Far

Right, if you've recently started reading CAD (within the last few weeks) then you might want to know what's going on. Its a long storyline this one and Tim says that when its over CAD will be changed forever so here's what's happened so far.

Everything started with a perfectly innocent comic. Ethan lugging the air conditioner to its spot by the window. It slipped and fell out the window. Lucas and Ethan found themselves unable to insult each other and so Ethan thought up the idea of a water fight to cool down. Unfortunately the first shot missed its intended target (Ethan's girlfriend Lilah) and instead hit his walking, talking Xbox named Zeke. We all know water and Xboxes don't mix. At this point we found out that Lilah didn't know about Zeke, which was a shame as he promptly exploded. This caused Lilah to go off on one as Ethan mourned Zeke. Eventually he gave up and left Zeke to rust on the workbench.

Which was what he thought. As Zeke's head dropped it hit a spare battery causing a return to life but clearly, the old Zeke's green eyes compared to his now red eyes showed something was wrong. Meanwhile Lilah tried to comfort Ethan and went into the kitchen to make some tea, where she found Zeke. As Ethan embraced his revived friend he found that this was not the old Zeke. Getting smashed through the wall was a big clue. As Zeke marched through the flat looking for more stuff to destroy Ethan and Lilah hid. Anti-Microsoft (i.e. my kinda guy) Scott was now brought into the fight by Zeke destroying his door as he walked past. Meanwhile Ethan was trying to get close enough to Zeke to turn him off, without much success as he, Lilah, Scott and Lucas found themselves barricading themselves in while trying to think of a plan. Lucas' baseball bat plan didn't work and Scott ended up dragging him and his broken leg to a hospital while Zeke determined that Ethan's Gamecube was a "useless object" (ha. ha.) and threw it into the big TV which we now saw for the first time. The bigger the TV, the bigger the explosion when it gets smashed by a Gamecube. This was a big fuck-off explosion. We know that Scott and Lucas made it out in time but did Ethan and Lilah make it out?

EDIT
Well we pick up the story with Ethan and Lilah alive but very shaken. They make a move to leave but Zeke won't be beaten that easily. We wait for Friday's episode with Lilah in Zeke's clutches. Ethan now has to choose between the 2 (Tim hasn't said that but you know its true).

Cartoonist Choice Awards

Of the 3 w00tworld supported comics (Ctrl+Alt+Del, Penny Arcade and VG Cats) only 1 could nail an award. And that one was VG Cats. Scott's brilliantly funny comic nailed not only the award for Best Use of Colour but also beat off PvP, PA and CAD to take the Best Gaming Comic award. Nice one Scott.

By the way, Scott's looking at the Hot Coffee saga in this week's comic.

Best line - "Now lets not let the facts get in the way of bolstering my career" - Jack Thompson

The Hot Coffee Saga - Part 4

Yes its still going on and now its become very serious.

The US House of Representatives last night voted 255-21 in favour of a federal trade inquiry into whether Take Two and Rockstar decieved the ESRB when presenting the game for rating. If this is found to be true (and it is true) Rockstar could be in more than just commercial trouble.

Who Am I?

Quick challenge. Anyone gets it I'll be very impressed.

Who links these 3 gameshows?

Gladiators
You Bet
Finders Keepers

Answer tomorrow.

EDIT
Damn, Ali nailed it.

Diane Youdale was the legendary Jet in Gladiators. She co-presented Finders Keepers with Neil Buchanan and also co-presented You Bet in 1996 alongside Darren Day.

Who's House Is It?

OUR HOUSE!!

Its a strong report. Finders Keepers (run around trashing house gameshow) is coming back to CITV. Seems like the awesome Splash Camp reminded ITV of the need for a good quality childrens gameshow. Question is who's gonna present? Neil Buchanan is a possibility and by far and away the best but as always there's the danger of Michael Underwood. His experience presenting Eliminator and Jungle Run may make him the favourite of the decision makers.

The Hot Coffee Saga - Part 3

The San Andreas 'Hot Coffee' mod story does not stop for a second. Here's what happened yesterday.

- Gamespot reported that removing the game from their shelves is not expected to hit US game retailers as much as was expected. The majority of damage is expected to be dealt to Take Two.

- Online retailer Gamefly has recalled all rental copies and cancelled any orders for the game.

- Take Two have suspended production of all versions of the game.

As with all situations like this we can always expect some light relief in the form of anti-gaming activist and lawyer Jack Thompson. Yesterday he said that nude content in The Sims 2 showed EA were targeting pedophiles and that the game should be banned. The fact that there is no nude content in The Sims 2 meant we all got to laugh at Thompson. Again.

Moe

This is a post taken from Ken Akamatsu's blog translated by Matthew of the awesome 'Summer of Sakura' blog. Its a bit lengthy but read it all, its worth it.

Public opinion seems to be searching for a definite definition of the word 萌え "moe", which has already come into use among the public, and when I searched, net experts and glossary sites had various definitions.

The state of having a deep feeling towards a certain person or thing
An extremely primitive sensation that happens even faster than one can judge with feeling, much like a spinal cord reflex, which happens when one sees generally bishoujo or little girls, or other pretty or innocent things. It is being fascinated then deeply moved.
"Moe" is word which indicates a budding feeling of love, as well as a fetishistic taste, generally towards fictional characters from anime, manga, and games, especially an attachment or obsession with those who have certain special characteristics (nekomimi, tsundere attitude [a character type in which the character, generally female, is alternatingly tsun-tsun, "pointed; mean", and dere-dere, "lovey dovey", hence tsundere. See Sara from Futakoi]); originally used as slang among otaku.
Indicates an "admiration" of a cute girl's human emotions from afar.
However, we still don't know the reason why people feel "moe".

Accordingly, I would like to present the following hypotheses of my own.

First of all, "moe" must meet the following conditions:

It does NOT include sexual action: "Moe" is being calmed/soothed by watching from afar. It is not an object of sexual action. There are other classifications such as "2D-con" for those who include sexual conduct. Looking at a bishoujo and thinking "I want to do her" is a normal sexual desire for a man; looking at a biyoujo [美幼女, a girl younger than a bishoujo, synonymous with "loli". Maachi in Gokujou Seitokai, or Miku in Zettai Shounen, for example] and thinking "I want to be calmed/soothed" is "moe".
The person feeling it must be stronger: The object of "moe" is weak and dependant (like a child) on the person, or is in a situation where she cannot oppose (like a maid). Also, the person is raising her (like a pet). Accordingly, being fond of the girl as if loving a pet cat, the person is willing to put themselves in harm's way if danger approaches. (*Tsundere only: There will be times where the stronger and weaker role is reversed)
Affirms the present situation: Moe is the action of enjoying "the present situation" and does not wish for changes afterward; one wishes to enjoy it forever.
In the above-mentioned (1), I think you realize that, rather than a male's emotions, it is a feeling similar to that of a mother looking at her daughter, or of other females looking at someone else's child and feeling soothed/calmed, or of looking at a pet and feeling affection for it.

In the above-mentioned (2), at first glance, there is a feeling of otaku-like convenience, but, in fact, you can catch a glimpse of the positive affection of "I want to love" more than "I want to be loved" in it, and the strength of not being weary of spending both time and money for that purpose is the foundation of it. To compare it, it resembles a parent's strength.

On the feeling of the moratorium of (3): if you take it negatively it gives the impression of a "hikikomori" [one who withdraws from society], but, in fact, it is not the denial of the process of "The object of moe growing, loving, and moving on from the present condition", it is similar to a positive sense of denial, such as "I don't want my daughter to get married."

...Well, you've probably realized I've used the word "parent (mother)" many times over.

I would submit the following hypothesis:

"Moe" is a "maternal affection" which a part of males have been left with that has undergone a change and shown itself and, originally, is an irregular feeling a male should not have, however, it is a pure love which does not include any sexual action and is an exceedingly peaceful desire.

If we suppose that "moe" occurs from a maternal affection that should be lost, could we then assert that moe otaku are basically peaceful, and do not wish for physical conflict? (They do have verbal fights, though)
If we think of "Love towards a pet" as an compensatory action for "Love towards a child", then it is, after all, a variation of motherly love. In other words, could the "moe" of putting nekomimi on (it's a syllogism, but...) be motherly love?
Is the brisk economic activity of the "moe" industry very close to that of stupid parents pouring money into child-rearing (education) expenses?
I think that the "moe" that has recently been occurring among females is an imitation of male "moe", and is false. Or, rather, should we call it the true thing since they of all people possess the original maternal love?

...What do you think?

The aggressive males who go so far as to rape to satisfy their sexual desires have been reported on, but on the other hand, there are a large number of males who possess this peaceful essence. Moe~.

I think it is not a cultural phenomenon that has surfaced recently, but most likely something which has existed from the beginning of time.

By the way, from tomorrow you can check out my own anime blog at http://njanime.blogspot.com

Moe (double posted)

How did I double post something this big?

Going For The Title

I have 9 days to get to grips with Trackmania Sunrise before this Summer's 1v1 Cup. I'm the first person to register so it should be interesting seeing how I perform in my first official Trackmania tournament.

By the way, all those who have switched to MSN Spaces can go to hell. Blogger's best.

Get Out Of This One 2

GTA: San Andreas has become the second major embarrasment for Rockstar following the Manhunt incident. Following the discovery of the 'Hot Coffee' content in the PS2 retail version the game has been re-rated Adults Only in the US and has been taken off shelves in all Gamestop stores following a crash in the company's share price. Gamestop's share price dropped $25 to just under $36 and publisher Take Two Interactive also felt the impact falling over 5%.

In a Gamespot poll over 30% of visitors believe that Rockstar was asking for it.

Get Out Of This One

The now infamous 'Hot Coffee' mod for GTA: San Andreas which added sex minigames and has previously been blamed on hackers has been found in a retail copy for PS2. For screwing over the American game rating system Rockstar could now face prosecution from the US Supreme Court and be fined millions of dollars.

OWNED!!

Updated For The New Millennium

AZ:UK has FINALLY been updated to look a bit better and to get rid of the dead sections. Go check it out, the new layout is so much easier to use.

Good Times We Can't Repeat

I'm baaack!!

The End Is Near

How depressed am I?

Now Playing
Backstreet Boys - Incomplete

Oh shit.

Oh, by the way. The Amazing Race 7 kicks off on LivingTV2 tomorrow at 9pm. I've mentioned it a few times before.

Playlist - Lost Cause

Playlist time again and a tricky theme this month.

Lost Cause
The Hives - Hate To Say I Told You So
Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit
Good Charlotte - The Young And The Hopeless
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Green Day - Letterbomb
Bloc Party - She's Hearing Voices
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
The Magic Numbers - Forever Lost
Hot Hot Heat - Touch You Touch You
Foo Fighters - Breakout

Also Playing...
Kings of Leon - The Bucket
Faithless - Weapons of Mass Destruction
Slipknot - Before I Forget
System of a Down - RadioVideo
The Offspring - Why Don't You Get A Job?

Album of the Month
The Offspring - Greatest Hits

FYI
The Playlist is a monthly post showing 10 songs that have dominated my listening over the past month. In the past they've just been my 10 favourite songs but from this month I will aim to pick 10 songs which reflect my general mood over the month gone.

Half Time Entertainment - The Answers

Well we've passed the half way point in the year so here are the answers to the Half Time Entertainment Googlequiz.

Round 1 - Anime
1) Karin, Mikaze, Shizuka, Sayaka
2) Rei Ayanami
3) Kinya Kotani
Bonus - Maaya Sakamoto

Round 2 - Games
4) Samantha
5) Jayne Wilde
6) Dwarf
Bonus - Dirk

Round 3 - Music
7) Adema
8) A bullet-proof vest
9) 3
Bonus - We As Americans, Love You More, Ricky Ticky Tock

Round 4 - Websites
10) 13 months
11) The site was being redesigned
12) August 2000
Bonus - August 7th 2000

Round 5 - Comics
13) Cecania
14) Hector
15) Zeke
Bonus - Xbox

There you go. Mark your own answers.