And if you have to, Iajutsu still seems best.

So, I feel I must have talked about this before, but I still think it’s cool, so I’ll talk about it again. Ask me if I care I don’t.

So, I’m not clear if it’s in the code of Bushido (it probably is, but if it isn’t then it’s in some other warrior code), but there are a few principles which I think work really well together, and can apply to lives outside the battle.

First is the idea of the sheath being a place of peace. The sword is away, there is no fight. A place of peace, a time of peace. It works both ways too. If there is no fight, do not draw your sword. If your sword is not drawn, then there is no fight. And it does not return to the sheath until the fight is over and finished. A large part of what this means is that you must have the ability to recognize a fight. A sword does not draw itself. It is up to the warrior to recognize when it is time to unsheath it and release the war held within. The sword is still a tool, the skill is in the person wielding it.

Okay, second part is the part about having to taste blood. When the sword is unsheathed, it has to taste blood before it can go back. It’s not a rule, it’s not a law, it’s a truth. By unsheathing it, you unleash a torrent of battle. You can’t just pull it out and wave it around to scare people. This is Newton’s laws: actions have equal reactions. Invoking a great power is gonna cause a great change. And if you don’t have anything to apply the force to, it’s just going to come back to hit you. It’ll be your blood.

I like to note that this is a reflection of the value of efficency in Japanese culture. The idea of midevil europeans is of them with swords, and they’ll draw them to make a point or to scare people or to cut apples, whatever. But the thought of samurai are guys who show up with their swords still in the sheath, and then they don’t pull them out until the very last second before clash. And then every movement and step is towards making a killing blow, so that the sword can finish it’s job and be put back as soon as possible. Kind of like swordfight min-maxing.

But these two points lead to a saying that I think elaborates these ideas to another useful place. “The fight is best won with the sword still in it’s sheath.” The sentiment here is that even tho when necessary you can unleash hell, this isn’t the best thing. In reality, the best way to solve a problem is to not have to deal with it. A saying that more people may have heard is that, “An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.” Either way you look at it, the meaning is that in most cases the best way to handle problems is to take care of them before they’re problems, or to just avoid having them become problems at all.

So the point to take away from this, is that ability doesn’t only lie in having great power or ability, but also in recognizing the right time to use it. Doing things at an inappropriate time are more then likely to come back and bite you in the ass. And the point that I want everyone to take home is that these are old sayings, but they are anything but outdated, and the culturial devide means nothing. Here and now, these ideas can help you lead an easier healthier and happier life.

I suppose this isn’t where I meant to post this then. I’ll put a copy of it over on guide2life.wordpress.com . Later. When I’m not asleep.

F*R*A*G: This isn’t a good silence. I guess I’ll fill with ad-libs. Woah, woah-oh-OH-oh! Sho~tay!

Physics and Psychics

Okay, I present you these two videos. I want you to watch them both at the same time.

First, Burnout 3 Takedown:

Second, Forza Motorsport 2:

Now then, astute viewers should notice a difference. This is something I’ve found myself explaining to people over the course of…a while now. Mainly: Burnout is a racing game, and forza is a driving game. Some people are skeptical when I say this, but let me explain.

Driving games are technical. You need to use your brakes. Perhaps driving “simulator” is more accurate, but it’s generally thought of as a game because it’s built around competitive races. But usually they are closer to simulators, attempting to test your skills as an actual driver. Turning, braking, maintaining momentum, tuning, shifting, drafting, drifting, passing, not hitting other cars, etc. These are some of the skills you need for driving games. Some driving games are: Forza, Sega GT, PGR, Grand Tourismo, Sega Rally.

Racing games are visceral. Their basic teachings are “Go fast. Faster. No, go as FAST as you FUCKING can. See that guy in front of you? Fuck him. If he deserved to win he’d be going faster then he is. GO FAST.” Many times they are designed so that you do not need to use brakes (to any reasonable amount), they have very exaggerated physics, and they generally test your skills of mastering the game’s engine, rather then actual driving physics. Also, many times they have weapons or power ups. Some racing games are: Burnout, F-Zero, Mario Kart, Micro Machines, Crusin’ USA, Megarace, Carmageddon, Kirby’s Air Ride.

I want to specifically bring up Kirby’s Air Ride, because I think it makes an importaint choice. Your “cart” is constantly accelerating in that game. You interact by applying brakes, using power-ups, and steering. But I think they do what Return to Sector 9 did with shooting – namely, doing it for you. Both these games take the most integral part of the gameplay and make it an inevitability. In Grand Tourismo and even Burnout, you have the option of never acclerating. Just sit there on the starting line and go make a sandwich. But that’s unexpected, and defies the objective of the game. Not in Kriby’s Air Ride. you have no choice but to move. Just as in Return to Sector 9, shooting is the point of the game, and they do it for you. In a way, be removing that option, they’re removing a choice from the player which forces them to focus on other aspects of the game. In RtS9, it’s doging and aiming, and in Kirby it’s steering and power ups. I think this is interesting and can make a game more fun…somehow…I’ll experiment with this later.

Yeah, my point is basically that, in the back of your mind, you knew that people who like Mario Kart might not like Grand Tourismo, but you may not have thought of separating them more then by name.

F*R*A*G: ‘Fast’ is one of those words that starts not looking right when you write it more then 5 times in a row.

(Possibly) Useful Italian

carpe cannum – Seize the dog.
like Re vera, potas bene – say, you’re sure drinking a lot!
“Veni, Vidi, Dormivi” (I came, I saw, I slept)
Quo signo nata es? (What’s your sign?)
Nullo metro compositum est. (It doesn’t rhyme.)
Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema. (I don’t care. If it doesn’t rhyme, it isn’t a poem.)
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant! (May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy!)
Totum dependeat. (Let it all hang out.)
Fac me cocleario vomere! (Gag me with a spoon!)
Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure. (I can’t hear you. I have a banana in my ear.)
Furnulum pani nolo. (I don’t want a toaster.)
Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare. (I think some people in togas are plotting against me.)
Nihil curo de ista tua stulta superstitione. (I’m not interested in your dopey religious cult.)
Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo. (Don’t call me, I’ll call you.)
Vacca foeda. (Stupid cow.)
Hic puer est stultissimus omnium! This boy is the stupidest of all!
lapsus alumni- error made
“delenda est Carthago” (Carthage must be destroyed)
Da mihi sis cerevisiam dilutam. (I’ll have a light beer.)
Magister Mundi sum! (I am the Master of the Universe!)
Non Gradus Anus Rodentum! Not Worth A Rats Ass!

Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinis alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes! If you can read this sign, you can get a good job in the fast-paced, high-paying world of Latin!)

Sona si Latine loqueris. (Honk if you speak Latin.)