TomRed’s blog & stuff - Blog

Weekly video #103

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:20:20 -0800

Political satire, you know the drill…

The end of summer(?)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:48:02 -0800

I have school tomorrow. I don’t know for how long, what I’m doing, and if I’m at school on Friday. However, September has started, so summer is pretty much dead (though I didn’t see any signs of life in terms of weather).

Let’s review that list from the post I made for the summer when I left:
1. Decide on a course for university (at least get somewhere, please).
I’m very disappointed at this one, it was almost fundamental. I did get more informed, but I’m still unsure. I just better decide pretty soon.
2. Have an idea of where to study.
This depends on what I want to do, but I am likely to apply to Cambridge (applying alone doesn’t deserve praise).
3. Have a few driving lessons.
Yes! Something completed! I did five, I’m gradually improving.
4. Either start learning an instrument or at least progress on the piano/keyboard.
Psh.
5. Substantially increase my iTunes library.
Yeah, I posted about it here.
6. Learn how to cook something other than toast.
Haha, get out of here.
7. Learn C++ (programming).
Nope, but I’m learning C. C is related but is (as far as I know) easier to learn for noobs.
8. Learn some Japanese or give up any English-Japanese bilingual dreams.
A bit, I can read the kana (though that isn’t much of an achievement) and a program I co-wrote today is actually a nouns test. The grammar book I bought from Amazon arrived today.
9. Make comics to prepare for September (then realise that they’re terrible and burn them).
I’ve got c. 20 drafts, I’ll probably make A4s and scan them if I actually post them. Burning is still a probability.
10. Complete at least three things off the 100 things list.
I did 1, I got an A at AS.
11. Read some books.
I finished SuperFreakonomics, and I’m reading a couple of other books at the moment, but I haven’t finished them.
12. Read some revision guides (i.e. get ahead).
I’m read a little, and did a chapter and a bit off FP1 (further maths).
13. Draw more.
I drew myself.
14. Become more knowledgeable in general.
I’m probably a bit more knowledgeable, but nothing to brag about.

So I did some stuff. Not too bad, I’m just annoyed that I still haven’t decided on what to study at university.

Weekly video #102

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:18:06 -0800

A Cyanide & Happiness short, not lacking any of their typical elements of humour.

iTunes…

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:29:19 -0800

Like most, I like music. Like most, the amount of compatible music for me is finite. A year ago today I discovered, or perhaps rediscovered, The Beatles. I remember browsing YouTube that on that August 26th day and stumbling into She Loves You. In instantly recognising the 1963 classic I dived into many more and gathered before too long that many, many songs from the back of my head were by the band.

Their influence put up a good fight to monopolise my iTunes library, and they didn’t do too bad, they even made my favourite song. I have exactly 300 songs (a humble count in the eyes of many), with exactly one third from The Beatles. My interest in them leaked into discovering the music from the minds of many others from their day, shaping my now definable music taste. As today has brought together a few milestones, I feel like honouring a post to this, i.e. my library of music.

Here are some data (there’s some colour for the geographers):
Proportion of songs by artist (minimum 5 songs to be included):

The huge contribution from The Beatles does make this look like a ’60s peace symbol. Relating from that, I think it’s best to tell you now that I am most definitely not a hippie, and in fact would heavily fund efforts to destroy their existence once and for all. I’m not the only one. You can see the other bands and musicians from their day making an impact, and simply unrelated ones like Weird Al. The big chunk to the left contains artists with less than five songs (as said), as otherwise the chart would be less readable than my handwriting (Arabic). It’s important to point out that a major reason for The Beatles’ presence is because of the very, very large discography (so there were inevitably many songs for me to ‘buy’).

Proportion of songs by year:

There’s not much from the ’40s and ’50s; personally, I think the only really good song from then was Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode (1958). The early ’60s sort of sucked in my opinion as well, Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash (1962) was a good anomaly. The mid-to-late ’60s was, as I am overly conveying, the heyday. The ’70s weren’t bad, nor were the ’80s, but I’ve yet to explore them as I believe I am unqualified to assert that they lack a lot of what I like. As for the 1990s and 2000s, screw ’em. Same for 2010. Musical ignorance is bliss.

Top ten songs by play count:
Help! (The Beatles)
264 plays.
Lux Aeterna (Clint Mansell)
260 plays.
Yesterday (The Beatles)
258 plays.
Still Alive (Portal)
225 plays.
Let It Be (The Beatles)
200 plays.
Octopus’ Garden (The Beatles)
195 plays.
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
188 plays.
With a Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles)
183 plays.
I Feel Fine (The Beatles)
182 plays.
Revolution (The Beatles)
181 plays.

Note that I think that this is a rather unreliable measure of affection, I tend to switch song the second before it finishes as I’m impatient to wait during the brief pause (some songs have very long end pauses, like A Day in the Life. Certain songs I’ve had a lot longer than others, and I might just prefer listening to a live version.

Final article of trivia: exactly (but only) 1% of my library are songs singed by women.

I hope this post has done…something. But fuck it, it’s my blog, I guess I can write about things that only concern me and are of no benefit to others. Sexist TomRed out.

Weekly video #101

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:17:37 -0800

私は日本が大好きです。

Results…

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:14:35 -0800

It’s that time of the biannual cycle again, so here’s my AS results:
Maths: A
284 UMS ≈ 95%
Physics: A
288 UMS ≈ 96%
Chemistry: A
289 UMS ≈ 96%
Economics B
155 UMS ≈ 78%
Philosophy & ethics: B
156 UMS ≈ 78%
(Individual module marks for the June season will be at the bottom, after the ‘read more’ break)

So what do I think of it? When I opened them I wasn’t really happy, because I was hoping for five As (because I’m a cocky bastard). That was like an hour ago, and now I’m not too bothered, pretty happy that the As are in the proper subjects (there, I said it). I might retake economics 2 and/or ethics, but it will be a tedious process, rendering me having to do ethics for a third time and never being free from economics in my school life.

These results were all a matter of pride for me, as these results are good nonetheless, however, I am a bit worried about any Oxbridge application or applying to other high profile unis, but I’m not counting on getting in to Oxbridge anyway. In summary: to save myself from being a whiny prick, I’m alright with these, it’s just the shock of diminished bragging rights. I hope those reading this that are on the same boat did well, and are not hating me for complaining if I beat them.

June 2010 season module results:
Maths (Core 2): A
98 UMS ≈ 98%
Maths (Mechanics 1): A
86 UMS ≈ 86%
Physics (Unit 2): A
120 UMS ≈ 100%
Physics (Unit 3/ISA): A
50 UMS ≈ 83%
Chemistry (Unit 2): A
140 UMS ≈ 100%
Chemistry (Unit 3/ISA): A
52 UMS ≈ 87%
Economics (Unit 2): C
66 UMS ≈ 66%
RS (Ethics): C
68 UMS ≈ 68%

Weekly video #100

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:00:01 -0800

It’s quite a profound milestone in the department of weekly videos, and I will dedicate my succeeding post to a small history of what to some are a mild laugh, to some a nuisance that sandwiches the more meaty posts, and to me a mild task to find something quick and post it every Friday (actually, I won’t). This particular one is not the exact video used in weekly video #61, but is still the Pale Blue Dot speech. This speech is touching, and said by a great man. I think that this enlightening extract from the mind of Sagan suffices for the big 100, especially when the alternative in mind was a Rick Roll. Enjoy…

Poképroblems 2: Mewtwo Returns…

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:33:19 -0800

Sequel to Poképroblems…

I thought a trio of issues to be needlessly attacked sufficed, but as I can think of more, how about I dive into them? After all, you did decide to read this, and I’d be offended for you to close this tab now (or window if you live in the times before electricity and use IE6).

4. “6 items or less.”
Problem: An easy way out of the Pokémon League (or any other difficult battle) when you can’t be bothered to train would be to stock up on revives and full restores, in other words sucking up the infinite medicinal resources from the region’s market economy. What would be an even easier way would be to stock up on Pokémon, so you have quite literally an army for your now shaken foes to bring down. The invention of the Pokéball would make it possible, but for some reason, after a somewhat arbitrary six, your Pokéballs (and residing Pokémon) migrate to a computer system with such efficiency that Facebook Chat could only dream of. This brings part B of the problem: how does that box system work? Seriously?
Answer: I did mention on part one that you’re overweight to tie up the last plothole. Perhaps with this comes physical weakness, and you are unable to carry a heavy seven Pokéballs but 6 lots of 99 lots of full restores, who knows? As for the magical system that transports material to data, let’s just say they have the mother of all internet connections.

5. “Sex, drugs, and 8-bit rock ‘n’ roll!”
Problem: I did breed a lot of Pokémon in my youth, and in my experimentation I discovered a bad truth: you can breed Pokémon in a way that would probably seriously damage the IQ and finger count of humans. You know what I mean. Furthermore the legal system for whatever region the game is set in doesn’t really have any problems with the game’s anabolic steroids, which obviously means that that every citizen, Pokémon, animal, mineral, and vegetable is constantly high on every type of drug at all times! This is not the influence that we want for the child audience, and a rationalisation is demanded.
Answer: Despite the computers and whatnot, the Pokémon series is actually set in the 1960s, where everything goes. Everything.

6. “I have the Poké Balls to catch you.”
Problem: With the exception of that rogue Pikachu, Poké Balls are the homes of Pokémon. Please, don’t tell me you have not questioned the programme. How does it work? How do they fit? Does it work with other living things? Can I keep my children in them? Do they still need feeding in it? Do they like it? Does PETP (People for the Ethical Treatment of Pokémon) piss people off about them? What is its primary purpose?
Answer: Pokémon goes in. Pokémon goes in, no further questions. No. No. No. Sure. Of course. To masturbate in peace.

Yes, this whole semi-thought-up false rant eventually dissolved into a poor wank joke. No, you will not get those five minutes back.

Weekly video #99

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:24:27 -0800

You may or may not have noticed, but the last few weekly videos (in building up to the important yet arbitrary 100) have been elements that have played a notable part on this blog. This one is from the Three Minute Philosophy series, which has had quite a few appearances here and is a permeation of my once burning lust for the subject. Enjoy…

Poképroblems…

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:56:07 -0800

A while ago, I mentioned my purchase of Pokémon HeartGold and a shorter while ago I completed it. My experience of that version and its many predecessors I have owned (which all follow essentially the same routine) have left me with a few queries about the realism. That’s right, I’m going to attack the realism of handheld console games involving monsters designed for children.

1. “I have a hostage!”
Problem: Team Rocket (or whatever the antagonists are these days), they fail because of their business plan:
1. Arrange an army of unarmed grunts (but with Pokémon).
2. Invade an important building with weirdly no internal security, take the CEO hostage, and wait until your Pokémon have been defeated by a ten year old.
3. ???
4. PROFIT!
What kind of idiots are they? They can’t be American, as they are unarmed. They can’t be French, as they invaded. They can’t be Japanese, as they’re stupid.
Answer: They have no political or economical motivation, the whole regime is just for teh lolz.

2. “Yes! You’ve fainted! Now to catch y—”
Problem: If I’m not mistaken, I bet most of us (as children) originally thought that making a Pokémon lose its HP killed it, even though it blatantly said the Pokémon has fainted (perhaps it was only my unobservant eyes). When you’re trying to catch one, you are set a challenge to get the HP pretty low without letting it faint. A challenge is a challenge, but it doesn’t explain why you can’t catch a fainted Pokémon. If you chase me, you could probably catch me. If you shoot me, you could catch me quicker. If you throw a rock and knock me out, you’ve essentially caught me. This is not a trivial problem, this has lost me many potential catches, and I demand a solution.
Answer: The wild Pokémon in question actually die from the violence your team has inflicted upon them, the game just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.

3. “I would like to be the Pokémon World Champion but this fucking tree is in the way.”
Problem: You approach the next town with mild excitement (minor excitement if the game is a remake), but what’s this? There’s a goddamn tree/rock/Snorlax in the way! Oh, don’t worry, I’ll just climb it/walk over it/shoot it. What? I need a special HM? Fuck off, I’m doing this the easy way. Alas, the game prohibits the easy way.
Answer: The game doesn’t want to show it, but you’re a really overweight, and climbing a tree will not work this time. You’re so overweight that your Machamp won’t even give you a bunk up. As for the poaching of a Snorlax, there’s no guns in this game.

This sort of rant does not come from rational men, it appears there’s something deep down—anger at something from the past, perhaps—that wants me to rip some plotholes out of such an epic game series. Or, more likely, I am just bored and realised that this site deserves a post once in a while.