And the third:

and last post worth mentioning of my own goes as such: if you've not looked at the context yet; there have been a plethora of responses (most of them saying how cool this Sparton is).

It was titled
"I disagree with your history, Mr. Pre"
And the body was:
Lenin (who was the catalyst for the communists, not Stalin) was a foot soldier captured by the Germans and sent back to Russia in order to stir up trouble for the Czar (something he did quite well, too). To say that Germany merely 'grew an ego' is a bit of a slap, isn't it? They developed the worst inflation in the history of economics, became what amounted to the whipping boy of France (seriously, how could one grow an ego there, of all places?), watched the Rhineland be stripped of it's resources, the republic that was set up for them by the League of Nations was suppresed by the soldiers of 1, who became the embittered leaders of two. You must remember, Mr. Pre, that the history books are written by the victor, and to say that Germany was in the wrong is due mostly to their having been emptied of useable men in the workforce and military.
So you are correct in saying that they took off separately, but they were caused by the same conflict. Lenin would have been a syphilitic soldier returning from a foolish war had the Germans not given him some cash and a get out of jail card to go stir trouble. Hitler came back a blind veteran pariahed of society because he was a temporarily blind artist in a nation that needed construction workers and bakers. he gathered an army of other disgruntled ex grunts and created the Nazi (National Socialist) party.
So, one could say (as you have done) that Germany just grew an ego, Russia grew some stones, and Italy and Japan had nothing to do, but this is a gross oversimplification! I don't pretend that my two paragraphs are going to well illustrate the causes of two World Wars, but that seems rather foolish. Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but I am rather offended that you would reduce these monolithic struggles to what reduces to "Germany is full of idiots and anti-Semites who didn't learn their lesson after the first can of whoop ass we brought down on `em". I'm not accusing you of racism, or being anti-Germany/Russia, I just think that you're perhaps basing your argument on a high school history textbook (a very unreliable source, I must say).
As far as the gaming part of your argument, I agree that Halo wasn't the only reason for it's success, and applaud your mention of games such as Morrowind. At the same time, I doubt it would have sold very many people with a line up of Fuzion Frenzy at the beginning.
I didn't mean for my article to come across as if I meant a console would be defined by one game, but I think that the one game series that has Sony execs scared is Halo, and now Gears. I don't think the Xbox was a poor console, I love games like Halo, Crimson Skies, and Battlefront. But if it didn't have a select few in the beginning, it would have likely gone the way of Gizmondo. If Winston Churchill had been killed in the trenches, would we all be speaking German with Erwin Rommel's son as president? I hope not, but had there not been a Halo in the beginning, would we all be applauding Gears new arrival on the PS3? I rather think so.
So, I apologize if my return is not to your liking, Master Pre. I must say that I'm rather known as the `kid you don't debate with' and when I think I have a good argument to be made, I usually don't go home till I think my point has been well made. Please don't think I'm trashing your thoughts, anybody. It's a fault of my own to beat a dead horse. And I daresay that your opinion is quite valid to me.

"Thus, I didst cleave his head that each half did lie upon it's respective shoulder."-Scottish Noble
by Sparton 501 on Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 12:55:06 AM EST [ Parent Reply to This ]
And Master Pre learned a valuable lesson at the hands of Sparton. I guess I'm like Ghost Rider. Just keeping the dream alive.

and continued

Here's another response I made on that 'string' of comments.
It was titled

"you take me to seriously, Mr. Boris."
And the body went as such:
but to go back to my analogie, you'll notice that I do beleive that the 2 wars were an evolution. Had there not been a 1 (Halo) the Xbox would not have likely lived on, as Sweet put it. But had there not been a war from 1914-1918 there would not have been a rise of fascism, totalitariasm, and communism, causing the events leading to 2 (360; 1939-1945). So I wasn't saying that theres a great battle between Sony and Microsoft that's waged every few years; there's an evolution that keeps the struggle alive. Our consoles keep getting more powerful, as a Messerschmit (didn't spell that right) was more powerful than a Fokker (knew how to spell that). Both were manned by the same people and both were an evolution. One didn't spring up without the other. Perhaps it was my analogy that was at fault; I didn;t mean for my argument to come across like I want J Allard and Phil Harrison to get into a ring and duke it out, I meant that there was an evolution. I guess I just let Zoso have his flower, I'd take the war in Europe to illustrate my point. You make good points, Mr. Boris, I think you took my argument a bit literally for it's own good. Which I suppose is a risk one takes whenever you use prior events to illuminate your beleifs. Especially when those prior events involve genocide and fascism. In closing, I agree with you Boris. It is an evolution of consoles, Neandertals v. Homo Sapien. I usually find Patton a little more interesting than Darwin, unfortunately.
"Thus, I didst cleave his head that each half did lie upon it's respective shoulder."-Scottish Noble
by Sparton 501 on Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 02:19:17 PM EST [ Parent Reply to This ]
The site is gearheadsofwar.com if you want to go and read more stuff; this was taken from the topic 'Gears v. Halo'. You may have to dig a bit to find the particular topic, but it is on the main page a few diaries down.

Gearheads posting

Now, as I've not been posting much on here since January, and it would appear that this is the unfortunate toy I had feared it would become; I've decided to post some of my writings from my other sites. Here's a link so that you can see them in context: http://gearheadsofwar.com/story/2007/2/12/13947/7899#commenttop

I ask you to go there that you can see my comments in their natural habitat. I feel badly about posting another persons work on my blog.
The title is:
"They don't deseve comparison."
And the main body is:
I've played video games regularly only since May 2005, and been a halo player since the beginning. So, I can't really compare my experience with that of people who have had the LAN parties since 2001, and the first Xbox Live Halo 2 game (what a wonder that must have been, meaning no technological belittlement to the old school). Thinking back to the original Xbox and Halo 1 I daresay that they are much the same game. Both had massive innovations (I don't know this from experience; I use the words of my gaming predecesores), both were within the early life of the Xbox 1 and 360. I think that perhaps Zoso probably summed it up best with his comment. My argument goes as such:
When you compare World War 1 to World War 2 using just the numbers and the combative experience, 2 comes out far the victor. With a higher causualtie rate, faster weapons, more reliable vehicles, more powerful bombs, more land covered in combat. But there would not have been a 2. We forget 1 in the hoopla that is surrounded by 2, but in many ways we live in a world shaped by one. The rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia, a scar the world still bears, and bore till the late 80s. The rise and fall of the Weimar republic and the growth of fascim in Germany and Austria. The League of Nations grew as well: soon becoming the United Nations.
Halo is the first world war. The first shot between Microsoft and Sony. Now we have Gears and Resistance. Did World War 2 destroy more? Build more? Of course it did. But it was a foregone conclusion. This cheap and poorly articulated argument does not give justice to the history of the deaths of millions, and the imprisonment on Boris' grandfather in a prison camp (and likely many more fathers and grandfathers suffered as well). Nor should they really be compared to what we do in our spare time. we must remember that while Gears may have made a splash now, it was just the second salvo of something started 6 years ago. We simply see the newest 'innovation' that comes from a long line going all the way back to Goldeneye and even back to MegaMan. We can't compare last generations golden child to this, the former will always come short. Halo 3 will lessen Gears in our eyes, and Gears 2 will lessen Halo 3. Comparison demeans both by making Gears stand before a jury of it's forebears which will always seem just a little less graphically amazing. And making Halo 1 (a 5 year old game) and Halo 2 (a 2 year old game) stand a test they will always fail.
"Thus, I didst cleave his head that each half did lie upon it's respective shoulder."-Scottish Noble
by Sparton 501 on Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 02:26:07 PM EST [ Reply to This ]

If you go to the link and read more, my posts are those with the author of 'Sparton 501'.

The Moon is High

so. . .I suppose I should update again; I've not in a week.
I've been downloading a few things off iTunes (Mickey Avalon, Bushido, Buckcherry, the Coasters, the Monkees, etc.); that's been pretty fun. The moon has been lovely lately, I've been walking the dogs every night after my Xbox Live time (around 11:30-1:00). The ice on the lake is beautiful around now; and with the moon so bright I barely ever need a flashlight. Sometime's its fun just to be walking about in people's yards at night when you know you're the only one about at that time of night. It's quite liberating if I say so. To be alone in darkness is refreshing; especially when it's cold like it's been. The cold keeps my legs going. Whether in silence or with a podcast in my ears, I like it. The dogs do too; with me going to bed at 1:30 or so and my mother waking at 4:00, they usually have someone letting them out and in all the time.
Funny, I used to be quite frightened of venturing out into the darkness at night when I'd have to take out the dogs. Afraid of people who lurk, I suppose. But I think it's a little cold for them, and I doubt that there is a large lurker population at the lake.

Florida Edition Part IV.

Well, it’s the 17th.
I’ve caught a bit of a chill (how I managed that in Florida I’m not really sure). I suppose it might just be from all the cigarettes (it’s really just a stuffy nose and my complaining), because I’ve not really been in contact with anyone but the people at my grandmother’s house.
My dad and I went to Target today (there’s a Target and a Publix on every corner), picked up two cases of water, a copy of “Rainbow 6: Vegas”, “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. I don’t have my Xbox here; so I can’t really say what Rainbow 6 is like, and I doubt you really care.
As far as “The Black Parade” though, I have to listen to it a few more times. I haven’t heard anything bad about it though, and I suppose that it delivers some good music. Not really a fan of MCR though.

I’m going home tomorrow, so I feel like maybe I should squeeze in the things that I’ve not done yet (math, zombie awareness, brush my teeth [just kidding]), because I know I’ll be in no mood to do them when I get home; I doubt I’ll be prepared to do anything but hang out with Quinn and Ruby (the pooches).

To go home I am excited; though I can understand why my grandmother loves this place as her home.
When you live alone and retire this is a lovely place to be; she has a lovely view from her porch, she has a beautiful house and a shopping place at every corner. But it’s no home.
There is no soul here where I am in Florida (you must understand, I’m not in Ventura, or Miami, or Daytona Beach; I’m in Cape Coral. This is the shuffle board area; senior centers and marinas).

It’ll be nice to get home, but I’m afraid my joy will be balance by other’s sorrow to leave her “slice of paradise”.

My mothers friend showed up today; she’s going to be here till Thursday morning. We leave Thursday afternoon. Whether we’re going to make two trips to the airport or just stay there till our flight, I’m not really sure.
Since it’s Monday and I still have three days till Thursday, I’m getting a little too excited about going home.
Now, normally I’m nervous around aircraft (not the machinery itself, or “terrorists”, just the idea of confinement with a whole bunch of people). Ships and stuff are fine, and it’s not claustrophobia; I suppose it’s just nerves. None coming down here, but when I think about going home it makes me nervous. Maybe because I go back to the world.
When I’m here I can sort of be away from the daily grind. One of my big fears is life becoming monotonous; when I’m there things (while boring) are always happening.
Polyester heaven this may be; but it’s still a certain degree of serenity.

I just realized something. This blog was born (and continues at the speed) of teen angst (very unreliable, that teen angst is).
I was rather hoping that would never come. I always scoff at the myspace sob storys of, well, I suppose they're my peers. And yet when I look at the censoring that I'm doing, well, all the stuff that I remove is born out of anger, and I suppose the negative; almost exclusively 12-16 year old feelings that arise from it.

I suppose I was doing well, I got to 15 before any noticeable symptoms regarding the need for a (as my dad would call) "waahmbulance". I can always be a drama king, if need be.
How's Our Town going, coincedentally?

Florida Edition Part II

(Still in a Cafe, these most recent documents where scribed using word. The following was penned on the 13th of January, 2007)

Huh. Day three, seems like I’m going to be going home soon. Unfortunately I still have a work week to go.
I suppose since I have nothing to do I can continue writing.
Today we went to a “street festival”. Unfortunately it was nothing like, say, Third Thursday like they have in Willimantic. This was more like a craft sale that happened to be on asphalt.
It was full of; as my grandmother calls them “shrivs”. Meaning senior citizens. This sounds kind of funny coming from a woman that has been collecting social security since ’04. But she seems to think she’s still around 60. Good for her, I suppose.

The other day (I think day 1, actually) I met Larry. I don’t know his last name: everything I know about him I heard from my grandmother.
So, he walked into the screened in sun room and said hello.
So my grandmother has told him a whole bunch of things about me; and myself a whole bunch of things about him. Unfortunately none of the things we knew about each other where entirely true.
For example; he’s a national sprint kayaking champion. I was told he was an Olympian.
He was under the impression that I was an award winning drummer (I was a sergeant for a little while and carried an honor drum).
So, needless to say we were both a little surprised at each other.
The one thing he had heard about me that was true was that I had been invited to my local high schools promenade last year.
Anyway, I was under the impression that he was a supermodel/astronaut/millionaire; and he seemed to think I was a mix of Hanko Doebringer and Steve Jobs. Seems like a nice guy though. Invited me to go play pool with him. Kind of cautious to play pool with a man whose arms are about as big as my chest.
I guess I’ll write more soon. I have to write a zombie presentation for the 212th Attack Battalion (I’m a commander in a star wars fan group type of thing).

A Few Hours Later. . .

I just got back from driving. I was in the drivers seat too! I got to drive on the highway and a few other places. It feels very good to be behind a wheel, and it’s not scary or uncomfortable at all. Of course I didn’t parallel park or anything, and I did only top out at about 45 mph, but it was still a blast to be there. I never really noticed how much of a swivel your head really has to be on.

I suppose I may be a little too confident there; my beginners luck may be just that.
Still, it seems like I picked up the interface without much difficulty, and I wasn’t afraid at any point. I suppose that may be why most males who just receive their licenses have such high rates of insurance. So, I guess we’re going to go and do it again tomorrow, which will be when I suppose I’ll really see how good of a driver I am (to be blunt though, I don’t pretend to be skilled in any fashion. If I were 16 and driving the way I was today I would probably be viewed as a bit of a dick).
I think there must be a fine line between being confident and being dangerous. It would appear, however, that being nervous can cause an accident too. One creates one’s own experience, in the words of Dr. Phil, and if that’s the case (keeping in mind that Philip McGraw isn’t recognized by any psychoanalytic party) then it would lead me to the conclusion that if one believed that you were going to be in a car crash that particular morning then perhaps your absent minded mental wanderings would lead to a. . .
But my mother just called me to dinner.

(As it's the 14th of January, I'll probably not write another peice till tommorow and continue with my pattern. As such I'll likely continue my writing on the 15th, 17, then whence I'm home I'll write a more conclusive peice. Because I know you can't get enough of me (haha)).

Florida Edition!

(I'm in a Barnes and Noble Cafe in Fort Myers Florida, these are the blog reports of the past 4 days. The following was written on 1/11/07)

I learned something today. Florida; will kill you. If you aren’t careful in Florida, you die.
Today I heard about a man who went out to get a newspaper, and he died. That’s right, the attempt to get a news source in Florida killed him.
You know how he died?
I’ll tell you.
He was walking to his mailbox and saw a snake (big one). He fell back and hit his head on a rock and passed out. That didn’t kill him. In New England he may have died; I assume because we have bigger and harder rocks here. See, while he was down a Gila Monster came and started smelling him (a Gila Monster is kind of like a Komodo Dragon except bigger). When the guy woke up he saw a big lizard head with really big teeth smelling him; he panicked. I would too.
But anyway, when he started screaming and trying to get up the Gila started to bite and claw him.
So the guy heroically got out a small pocket knife and started going at the beast. Eventually the lizard felt it had gotten enough of its junk ruined and went back to hell (or wherever they come from). That didn’t kill him either. On his walk back into his house to call the hospital (or whatever he was going to do), he passed out from blood loss. His body lands on a fire ant hill. And the poor guy gets eaten alive. That’s what happens in florida. Did you get all that? All he did was go into his lawn. And he gets bashed by a rock, attacked by a Komodo dragon, and then eaten alive by insects.

All you have to worry about in Connecticut is bears. And the bears smaller cousin the bat (I say “smaller cousin” because all bats are happens to be bears with wings). And if you fall and hit your head on a rock; you usually just die; or live and go inside. Now, I’m worried to go outside because I’m writing this on Thursday January 11, 2007 at a little past 9 at night. I’m sitting on my grandmother lanai (Floridian for “deck”) and I can hear either Gila monsters or alligators rustling in the bushes not 20 feet from me. This scares me to death. When I go outside at my house (which is urban in no sense of the word) I might see a coyote. I’ve even seen wolves. But they are pooches, just like my golden retrievers; except with bigger teeth. When I step outside here, I might have my leg eaten.
Me and my leg are tight, too. I don’t know how I would get around without it.
I think I’ll go inside.

Censoring protects America!

Since I have nothing else really going on, I've decided to edit some of this to make it more politically correct, and perhaps a little more fun.
From now on, anything italicised has been edited/added by me to enhance the enjoyability of the context.
For examply: If I wrote
"George Bush is a terrible person", after editing it might appear as
"George Bush is a Christian, which is the primary religion of the nation. However, someone who did not partake in it would not be deemed a terrible person". So, it'll be kind of like the R rated movies aired on basic cable; for example the protagonist might say "I'm gonna fuck you up you shitheaded motherfucker!", but the censors play it as "I'm gonna freak you up, you stupid monkey uncle!".
So, lets hope my censoring activities are succesful, eh?

I guess some people actually read this. . .

So, I went to a party tonight and most of the people there were readers of this blog. Now, armed with this knowledge, perhaps I can begin to pear the teen angst out of my writings (nobody wants to read teen angst).
Unfortunately it appears that this was misused by me, and then discarded. I intend to remedy that. I'm thinking of some changes, including perhaps what is a listing of music that I'm listening to at the time, maybe a quick video game review, and perhaps, maybe just because I can, an "Adam Knowles is an anti semitic homophobic kitten hating person". Or maybe that joke just got a little too old. Much to think about, especially when things are happening left right and center.
But as far as music that I'm listening to goes, I've recently attained some iTunes cards, so I got some new stuff thats been playing. Including (but not limited too) U Can't Touch This (MC Hammer), Barbie Girl (Aqua, and dirty dirty lyrics too. Need to take a shower. And go to a confession), Come On Eileen (Dexy's Midnight Runners; total one hit wonders, and the song is still stuck in my head, despite no matter how many times I listen to the) Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix (by Marty O'Donnell. For a video game sound designer, he is an artist of the highest caliber), Safety Dance (By Kick Joneses, I can't find a Men Without Hats CD, and on iTunes I can only buy them in an 80s box set were you have to buy 25 other songs that were only box set worthy even when they were released).

I've also been told by multiple people to watch Battlestar Galactica. Even though a "Battlestar" sounds like it would own, I'm still wary to start watching and then have to wait to get the next DVD. Lost Season 2 still needs to get watched. And Season three, too, for that matter. And Star Trek VI. Did I watch V. . .? I must have. Why would I not have? No, V was the one with the Vulcan gone mad I think, and Kirk, Bones, and Spock are at Yosemite. That must be it.
I also got called a bitch today. That, I think, was a first. But, before I get a little too "high school", I think I'll log off.

Funky.

Gears of War! I love it! The gameplay is awesome (I miss Halo, but whenever I pop it in I get dissapointed, because I'm looking for Gears' decisions).
It feels like I imagine videogame combat should feel. I have been waiting for this game since July. Yes, 5 months of excitement, and this game didnt let me down. Which makes me happy, since I have had experiences (just like everyone else on the planet) where I was excited about something, be it a movie, CD, game, etc., and while it was a good game and all, I was sad because it wasnt as educational as the commercial.

I went to see Borat today, it's a very good film, but very vulgar. Very uncomfortable when sitting between your mother and grandmother. I need to go hang around my very real, long limbed and attractive looking girlfriend who looks remarkably like Jessica Alba.

Call of Duty is good too, but it just doesn't have the quick thinking that gears requires, so as far as run'n'gun, it's just not as fun anymore. I want to take cover, and make swat turns, and kill locust, not nazis. So, maybe I'm just going to have to stop playing shooters for a while. Maybe play some Grand Theft Auto, or Oblivion. Hell, even maybe buy a nintendo Wii, and play Mario Kart all day long. God I would love to stimulate the international economy by purchasing a Japanese game console.

Well, let me revise that. I love xbox. Sony enjoys having some competition in the industry that they partake in so that consumers have options in their electronic media. I just feel good because I know that sony's got my back. And I think that the PS2 and the PS3 are of same kind of entertainment as the xbox or Wii.

Also, my mothers (Valery and Corinne) are giving me a hard time. I don't think my mother intends it. I think my grandmother is a resident of Florida. She and I are residing in the same abode.

Let me tell you a little about myself.

I'm 15. I have a hard time getting people to respect me, and think of me as an equal. A lot of people I'm still working on after years. Some of my best friends bring up the fact that I'm 15 just so they can get an edge on me. The reason that I can think of? Because they have nothing else. I can think like them, talk like them, act like them (in fact, they usually try to emulate me), everything like them, except height. So they bring that up.
But anyway, I work on these people, and yet to hear my grandmother talk to me, I seem like a person who absolutely adores puppies. I want her to get the happy golden years we all deserve 9 times out of 10.
For example, today we were going to see Borat, right? Well, we get up to the group thats transacting right then. She hands me two twentys and says "Her you go, Beezer*, your the man, you should pay." I don't care who cares to know that I love kittens. The man at the register does, because its an R movie, so I couldnt pay, even if I wanted too. So I look like a succcesful american entrepenuer, standing there at the register with these two twentys forced upon me, and shes standing behind me like "Oh, thats my little boy, I'm so proud of him! Look at him! Oh, hes so cute!".
My mother is standing behind her like "Thank god she isnt giving a harmful item to a toddler", and the guy at the register is thinking, "I love Jessica Alba", oh wait, that was me.