Ninjas and New Avengers

I hate comic book ninjas. I'm pretty much burned out on ninjas altogether.

Suddenly, my affection for New Avengers is in jeopardy with this latest issue.

A ninja is supposed to be a bad-ass stealthy assasin, but Marvel uses them like agile shuriken wielding zombies. Where do these new ninjas come from? Wolverine himself must kill a dozen per week. Why do they attack in mass so often when they're supposed to be stealth based assasins?

Don't answer, I don't really care. The Ronin character is okay so far, but Hand ninjas make me weep with boredom. Now, if they swapped ninjas for robots or zombies, I'd think differently.

If they had a legion of more normal warrior guys, with a couple boss-type ninjas, I would like it better.

This is the same reason I was irritated with the beginning of Batman Begins. The ninja in comics idea is so very very played out, I can barely stand it.

I too am waiting for the team-action to get started. I'm really not looking forward to another arc of character introduction (especially a ninja based arc!).

Xbox 360

I'm very excited about the upcoming release of Xbox 360. November 22nd is the date!

Wire snaps, leaving 3,600 without power

That was me!

Lights went out around 9:15, and came back on in the middle of the night sometime. It was fun.

Zebras

Came across this at work today:

Zebra: The term "zebra" in medicine does not refer to the striped African animal but to an unlikely diagnostic possibility. It comes from an old saying in teaching medical students about how to think logically in regard to the differential diagnosis: "When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras."
For example, when someone develops a mild transient cough, tuberculosis is a "zebra." For another example, following the discovery of West Nile fever in New York City in September, 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors to expect more infectious disease "zebras" (diseases due to rare microbes).

Revolution

Intriguing.

I don't know that it's good to flail around and swing the controller like sword in a fighting game. That's how lamps get broken and eyes get poked out.

There's been a subtle minority of games moving this direction, beginning with light guns, continuing to sit down driving and flying games, then the combination of the two; now we have fishing games with flyreel like controllers, fighting games that mimic the player's motions, and dancing games that require actual dancing. The idea is that it's more immersive to combine body movements with gaming action.

Nintendo is really going after this trend. In spite of the added hazard of breaking things, they may be on to something. I can't think of a light gun game that would be better with a conventional joystick, or a wheel based driving game that I think should have used buttons instead of pedals. I can't see any significant flaws in the controller design, aside from the difficulty designers may have adapting cross platform games.

Mechassault on Xbox

I'm always late to discover cool games because I'm a cheapskate. There are very few games I'll pay $50 for. Halo 2, Madden 2006 and Doom III special edition are the only games I've paid that much for. The rest of the time I wait for the price drop or get them used. As the years go by it's easier and easier to find great Xbox games for cheap.

Most recently I picked up The Sims, Goblin Commander and Mechassault for $30.

I finished Mechassault yesterday, and I freely admit that it exceeded my expectations. My only previous experience with that universe was with the paper version of Battletech which has detailed and difficult rules. I've never been a war-gamer, so during my limited gaming periods, realism has never been my goal. I also had a hard assed game master who forgot that we were all there to have fun. I barely understood the game mechanics and never made the next step to developing basic tactics.

My next experience with the Mechassault world was with a PC version of a few years ago. I found the large lumbering robots and the PC interface frustrating, and didn't enjoy it enough to delve into the game beyond a mission or two.

All of these problems were solved with the Xbox version of 2002. Obviously, the game takes care of the mechanics, and even later in the game, your choice of mechs are limited. There's no real role-playing elements, so you don't have to learn all the possibilities of the mechassault world. Early in the game robot choices are nil, but gradually increase. The developers strike a careful balance by offering entertaining choices that are important for some of the missions, without burdening the player with too much choice. While I imagine an awesome game could be made by adding non-linear role-playing elements to the basic engine, this was not the game they developed, and that's okay.

Mechassault is not a game of finesse. Mechassault is a game of destruction, basic planning and fundamental tactics. It is set in a world composed of destructable elements unlike any I've seen in games developed before or since. The missions are challenging, some very much so, but usually the most difficult ones can be conquered with the right plan.

I've already looked into getting Mechassault 2: Lone Wolf.

Another healthcare reality

A recent study at my employer documented that non English speaking families have a much higher likelihood of suffering a medication error, incorrect diagnosis or other medical system related problem.

I had a hunch, but now there is proof.

I won't provide more details here, because I learned of this study on our internal website. I'm likely not supposed to distribute that externally. I don't believe there's anything sinister here; for the most part, we're very transparent about our improvement efforts, and this data isn't an actual secret. I'm just choosing caution.

Leadership

Borrowed from my recent post at YMB:

This is slightly off topic, but maybe I can pull it back:
Leadership in comic books is nothing like leadership in the real world. This really came into focus when I became the Condo President. Like Association members, most super team members aren't getting paid, don't necessarily have much in common with their fellow members, and aren't motivated to participate in the group.
Some books like JLA and Teen Titans get around this with their personnel choices. Professor X, is fairly realistic because he's a father figure who can manipulate the situation (with or without using his telepathy) and people for his agenda. But what about Cyclops? It is assumed that Cyclops is a 'born leader,' but what does that mean? Would his team mates really be motivated to fight for him? Maybe the original team would, but the others? He's really a boor with little charisma. Yes, I believe he has superior tactical abilities, but that's simply not enough.
It's similar with Captain America. Yes, it's been established that he does have great charisma and that people want to follow him, but I'm not sure if that's really been done authentically. In the real world, supervisors and association president's can't just bark orders and have it considered 'good leadership.' Good leadership takes practice, training and varies from group to group. For example, Superman can get his JLA friends to do things a lot easier than Cyclops could get Wolverine, Gambit and Colossus to do what he wants.
In the military, soldiers are known to fight much harder for leaders they care about. Yes, they'll obey orders either way, but they can be very passive aggressive with leadership they don't respect.
To pull this back on topic, I would make sure each team's dynamic really makes sense, and I'd like to see the dynamic handled more realistically. For example, how many times have you had a boss explain something to you, then you did it the way you understood, and turn out that your understanding was completely different from your boss's vision. It's pretty common in the real world, yet almost unheard of in comics.

NFL

Jared Lornezen made the team! He is not the 3rd QB for the New York Giants; Jesse Palmer, aka "The Bachelor" has been cut. Good for him!

He's listed at a lithe 275 on Yahoo Sports.

No one should be surprised about last night's New England / Oakland game. I had concerns about NE's defense, but they seem to have picked up where they left off last year. Tom Brady looked good, Corey Dillon was strong.

On the Oakland side of the ball, things looked okay as well. Randy Moss made some great plays, Kerry Collins still looks like Kerry Collins, which isn't all bad, and Lamont Jordan pulled his weight.

On my Fantasy team, I've benched Michael Vick and am starting Jake Plummer. This makes me nervous; Jake Plummer makes me nervous in general since Denver loves to run the ball. He frequently puts up amazing fantasy numbers, and Vick's Falcons are facing the Eagles, who have a dangerous and mighty defense.

Besides, if I win it will be with my Running Back corps: Priest Holmes, Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis. This year I really favored guys with proven track records in the early rounds. I also picked up Ronnie Brown as a free agent, leaving me with too many RB's and too few WR's. This won't be a problem until bye week's start coming around.

Delays

There's a lot of somewhat intense stuff going on; nothing too terrible or dramatic for me personally, but most of my energy is directed toward these things. I don't use this space for 'dear diary' stuff, and I don't like to mention people specifically, so I've been writing less.

I'll try to remedy that soon.

Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster For 2005 Season

KIRKLAND - The Seattle Seahawks announced the release of 23 players Saturday afternoon to reach the NFL’s mandatory roster limit of 53. Seattle may sign a total of eight players to the club’s practice squad beginning Sunday.

The following players were waived: S Terreal Bierria RB Kerry Carter TE Brock Edwards DE Kevin Emanuel QB Gibran Hamdan CB Michael Harden C William Henry FB Tony Jackson G Andy King P Chris Kluwe S Omare Lowe DE Christian Mohr G Doug Nienhuis DT Cleveland Pinkney LB Terrence Robinson CB B.J. Tucker WR Taco Wallace RB Marquis Weeks LB Tracy White LB Cornelius Wortham The following veteran contracts were terminated: WR Jerome Pathon WR Bobby Shaw The following players were waived/injury: DT Rashad Moore (shoulder)

Sea Gals and other football talk.

Trina is my favorite Sea Gal. Shelly is my second favorite. Their hair has a lot to do with it. From the stands, especially on the 3rd deck where I sit, it's hard to tell the girls apart. Trina and Shelly have big hair which makes them easier to identify from far away. Plus they really are cute and good dancers.

I've noticed that the Sea Gals have four squads, and each starts in a different corner of the stadium. Every quarter, they rotate. This way, every group is in every corner for every game. I plan on finding a different favorite for each group.

This is just one advantage to being a season ticket holder. I have time to notice these things.

Of course, there's the usual stuff: I can finally figure out when the defense is in a nickle formation, I'm learning who is who, I can form actual opinions on calls from the officials. I'm really trying to be the ultimate football uber-geek. I'm not there yet, but I aspire...

I plan on getting a radio head set so I can listen to the play by play while watching the game. I already have binoculars and a program.

I was a little disappointed last night that Peter Warrick didn't get much playing time. We only saw him a few times on Special Teams, and not at all as an actual receiver. I suppose it takes more than two days to learn the play-book. It also makes sense that Holmgren would give the WR's on the bubble more playing time, to figure out who stays and who gets sent to the practice squad today.

I would be shocked if Jerheme Urban made the team. He had some good catches, but he also had baubles and some drops. I would have predicted Jerome Pathon to make the team, but he actually ducked under a pass at yesterday's game. He turned kind of late, and the ball was aimed at his head. It's a natural reaction, but really, WR's are supposed to catch those. Taco Wallace and D.J. Hackett are the others on the cusp, and none are really better than the others. Holmgren may as well pick the one with the best personality. I'm assuming that Joe Jerevicious will make the team. Of the non-locks, he has the best position based on experience and general skill and personality.

Ender

I'm about half way through Orson Scott Card's Xenocide.

So far, Card's reach has exceeded his grasp. He clearly had a lot he wanted to accomplish with this novel, so much that he must have plotted it all out in detail. Then he worked his way through the plot, point by point.

While he may have plotted the other novels in the Ender series, until now, none particularly read that way. Speaker for the Dead was pure brilliance, and really deserves a place in the annals literary history. Yes it is set in the future and has aliens, but really it's a novel about family and the human condition.

Ender is a marvelous character who embodies the ubermensch described by Nietzsche. Well, to be honest, I don't know if Ender is what Nietzsche had in mind, but Ender is what I had in mind when I read Nietzsche. In this character we have the perfect balance of Mr. Fred Rogers's sensitivity and wisdom with children, Captain Kirk's audacity and courage, Jimmy Carter's ability to communicate with alien leadership and Alexander's ability to lead an army into combat. This is what I aspire to be.

Now, I know I ain't Ender, I ain't Jimmy Carter or Fred Rogers. I ain't Alexander (I don't even know much about Alexander), and I sure ain't Kirk. We all need heroes though, don't we? And Card has provided me with one who I enjoy immensely.

Even in the over plotted Xenocide, the light shines through. I do hope he settles down for the next installment.

Psychic Energy

I was elected President of the Condo Association last Saturday. I can't go into many details since much of the association communicates via email, and I wouldn't want to be indiscreet.

Thus far, the position has been very psychically draining. The new board (all of whom I like and respect) inherited some baggage that will take some time to work through. This has not left much brain energy for blogging.

I also had a houseguest for a week or so, and guests always change the dynamic of one's household. We had a great time, and I'm glad he was here, but it was another event that kept me from blogging.

I wonder if I'll ever get used to this level of stress. So far I'm doing okay, but I was exhausted after the election. I ran the meeting, it went for an hour and a half, and there were some powerful personalities and important issues. I was so focused on the process that I barely registered the content.

I wonder how professional politicians deal with the constant conflict and juggling of personalities. I imagine they tend to be more extroverted than I am. I'm really a split; I enjoy being the center of attention, but it drains me. I can't keep it up forever. Before too long I have to crawl in a quiet hole to recharge.

So... "Adams" Blanchard had two attorneys? And they both want me to have the estate?

HARRY STEPHEN & ASSOCIATES

Dear Blanchard,

The passing away of Late Mr. John Adams Blanchard has prompted me to write you this email because you bear the same surnames as the deceased.

I am the deceased Attorney. The deceased died in April of the year 2004, without any heir nor beneficiary neither did he marry nor have any child. He died the way he came into this world 82 years ago, alone.

The Law in the Country of his death simply states that, “should a deceased person estate or cash deposit remains unclaimed by anyone so designated to by the deceased before his demise or proclaimed to be the beneficiary by the deceased Attorney, such estate or and cash deposit so left behind by the deceased shall be forfeited to the State after two years of such remaining unclaimed.

The deceased was such a nice and wonderful person who spent a better part of his life fighting for women equality and donating a substantial part of his wealth towards that course.

You have been contacted to assist in collecting the total sum deposit of twenty million United States Dollars which stands to be inherited by the next of kin. The deceased had none (this is only known to me as the Attorney). I can make you the next of kin and the Probate will release the money to you but on one condition, and that is you take 40% while l take 60% (the reason for the 60% is because l need to donate 40% of my 60% to the fight against Women brutality).

I will need to know your thoughts about the above immediately. Please do note that it is very important that you keep this very confidential.

Regards

Attorney Harry Stephen

Steven Shaviro

I took a few classes from Steven during his University of Washington days. He wrote a better analysis of No Country for Old Men than I did.

Now a South African

FROM: ATTORNEY FRED THABO
TEL: +27-73-666-8850
SUITE 3 # 19 CARLTON TOWER
CARLTON CITY. JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRICA.


ATTN: Blanchard
                                            INHERITANCE.


It is my privilege to capture your names from theinternet. My name is 
ATTORNEY. FRED THABO  a legal practitioner and the personal Attorney to
late
Mr Adams Blanchard,a  national of your country who died along with his
wife
and his Two sons in a ghastly motor accident along Port  louis-Reduit
express in August 13, 2001.All the occupants in the vehicle lost their
lives.

I am convinced that it was the grace of God that made me to locate you.
My client was a successful and am accomplished family  man, who made
enough
fortune before his untimely death. Since then I had  made several
inquiries
through your Embassy to locate any of my clients  extended relative but
this
exercise has proved unsuccessful.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided totrace his relatives 
through the Internet, to locate any member of hisfamily not much
progress 
was recorded. My late client was an influentialwealthy businessman, an 
Gold
magnet here in South Africa and he left behind a  deposit of Twenty 
Five 
Million, Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars($25,200,000.00usd)
in
his domiciliary bank account in a commercial bank here in  South
Africa.

After the death of my client his bankers contacted me,  as his Attorney
to
provide his next of kin who should inherit his  fortune. The board of
directors of his bank adopted a resolution and I was
mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money
within 28 
working days or forfeit the money to the bank as an abandoned property.

The bankers had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996
to
confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me.

Despairing at the point of exhaustiveness,fortunately, I came across
your
name  , to my utmost amazement , you are nationals of  the same
country.
Convinced that you may be linked with my late client or that you might 
provide clue to my search, I therefore,decided to contact you with
these facts before me because of the situation now . By  virtue of my
closeness to the deceased and his immediate family, I am very much 
aware of
my client financial standing and the bank account he operates.

I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it willbe legally 
proper to
present you as the next of kin of my deceased client,so that you can be
paid
the funds left in his bank account, hence I contacted  you. I seek your
consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the  Deceased since you
are at
an advantage as nationals from the same country, so  that the proceeds
of
this Bank Account valued at $25.2 Million Dollars can  be paid to you.

We shall both share the funds. 60% to me and 35% toyou, while 5% 
should be
for Expenses or Tax as your Government may require, I  shall assemble
all
the necessary Legal Documents that will be used to back up  our claim
.All I
require is your honest cooperation to enable us see  this deal through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under alegitimate arrangement 
that
will protect you from any breach of law.

Please get in touch with me by telephone or email to  enable us discuss
further.

Best Regards
Attorney. Fred Thabo
Hop

Ultimate Mega Robots

I'm pleased with my draft. Holmes, Westbrook and Portis were on the top 15 of my big board. As usual, my WR position is sketchy, so I went for depth and am hoping for sleepers. Michael Vick and Jake Plummer are always good fantasy choices. Shockey is one of the best TE's, and the Pittsburgh defense is legendary.

On paper, things are looking good. Injuries are my vulnerability. Vick, Holmes, Shockey and Rogers all have histories filled with injury.

QB M. Vick
WR N. Burleson
WR S. Smith
RB P. Holmes
RB B. Westbrook
TE J. Shockey
W/R C. Portis
K J. Carney
DEF Pittsburgh

Bench:
W. Dunn
(Atl - RB)
J. Plummer
(Den - QB)
C. Rogers
(Det - WR)
D. Givens
(NE - WR)

Another scam from a "Nigerian"

I know damn well it's a scam, but part of my wants to contact this guy and try to get those three million dollars. That's why it works, I'm sure. Somebody out there doesn't know better and that impulse will overwhelm any suspicions.

I put the message in italics to distinguish it from text I wrote.

Dear Blanchard,

I am Barrister micheal morgan, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney to late Mr. Pitt Blanchard, a national of your country, who used to work with one of the oil servicing Company in Nigeria. Here in after shall be referred to as my client.

On the 21st of April 2001, my client, his wife and their only daughter were involved in a car accident along sagbama express road. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost there lives. Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name over the Internet, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you.

I have contacted you to assist in repartrating the fund valued at US$3.5million left behind by my client before it gets confisicated or declared unserviceable by the AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK OF NIGERIA (ADB), where this huge amount were deposited. The said BANK has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confisicated within the next fourteen official working days.

For the fact that I have been unsuccesfull in locating the relatives for over 2 years now, I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased,since you have the same last name with my client, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer.

I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for claim. All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.Please get in touch with me through this email address:michealmorganchamber@excite.com

Best regards,

Barrister Micheal Morgan.

7 Habits

I'm working to incorporate the "7 habits of Highly Effective People" into my daily life. My main focus is on "Doing first things first" or however Covey phrases it, and on "Seeking first to understand, then to be understood." That one is particularly challenging and useful. No one listens as well as they should. Well, no one that I know anyway. I'm starting to notice who is a good listener and who isn't.

This has also got me thinking about real world habits of effective people. I had expected the book would be more practical and ground level. While I'm not criticizing the scope of Covey's work, I, at least, could benefit from actual physical postive habits.

For example, "Never lose your composure." That's a good one. I'm much better at that one at this point in my life than in the past.

Another is "walk with your head up, eyes raised, and be aware of your surroundings." This is especially important in the city, and when crossing the street. It also applies to the work environment. It's good to notice acquaintances and friends, and it's important to take responsibility for your own safety when dealing with traffic.

"Really try to remember people's names when you meet them. If possible, shake hands and say their name at the moment of introduction." That gives you a fighting chance of name recognition.

"At least glance at everything you sign or otherwise agree to."

"When searching for something, look where it's supposed to be. Even if someone else just looked there, look there again. Then look where other people might think it's supposed to be. Then where it was supposed to be at a different time. Really expect to find the thing you're looking for." This is wordy. I am a good finder, and this is the forumula for my success.

"Pick your battles." This is cliche by now, I'm sure. It's an important habit though.

"Take care of yourself." There that's seven. This is also essentially Covey's 7th habit. He calls it "sharpen the saw."